Plot: Dante journeys through the nine circles of Hell – limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery – in search of his true love, Beatrice.

KBZ’s Take: This animated film is based on the Dante’s Inferno video game but is also loosely based on Dante Alighieri’s famous poem, Divine Comedy. The film tracks mostly to the Inferno portion of the poem which describes Dante’s journey through Hell. There have been many attempts to visualize Hell on film, and this is one of the best. Though the film progresses much like a video game with ‘bosses’ at each level of Hell, you likely won’t notice as you’re mesmerized by the visuals. Highly recommended for fans of the subgenre.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3FksM9F

Plot: Ida and Albin are a happy couple. They set off to a cabin in the vast Swedish woodlands to have a fun holiday with their friends. But under the floorboards is an evil that waits to be unleashed.

KBZ’s Take: Wither is one of the two films on our list that are homages to The Evil Dead (1981). Wither follows many of the same plot points of Sam Raimi’s 1981 film but does enough to slightly differentiate itself. While this Swedish film is not as good as the classic Evil Dead film, it still has enough suspenseful moments and buckets of blood and guts that will likely appease many subgenre fans looking for a good dose of gore with their demons.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3gSproO

Plot: A man discovers that he is part of a secret sect of magical beings who hunt down and destroy demons in the internet.

KBZ’s Take: This film not only has one of the most unique premises of the subgenre, but also is one of the funnier Horror Comedies in the entire subgenre. Made by the same creators of Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014), if you liked that film, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this as well. For people not familiar with the Australian team of Kiah Roach-Turner and Tristan Roache-Turner, let’s just say they have a unique sense of humor and fondness for gore. And with Nekrotronic, they stay close to their Horror Comedy roots with their patented brand of craziness and have some well-known names amongst the cast – David Wenham and Monica Bellucci. Recommended for fans of the subgenre who also like Quirky Comedy.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3gUEcHB

Plot: When God loses faith in humankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Humanity’s only hope for survival lies in a group of strangers trapped in an out-of-the-way, desert diner with the Archangel Michael.

KBZ’s Take: Even though this came out only 12 years ago and was a major studio release, it’s still somewhat of a forgotten gem of the subgenre. Sharing some of the same Apocalyptic religious themes of The Prophecy (1995), Legion channels a John Carpenter-type vibe with the group of strangers stuck in a diner and surrounded by demons. While the film doesn’t quite measure up to Carpenter’s level of suspense, it still has enough creepy moments to make it a guilty pleasure of the subgenre.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3VGLj5k

Plot: A group of people are trapped in an elevator high above Philadelphia, and one of them is the devil.

KBZ’s Take: Though this is a Horror film, it plays out much more like a Suspense and Mystery Thriller. M. Night Shyamalan wrote the story the screenplay is based on, and it’s much more character driven than most of his other work. This film likely won’t appeal to the straight up Horror fans of the subgenre, but for those looking for a well crafted Thriller with the Devil in it, move this film to the top of your queue.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3Vo7lKp

Plot: A stranger arrives in a little village and soon after a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman is drawn into the incident and is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.

KBZ’s Take: This is one great film with a unique take on possession and demons. While the film starts off more like a Detective & Whodunnit subgenre film, it quickly builds understated suspense and foreboding for what is happening in the village. It also has one of the best representations of a ‘demon’ in any subgenre film. It’s one of the better K-Horror Films that came at the tail end of the K-Horror craze (which started to heat up in 2005). It’s a film that you shouldn’t miss and is highly recommended for fans of the subgenre.

Additional Lists: Top Films About Exorcisms & Possessions You Haven’t Seen #2

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3B3LQ9r

Plot: A blacksmith holds a demon in captivity, torturing it as revenge for his troubles. One day, an orphan girl stumbles upon the demon’s enclosure and unwittingly releases it.

KBZ’s Take: This is a film that falls more within the Dark Fantasy subgenre and the visuals are much better than the plot. Though the film’s story is a bit difficult to follow, by the third act, the amazing visuals take over. The visuals of the devil and various demons shepherding lost souls to hell are worth seeing for alone. Highly recommended for fans of the subgenre who are more interested in visual elements of the subgenre.

Additional Lists: Top Dark Fantasy Films You Haven’t Seen 2010 – 2022 #9

Where to Stream / Buy: https://www.netflix.com/title/80239565

Plot: When a team of explorers ventures into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead.

KBZ’s Take: Though this film is shot in a Found Footage format, it actually benefits from it due to the claustrophobic nature of being lost in the dark catacombs. The film also has an original plot while combining Horror and Adventure genres. Even if you hate the Found Footage format, this is worth checking out as it masterfully builds suspense as it gets closer to subgenre elements.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3B2kXCH

Plot: Hoping to find answers to her estranged father’s mysterious illness, a young woman visits his old villa and uncovers a horrifying truth from the past.

KBZ’s Take: Though this Indonesian film is also clearly inspired by The Evil Dead (1981), it rises above similar ‘inspirations’ by focusing on the family dynamics within the film. Within the first act, you’re presented with all the different dynamics within the family that will come to fruition later in the film. The film also doesn’t shy away from the gore factor as there’s plenty of that in this film as well. However, it’s a Horror film based on broken families first which makes the Horror elements that much more impactful once the supernatural demon is released.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://www.netflix.com/title/81030893

Plot: A young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.

KBZ’s Take: We’ll admit there might be some recency bias for listing the latest Hellraiser #1 on our list. However, the original Hellraiser (1987) is a classic film of the subgenre and this latest reboot has brought the Cenobite mojo back.

While the first film in the franchise is a classic, Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) were above average sequels that helped continue the Hellraiser bloodline. But after the subpar Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996), the franchise suffered from six increasingly bad direct-to-video sequels which seemed to finally kill off the franchise.

The latest Hellraiser reboot took quite a few risks to re-establish the franchise. And we can definitively say it has helped bring Hellraiser and the Cenobites back to the forefront of the subgenre. From the new female ‘Pinhead’ Cenobite to new (and refreshingly bizarre) Cenobite creature designs to even more demented Cenobite ‘kills’, everything that made the original Hellraiser great can be found in the reboot. And unlike other Horror reboots such as Friday the 13^th (2009), this film feels like it has re-established the franchise for some even better Cenobite pleasure ahead.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://www.hulu.com/movie/hellraiser