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The upcoming horror movie Prey for the Devil will focus on a nun learning about exorcism alongside a young priest. Often, priests are one of the most dangerous professions to have in a horror movie. They may hold secret knowledge that could defeat the great evil in the movie but unfortunately, that knowledge is most often what leads to their doom. Or in some cases, become the doom themselves.
Some priests are terrifying because of what they become. Others are terrifying because of the circumstances they find themselves in. In any case, their faith is a major aspect of their character.
Priest is an action-horror movie set in an alternate earth where the Church reigns supreme. Priests act as executioners of the Church’s will against the dark creatures that roam the night. One of them, simply known as Priest, goes out of retirement to save a niece of his from a vampire kidnapper.
The movie’s not so much scary as it is really cool. Priest himself, played by Paul Bettany, is only terrifying to those who stand in his way, as he is firmly on the side of humanity. Nevertheless, it’s never a good idea to underestimate a man who hunts the things that go bump in the night.
Dillon is a convict, guilty of terrible crimes such as murder and rape. With Ripley’s luck in squadmates, people were fully expecting Dillon to turn heel at one point or another. However, after Ripley holds a conversation with him, she finds a genuinely rehabilitated man, a rarity in the Alien franchise.
He became the unofficial leader of the inmates and was instrumental in defeating the Xenomorph threat. He even saves Ripley from an attempted assault by his fellow inmates. It only makes his eventual fate that much sadder, although thankfully, he did so on his own terms. Even the damned are capable of redemption.
Most casual moviegoers hear the name Peter Jackson and think high-brow fantasy, adaptations of Tolkien’s most legendary work, and sweeping the awards scene in a plethora of categories. They definitely wouldn’t expect one of his earlier movies to have been Braindead.
Braindead features a priest who, while not lasting that long, became instantly iconic with a single line. By shouting “I kick a**e for the Lord” defiantly as the undead swarmed him, he cemented his place in horror movie one-liners, even if he became a grisly zombie himself.
Cotton Marcus is a jaded priest who, despite his belief in God, has no such faith in the Church he serves. He views the supernatural as a way for men to supplant the beliefs of others. His already shaken faith is even further tested by his participation in the so-called “Last Exorcism”.
Cotton Marcus is a fascinating character for a horror movie. Oftentimes, priests are characterized by their strong faith, but Cotton Marcus is racked with self-doubt. The fact that an intelligent man puts so much doubt in his own practice is its own brand of unsettling. Even as the fears of demon possession quickly become all too real.
The Cleansing Hour plays with the idea of “fake exorcisms” by showing what happens when these scam artists actually face a creature from Hell. “Father Max” moonlights as a “genuine exorcist” with his own live-streamed show online. However, all of his supposed exorcisms are staged to only look like “found footage”.
At least, until one of their segments takes a sinister turn. Father Max’s backstory is revealed throughout the movie, showcasing a broken man who was spat out by the Church he believed would save him. He was a genuine priest who left the order because of past trauma, and that trauma is unsettling to explore.
The eccentric Reverend Jacob Meeker starts out as a typical small-town priest, who believed that the titular Blob is a sign from God that the apocalypse is nigh. And over the course of the movie, Reverend Meeker slowly loses his mind.
His collar gets more undone, his hair a mess, and his speeches are less and less coherent. The stinger of the Reverend seeing himself as some sort of “Horseman of the Apocalypse”, holding onto a tiny bit of the Blob, left audiences shocked in their seats.
John Ketcham is the priest of a xenophobic cult that in the 17th century, committed hundreds of atrocities on the American Indians of the land. The suffering he inflicted, and his own ritualistic suicide is why the Amityville Mansion became one of the most haunted houses in horror history.
It was his actions that started the curse upon the Amityville house, his hatred remaining strong. Not only that, the hate that his victims feel also remains, further driving any of the house’s residents into insanity. Even in death, John Ketcham continues to terrorize the innocent.
Harry Powell at a glance seems the perfect clergyman. Strong in his faith yet still charismatic enough to attract a following. Men and women alike find him easy to be around. However, Harry Powell is far from following God’s teachings. In fact, he uses God as a cover for his grisly crimes.
Robert Mitchum plays the part of a psychotic preacher who preys on widows astoundingly well. It’s considered one of his most iconic performances for good reason. Well before the likes of Psycho preyed on the idea of the charismatic killer, Harry Powell was already terrifying ’50s audiences with his sadism.
Lucas Trevant is at first glance the best exorcist a possessed person could ask for. Under church law, he is not just a priest, but also a doctor. This means he needs no assistance in his exorcisms. Additionally, he has decades of experience under his belt. He even helps his young protégé, Michael, find his faith in God.
Behind his mask, however, is a tired old man who sees visions of all the exorcisms he’s performed whenever he closes his eyes. His doubts and grief allow him to become possessed by a demon, and Anthony Hopkins playing a sadistic demon is unlikely to be forgotten by viewers.
Damien Karras is a wonderfully complex character and the only part of the cast to be in two good Exorcist movies. Damien Karras is not only a priest, but a psychiatrist. His faith is not nearly as strong as that of Father Merrin. The contrast between his cynicism and Merrin’s steadfast belief is challenged throughout the movie.
What makes Damien Karras a terrifying priest is not because of what he is, but what he becomes. As The Exorcist III reveals, he became the host for the soul of the Gemini Killer, and has to watch helplessly as his body murders innocent people in horrifyingly brutal ways.
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