Since its release in 2013, The Conjuring has earned its place as one of the best supernatural horror movies of the 21st century. Sure, the jump scares are great, but they’re not what keep fans coming back. It’s the sense of dread, the eerie atmosphere, and the way director James Wan lets the tension simmer before unleashing something truly terrifying. Add in the paranormal lore surrounding Ed and Lorraine Warren, and it is easy to see why the franchise has developed such a devoted following.
That’s also why finding another movie that delivers the same feeling can be so frustrating. Plenty of horror movies throw ghosts, demons, or possessions at the audience, but not all of them know how to build suspense. There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching a horror movie slowly tighten the screws until you’re bracing for every creak in the floorboards, even when nothing is happening yet.
For fans chasing that same slow-burning tension and supernatural energy that made The Conjuring a paranormal standout, these movies are a great place to start.
Talk to Me (2023)
Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou
Few recent horror movies have gripped audiences’ attention quite like Talk to Me. The 2023 film takes a basic supernatural hook (a group of teenagers using an embalmed hand to communicate with the dead) and turns it into a brutal exploration of grief, curiosity, and the dangers of inviting something unknown into your life.
The horror in Talk to Me becomes increasingly unsettling because it is tied directly to Mia’s grief. Her desperate attempt to cope with losing her mother fuels an impossible desire to hear from her one last time, even if it means risking everything to get that chance. That emotional weight makes the possession scenes far more disturbing because the audience can understand exactly where Mia is coming from and why she continues pushing forward, even as everything begins spiraling beyond her control.
For The Conjuring fans searching for that same feeling of growing dread, Talk to Me delivers in a completely different way. The movie understands that horror is often most effective when the audience knows something is wrong before the characters do, slowly building tension until every moment feels unpredictable.
When Evil Lurks (2023)
Directed by Demián Rugna
When Evil Lurks takes the fear of demonic possession and removes the sense of safety that often comes with the genre. The 2023 Argentinian horror film follows two brothers who discover a man infected by a demonic presence, only to realize they have stumbled into something far more dangerous than they could have imagined. Instead of a single contained haunting, evil is treated as something that spreads, leaving the characters desperately trying to understand rules they were never prepared for.
Merciless, When Evil Lurks refuses to offer easy solutions or familiar comfort, eliciting a constant sense that the situation can escalate at any moment. The violence in this film is not there for shock value. It further proves that the supernatural forces in this universe operate on their own terrifying terms.
For The Conjuring fans, When Evil Lurks has a far harsher take on demonic horror. While James Wan’s franchise builds fear through investigation and the search for answers, Demián Rugna’s film finds terror in the absence of them.
The Ritual (2017)
Directed by David Bruckner
The Ritual is a horror movie that understands how unsettling the unknown can be. The 2017 film follows four friends who head into the Swedish wilderness for a hiking trip after the death of their friend Rob. Though, what begins as a journey to honor his memory quickly turns into something far more terrifying. Strange symbols, an abandoned cabin, and something lurking within the forest turn the trip into a nightmare.
The isolation is what makes The Ritual so effective. The forest feels endless, the group is cut off from any help, and every strange finding makes it clear they are somewhere they should not be. At the same time, the movie uses Luke’s guilt over Rob’s death to make the underlying tension feel personal, as he is forced to confront both The Ritual‘s monster and the trauma he carries.
For The Conjuring fans, The Ritual delivers that same feeling of slowly realizing something is very wrong. The movie takes its time building tension, allowing the fear to grow before fully revealing what the characters are facing.
His House (2020)
Directed by Remi Weekes
His House is proof that the most terrifying ghosts are not always the ones hiding in the shadows. Bol and Rial arrive in England hoping to rebuild their lives after escaping the horrors of war-torn South Sudan, but their new home quickly becomes a place where the past refuses to stay buried. The supernatural presence haunting them is frightening, but the memories, guilt, and loss they carry with them are what make the horror truly devastating.
His House is not another story about a random haunted house. The heart of the movie is that every scare feels connected to Bol and Rial’s experiences. The walls of the house become a reminder of everything they have lost, forcing the couple to confront painful truths they have spent years avoiding. Rather than simply asking how they can escape the haunting, the film explores whether they can ever truly escape what happened to them.
Fans of The Conjuring who love horror with a strong emotional core should not overlook His House. The Netflix horror movie takes the haunted house formula and gives it a much heavier meaning, turning the home meant to be a fresh start into a place filled with painful memories.
Oddity (2024)
Directed by Damian McCarthy
Oddity proves that a horror movie does not need to constantly show its scares to make audiences uncomfortable. The 2024 supernatural thriller follows Darcy, a blind clairvoyant who arrives at the home where her twin sister was murdered, bringing with her a mysterious wooden figure that quickly becomes connected to the strange events unfolding inside. What begins as an attempt to uncover the truth becomes something much more unsettling.
The film’s biggest strength is its ability to make everyday objects feel threatening. From Darcy’s collection of haunted artifacts to the unsettling presence of the wooden figure, Oddity creates a world where nothing feels completely safe. The movie takes its time building tension, allowing small details and still moments to become just as frightening as its more shocking reveals.
For The Conjuring fans, Oddity captures that same love of supernatural mysteries and slow-building fear. Rather than relying on constant jump scares, the movie lets its atmosphere do the heavy lifting, creating an energy that something is always waiting just out of sight.
Late Night with the Devil (2024)
Directed by Colin and Cameron Cairnes
Late Night with the Devil turns a 1970s talk show into one of the most unsettling places for a supernatural horror story to unfold. The 2023 film follows Jack Delroy, the host of a late-night variety show attempting to boost ratings with a Halloween special featuring occult-themed guests. What begins as a strange television event slowly becomes something disturbing as the line between performance and reality starts to disappear.
Every uncomfortable interview, strange reaction, and moment of silence creates the feeling that something is slowly slipping out of control, yet the cameras keep rolling. That choice makes the audience feel trapped inside the episode, forced to watch a nightmare unfold in real time alongside everyone in the studio.
Fans of The Conjuring fans drawn to stories where ordinary people are forced to confront something beyond their understanding, Late Night with the Devil delivers that same appeal. The movie takes the fear of possession and blasts it under the bright lights of a live television broadcast, where the growing chaos becomes impossible to ignore.
The Orphanage (2007)
Directed by J.A. Bayona
Few fears are more powerful than the idea of losing a child, and The Orphanage builds its entire nightmare around that possibility. The 2007 Spanish horror film follows Laura, who returns to the orphanage where she grew up with plans to reopen it as a home for children with disabilities. But after her son Simón begins talking about a mysterious friend no one else can see, Laura discovers the building is hiding a much darker history.
The mystery at the center of The Orphanage works because every strange discovery brings Laura closer to the truth while pulling her further into the past. The whispers, hidden rooms, and ghostly encounters are never-ending, and slowly reveal the tragedy that has been buried inside the orphanage for years.
For The Conjuring fans, The Orphanage delivers the same kind of supernatural mystery, where the fear comes from uncovering what happened before it is too late.
The Empty Man (2020)
Directed by David Prior
The Empty Man is not the kind of horror movie that gives audiences easy answers. The 2020 film begins with a familiar setup; a missing teenager, a disturbing urban legend, and a former detective searching for the truth. But as James Lasombra follows the trail of the Empty Man, the investigation quickly becomes something much more unsettling, revealing a mystery that stretches far beyond the legend that started it all.
The movie is constantly challenging expectations. What appears to be a simple supernatural mystery slowly transforms into something disturbing, introducing a terrifying backstory built around belief, obsession, and forces that are impossible to fully understand. The deeper James goes, the more the film creates the feeling that he is uncovering something nobody was meant to find.
For The Conjuring fans who love the mystery behind the supernatural, The Empty Man scratches a very specific horror itch. It is less about sudden scares and more about the terrifying process of realizing there is something much bigger hiding beneath the surface.
The Vigil (2019)
Directed by Keith Thomas
There is something very unsettling about being trapped somewhere you cannot leave, especially when you are forced to sit with something you cannot explain. The Vigil takes that fear and builds an entire horror experience around it. The 2019 supernatural film follows Yakov, a former member of Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community who agrees to watch over the body of a Holocaust survivor for one night.
However, what begins as a simple vigil quickly becomes a fight against a presence tied to unimaginable trauma, as it is revealed that the entity haunting the house is something born from suffering, guilt, and memories that refuse to disappear. Yakov’s fear comes from more than the creature itself, because the night forces him to confront the parts of his past he has spent years trying to bury.
For The Conjuring fans chasing that same feeling of growing unease, The Vigil delivers. The film understands that the most terrifying supernatural threats are not only the ones hiding in the darkness, but also the ones that find the deepest wounds and refuse to let them stay buried.
Anything for Jackson (2020)
Directed by Justin D. Dyck
Grief has always been one of horror’s most powerful tools, but Anything for Jackson takes that idea somewhere especially twisted. The 2020 supernatural horror film follows Audrey and Henry, an elderly couple who attempt to use an occult ritual to bring their deceased grandson back to life. However, their attempt to rewrite the rules of death opens the door to something far more horrifying than they ever imagined.
What makes Anything for Jackson such a memorable addition to supernatural horror is that its central mistake comes from a place many people can understand: wanting one more chance with someone they lost. Audrey and Henry’s love for their grandson drives every terrible decision they make, which makes the horrors that follow feel even more disturbing.
The film turns grief into a weakness that something sinister can exploit. For The Conjuring fans who keep searching for that same feeling of supernatural dread, Anything for Jackson is a fitting final stop. The movie delivers the kind of horror that starts with an emotional spiral before slowly dragging viewers into something much darker.
- Release Date
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July 18, 2013
- Runtime
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112 minutes
