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Occult horror is a broad umbrella that deals with the esoteric, witchcraft, mysticism, alchemy, spiritualism, cults, magic, and supernatural beliefs beyond mainstream religion and science. That pursuit of arcane knowledge yields no shortage of nightmarish terror here in the world of horror cinema, whether through violent cultists or demonic forces from another plane.
This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to occult horror movies that unsettle with haunting depictions of secret societies, sects, and supernatural terror. Here’s where to stream them.
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A Dark Song – AMC+, Shudder
Sophia Howard (Catherine Walker) contracts an acerbic, callous occultist, Joseph Solomon (Steven Oram), to help her enact the Abramelin Operation, a grueling 18-month dark magic ritual to meet with a guardian angel and receive a granted wish. As daunting as the spell can be, Sophia risks their work, lives, and souls by harboring a hidden agenda. Liam Gavin’s feature debut gives a refreshing take on black magic and ritual occultism with a slow atmospheric burn that refuses to depict effortless mastery of the dark arts. The single-location horror movie finds creative ways to induce scares and inventive set pieces without ever leaving the eerie Gothic estate.
The Alchemist Cookbook – Fandor, freevee, Hoopla, Kanopy
Loner Sean lives alone in the woods with only his cat as his companion. He’s determined to live entirely off-grid, using alchemy and black magic. The more he dabbles in it, though, the more things get weird as he seemingly awakens something dark and sinister from deep within the woods. Joel Potrykus’s indie horror movie is almost entirely a one-person show, with Ty Hickson turning in a captivating performance as Sean. Potrykus builds an eerie atmosphere with almost imperceptible subtly that crescendos into near Evil Dead levels of chaos, yet with enough ambiguity to form multiple conclusions. It’s clever and compelling.
Kill List – AMC+, Shudder
In Ben Wheatley’s psychological, occult horror movie, a former soldier turned hitman Jay (Neil Maskell) suffers trauma from a disastrous hit job to the point where he’s been unable to work since. At the urging of his wife, Shel (MyAnna Buring), and partner, Gal (Michael Smiley), he accepts a new assignment. Their contract is signed in blood, and Jay finds himself unraveling as he’s drawn into a bizarre conspiracy where the truth is far more horrifying than imagined. There are plenty of eerie cult clues sprinkled along the way, yet it still won’t prepare you for the wild finale in this unsettling slow burn.
Starry Eyes – AMC+, Fandango at Home, Peacock, Pluto TV, the Roku Channel, Shudder
Like Kill List, the occult component of the plot takes a while to reveal its hand in Starry Eyes, and it’s all the more thrilling for it. The plot follows Sarah (Alex Essoe) and her pursuit of an acting career. Her desperate ambition catches the attention of a Hollywood elite cult that offers to grant her greatest dreams in exchange for her soul, of course. Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer’s Satanic take on Hollywood fame is filled with gross body horror, a shocking descent, and a delightfully brutal final act.
The Void – freevee, Peacock
In Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski’s cosmic nightmare feature, a disparate group of strangers become trapped in a hospital surrounded by hooded cult-like beings. Inside, the patients and staff start behaving strangely. When things turn violent and monstrous, the survivors realize that they may be pawns in something far more horrific than they ever could’ve imagined. Fascinating mythology, imagery, and world-building aside, Kostanski and Gillespie channel Lucio Fulci’s style of horror and get gory with stunning practical effects and creature designs.
