If you’re looking for horror movies to watch on Friday the 13th, you’re in the right (or wrong) place. This infamous date isn’t just about bad luck, there’s something about Friday the 13th that makes the air feel heavier, darker, as if something ancient and unseen is watching.
So if you’re brave enough to lean into the eerie atmosphere, we have just the thing for you: 13 occult horror movies that’ll make you question every shadow, whisper, and creaking floorboard.
From cursed tapes and demonic possessions to forbidden rituals and pagan cults, this list of scary movies to watch on friday the 13th is laced with ancient curses, dark gods, and ritual sacrifices, that might just haunt you (a little).
Just remember: some of these films come with their own legends. Watch at your own risk, because they aren’t your average jump-scare flicks. These films deal with rituals, possession, ancestral curses, and some of these best occult horror movies are said to carry their own sinister energy.
13 Occult Horror Movies To Watch On Friday The 13th…
1. The Ritual (2017)
In the Scandinavian wilderness, grief becomes a portal to something ancient and hungry. The Ritual follows four friends who go on a hiking trip, and quickly it descends into nightmare territory when they stumble upon a Norse cult deep in the forest that feels alive, and not in a good way.
This one’s an eerie, slow-burn terror that’s perfect if you’re craving scary movies to watch on Friday the 13th that rely on psychological dread as much as folklore.
2. The Witch (2015)
Set in 17th Century New England, The Witch is a masterclass in historical horror. It follows a Puritan family, exiled to the edge of a dark forest, who believe they’ve been cursed. Spoiler: they’re right. This film simmers with paranoia, religious dread, and pure atmospheric terror. Few movies to watch on Friday the 13th feel this authentically cursed.
3. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
Based on a true case, this movie is about a young girl who dies after a failed exorcism, and the priest is put on trial, but the courtroom can’t contain what truly happened. A disturbing hybrid of legal drama and demonic possession, this one sticks with you, especially on nights like Friday the 13th.
4. Hereditary (2018)
Ari Aster’s Hereditary features one of the most disturbing séances ever put on screen turns. A grieving family discovers that their matriarch left behind more than just trauma. This is a must-see if you’re after the best occult horror movies in recent years.
5. The Wailing (2016)
The Wailing is rich in folklore but slow-building dread. It’s about a rural South Korean village, where a mysterious illness spreads like a curse. A detective investigates it, and uncovers layers of shamanic rituals, demonic possession, and deadly deception.
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6. Midsommar (2019)
What could go wrong at a pagan festival in Sweden? Everything! Midsommar is a bright, floral nightmare that lures you in with flower crowns and mushroom tea, then blindsides you with ritual sacrifice and generational madness. This is one of the most unique occult horror movies you can watch, daylight makes it even more disturbing.
7. Longlegs (2024)
For fans of serial killers and the supernatural, Longlegs is a movie about an FBI agent who investigates a satanic serial killer and uncovers an infernal conspiracy. Nicolas Cage’s performance is terrifyingly unhinged, and the film’s ritualistic pacing makes it feel like a cursed object in itself.
8. Exhuma (2024)
Add this to your list of movies to watch on Friday the 13th if you want something internationally sinister. Set in South Korea, Exhuma begins a team of shamans, monks, and undertakers who exhume a grave, but what’s buried isn’t just bones.
Rooted in Korean mythology and ritual horror, Exhuma shows us what is ancestral vengeance, exorcism rituals, and shamanic horror fused with Korean mythology and visceral terror.
9. Suspiria (2018)
A Berlin dance academy houses more than just dancers, it’s run by a coven of witches. Suspiria is hypnotic, grotesque, and drenched in occult symbolism and of the best occult horror movies of the decade.
10. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
This is claustrophobic, quiet horror that’ll have you scanning the corners of your screen.
Two coroners begin examining a mysterious body of an unidentified woman found at a crime scene, only to discover she’s no ordinary victim. As the autopsy progresses, the evidence defies science, until they realize they’re dealing with something ancient and dark magical.
11. The Medium (2021)
The Medium is ideal for scary movies to watch on Friday the 13th that leave you questioning reality. Filmed in mockumentary style, this movie explores possession in rural Thailand, following a shaman’s niece who may be possessed by a goddess or something much darker. If you’re interested in Thai shamanism, generational curses, get ready for a uniquely terrifying experience.
12. Incantation (2022)
Inspired by real superstitions in Taiwan, Incantation is a cursed found-footage film about a mother trying to lift a curse she unknowingly passed onto her daughter. It breaks the fourth wall and makes you part of the ritual. Even watching the symbols on screen feels risky.
13. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
No best occult horror movies list is complete without it. A timeless classic of paranoia and occult manipulation, Rosemary’s Baby is the slow, creeping story of a woman who suspects her unborn child is part of a satanic conspiracy. The slow horror builds with every gaslight and whispered ritual.
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So, whether you believe in curses or not, the themes in these films linger in your mind, and sometimes you might dream about them too. They dig up old fears about fate, faith, and the unknown. So this Friday the 13th, light a candle, lock your doors, and press play, if you dare.
Just don’t say we didn’t warn you!
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