The Conjuring backdrop

Best Horror Movies Like The Conjuring (2013)

Published: Mar 1, 2026

This collection brings together scary horror movies similar to The Conjuring (2013): dark stories about demons, possession, curses, exorcism, and disturbing paranormal phenomena. It includes both iconic films like The Ring and Sinister, as well as newer titles where the fear comes not from humor, but from a dense atmosphere, constant tension, a sense of danger, and encounters with forces that cannot be explained rationally.

Sinister

1. Sinister

Horror Thriller Mystery
6.8

2012 · 1h 50min

United States, Canada

Director: Scott Derrickson

A once-famous writer moves into a new house with his family, hoping to find inspiration for a new book. In the attic, he discovers a box of old film reels and soon realizes they’re more than just recordings of real, gruesome deaths — someone has been doing this for years.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Tension, Pacing, Tone, Conflict

Notable differences: Bleakness (+33%), Darkness (+11%), Violence (+27%)

Shared keywords

Supernatural, Investigation, Possession

Style

Darkness
86%
Tension
84%
Bleakness
78%

Bring Her Back

2. Bring Her Back

Horror
7.1

2025 · 1h 44min

United States, Australia

Director: Michael Philippou

After their father’s sudden death, Andy and his younger sister Piper are sent to a foster family in a remote country house. Soon after the move, they begin to sense that strange things are happening in the house, and their new foster mother carries out chilling rituals.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Tension, Pacing, Tone, Themes

Notable differences: Bleakness (+50%), Darkness (+20%), Violence (+45%), Complexity (+20%)

Shared keywords

Supernatural, Possession, Demon

Style

Darkness
95%
Bleakness
95%
Tension
90%

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

3. The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Crime Drama Horror Thriller
6.7

2005 · 2h 2min

United States

Director: Scott Derrickson

In a courtroom hearing over a chilling death, the girl’s family accuses a priest of involuntary manslaughter. The defendant’s lawyer is convinced the real cause was medical negligence and sticks to that line—until disturbing details from the girl’s final days begin to surface.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Darkness, Pacing, Tone, Tropes

Notable differences: Bleakness (+27%), Tension (-11%)

Shared keywords

Supernatural, Possession, Demon, Exorcism

Style

Darkness
78%
Tension
74%
Bleakness
72%

Hereditary

4. Hereditary

Horror Mystery Thriller
7.3

2018 · 2h 8min

United States, United Kingdom

Director: Ari Aster

The Graham family struggles to cope with the grandmother’s death as constant tension, anxiety, and misunderstandings keep growing. Her daughter Annie gradually digs into the family’s unsettling history and begins to uncover frightening details of past events that start repeating themselves.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Tension, Tone, Conflict

Notable differences: Bleakness (+47%), Darkness (+19%), Pacing (-23%), Violence (+37%), Complexity (+29%)

Shared keywords

Supernatural, Possession, Demon

Style

Darkness
94%
Bleakness
92%
Tension
88%

The Autopsy of Jane Doe

5. The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Horror Mystery
6.8

2016 · 1h 26min

United States, United Kingdom

Director: André Øvredal

Two small-town coroners try to determine the cause of death of a young woman known only as Jane Doe. As they dig deeper into the case, they uncover more and more clues and details that seem impossible.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Tension, Pacing, Tone, Conflict

Notable differences: Bleakness (+33%), Darkness (+11%)

Style

Darkness
86%
Tension
84%
Bleakness
78%

Terrified

6. Terrified

Horror
6.5

2018 · 1h 28min

Argentina

Director: Demián Rugna

A detective from the investigative unit and a team of paranormal specialists look into a string of mysterious incidents that have spread across several houses in a suburb of Buenos Aires. Residents are terrorized by unknown, unsettling phenomena: some claim to see horrifying monsters, others encounter the dead who seem to have returned to life. Meanwhile, grisly murders are taking place in the neighborhood.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Tension, Pacing, Tone, Tropes

Notable differences: Bleakness (+33%), Darkness (+11%), Complexity (+15%)

Shared keywords

Supernatural, Investigation

Style

Darkness
86%
Tension
84%
Bleakness
78%

The Ring

7. The Ring

Horror Mystery
7.1

2002 · 1h 55min

United States

Director: Gore Verbinski

Journalist Rachel investigates an urban legend about a mysterious videotape: anyone who watches it dies exactly one week later. The deeper she digs, the more real it seems—until the threat begins to loom over her family. Now Rachel must understand and break the curse before it breaks her.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Tension, Pacing, Darkness, Tone, Themes

Notable differences: Bleakness (+33%)

Shared keywords

Supernatural, Investigation, Curse

Style

Darkness
85%
Tension
82%
Bleakness
78%

Oddity

8. Oddity

Horror Mystery
6.7

2024 · 1h 38min

United States, Ireland

Director: Damian McCarthy

A woman is brutally murdered in an isolated country house. A year later, unhappy with the outcome of the investigation, her twin sister—who works as a medium—returns to the ominous home to try to uncover what really happened.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Darkness, Tension, Pacing, Tone, Themes

Notable differences: Bleakness (+23%), Complexity (+15%)

Style

Tension
82%
Darkness
78%
Bleakness
68%

The Wailing

9. The Wailing

Horror Mystery
7.4

2016 · 2h 36min

South Korea

Director: Na Hong-jin

In a quiet Korean village, a string of strange and brutal incidents suddenly begins—some people fall ill or lose their minds. The locals link the mysterious sickness to a stranger who arrived in the village not long before.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Tension, Pacing, Tone, Themes

Notable differences: Bleakness (+37%), Darkness (+13%), Violence (+27%), Complexity (+33%)

Shared keywords

Supernatural, Investigation, Possession, Demon

Style

Darkness
88%
Tension
84%
Bleakness
82%

Insidious

10. Insidious

Horror Thriller
6.8

2011 · 1h 42min

United States, Canada

Director: James Wan

Soon after the family moves into a new house, strange and disturbing events begin to unfold, and before long their son falls into a coma that medicine can’t explain. When the parents seek help from mediums, they learn that the boy’s soul is trapped on the other side—and something sinister wants to take its place.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Darkness, Pacing, Tension, Tone, Themes

Style

Tension
80%
Darkness
75%
Pacing
65%

About the movie The Conjuring (2013)

The Conjuring plot: Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives.

Keywords: Supernatural, Investigation, Possession, Somber, Demon, Curse, Haunted house, Exorcism

Style characteristics: Tension, Darkness, Pacing