Demons That Are More Terrifying Than Valak From The Conjuring Universe
With the release of "The Conjuring 2" in 2016, the demonic nun known as Valak was instantly propelled into the horror spotlight and is today seen as one of the most iconic and recognizable monsters in modern media. Played to perfection by Bonnie Aarons, Valak has subsequently appeared in multiple installments of the Conjuring Universe, most notably in "The Nun" and its 2023 sequel "The Nun II." The terrifying thing about this demon is that it doesn't just take the form of an evil nun — it can also appear as your dead loved ones, creatures from folktales, and even possess those closest to you — meaning it can haunt you in a variety of unsettling ways.
However, Valak isn't the only demon out there that plagues our nightmares, there are plenty of others who give this creature a run for its money. Valak may be smart, and able to wear a plethora of different ghastly masks, but put this demon in a room with some other horror heavy-hitters and its popularity may not be enough for it to come out on top.
If Valak scares you senseless, here are a few other demons — straight from Hell itself — that are perhaps even more terrifying.
Pazuzu (The Exorcist)
Whenever horror movie demons are mentioned, it won't be long before someone brings up "The Exorcist," which is fair given that the 1973 film was a trailblazer of the demon possession subgenre. Pazuzu appeared in William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel of the same name and was the primary antagonist of William Friedkin's movie as well, where its first victim was a young girl named Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) — who unfortunately seems to be tied to the demon forever.
Not only can Pazuzu spin its head around, crawl upside down, and projectile vomit, but this demon resists almost every attempt at an exorcism, finally defeated by a self-sacrificing priest, Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller). Even then, the demon isn't gone for good and it returns in the sequels, and the short-lived television continuation — which ignored all the movies apart from the first — in the hope of possessing Regan once more. Pazuzu is particularly scary in the prequels — "Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist" and "Exorcist: The Beginning," whichever one you choose — where it skulks around a cave and tries to kill a child.
While Pazuzu hasn't been successful in taking Regan's soul so far — in fact, the demon was replaced by one called Lamashtu in 2023's "The Exorcist: Believer — that doesn't make this evil spirit any less terrifying ... Valak be damned.
Abalam (The Last Exorcism)
Predating the first "Conjuring" movie by a few years, "The Last Exorcism" is a 2010 found-footage horror that follows a broken minister named Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) who allows a documentary crew to make a film about him and one of his exorcisms — his last one, as the title suggests. While the found footage subgenre doesn't always work, "The Last Exorcism" — like "Paranormal Activity" before it in 2007 — proves that it's perfect for demonic possession stories, especially when done right. Here, it adds a feeling of realism — something that makes the supernatural elements even more chilling. The demon in question in "The Last Exorcism" is known as Abalam, and boy does it make its mark.
In the film, Abalam possesses Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell), a young girl who contorts, spasms, and even defies gravity on more than one occasion when the demon takes hold of her. As Marcus attempts to rid Nell of the demon, its followers arrive to see that Abalam is worshipped properly, with rituals that include child sacrifice. It's a pretty brutal endeavor, and most of the cast doesn't make it out alive. The sequel, "The Last Exorcism Part II," opts out of the found footage approach and ends with Nell choosing to accept the demon as her own, thus bringing on the apocalypse.
While Valak is undoubtedly frightening, Abalam has its own devoted followers who are willing to do anything — including throwing a newborn infant into a fire — to honor and serve their demonic master. Few things are more horrifying than that.
Paimon (Hereditary)
Not many demons are more horrific or merciless than Paimon, the unseen demonic antagonist of 2018's "Hereditary." This A24 horror flick is already pretty gruesome on its own (the notorious decapitation scene is enough to make anyone scream), but when you realize that this demon is actually behind all of the Graham family's unfortunate happenings, it makes the whole thing even more disturbing. Paimon is looking for a host, and he's chosen 16-year-old Peter (Alex Wolff) as his prize. Unfortunately, that means everyone else has to go.
Though Annie (Toni Collette) does her best to save her family from the demon's influence, nothing seems to work. This creature can set folks on fire, seemingly predict the future, and ultimately possess its victims, causing them to decapitate themselves with piano wires while floating in mid-air. It is fair to say that this spirit has a pretty dark sense of humor. The ending of "Hereditary" — when a possessed Annie chases Peter through the house, climbing on walls and hiding in the shadows — is especially horrifying. Worse still is all the naked cultists standing around in the dark, waiting for their dark lord, Paimon, to claim its vessel.
Bughuul (Sinister)
In 2012, horror fans everywhere were shocked by "Sinister," which introduced the Babylonian god Bughuul, a creepy demon who looks like something off the cover of a death metal album. After Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) and his family move into their new Pennsylvanian home — where a family was killed years prior — it doesn't take long before they discover a series of creepy videotapes in the attic. These tapes point to the preternatural means by which the former homeowners and their children died, and unsurprisingly, Bughuul (sometimes called "Mr. Boogie") is the demon responsible.
As it turns out, this ancient demon is a child-eater. That's right, it likes to eat kids, but first, it uses them to kill their own families. Once the families are out of the way, Bughuul slowly consumes them over time before a new series of victims make themselves known. It gets worse though, as we learn that Bughuul can possess its victims straight through video footage of itself, using the tapes as a conduit to reach its next victims. That means that even watching Mr. Boogie on screen — not unlike Pennywise in "It" or Samara Morgan in "The Ring" — can summon the creature.
"Sinister" was so popular that a sequel was made only a few years later, though Bughuul's over-reliance on jump-scares caused the demon to fizzle out of the public eye ... at least until someone finds another tape in the attic. Despite that, the "Sinister" demon is still a particularly ghoulish addition to the modern movie monster arsenal, along with Valak.
The Kandarian Demon (Evil Dead Rise)
Admittedly, the "Evil Dead" franchise isn't known for being overly terrifying — although it has its moments. The original Sam Raimi film was scary in places, but with "Evil Dead II" and "Army of Darkness," it mutated into more of a horror-comedy series, with the Deadites coming across as more humorous than scream-inducing. However, the "Evil Dead" reboot in 2013 actively tried to return the series to its horror roots, and in 2023's "Evil Dead Rise," the Kandarian demons became truly terrifying, rivaling any other horror movie demons in recent years.
If the marketing campaign for "Evil Dead Rise" alone didn't freak you out, then the movie likely found a way to make you shift a little in your seat. Alyssa Sutherland's performance as Ellie was outstanding, playing a mother who becomes possessed by one of the Kandarian demons as a result of a priest reading from an ancient book (despite the number of times this franchise has taught us to never read the books) only to inevitably kill most of her children. It's pretty gruesome, and the fact that you can decapitate these demons and they'll still taunt you makes them even scarier.
Deadites can also combine themselves — not unlike the biblical Legion — into a more powerful force that is even harder to kill. These demons also can't be exorcised easily — unlike Valak who can be banished by the name of God — and often the only way to kill them is by obliterating their host.
The Yellow-Eyed Demon (Supernatural)
Fans of "Supernatural" will remember the very first creature to ever appear on the show was the shadowy, Yellow-Eyed Demon (Fredric Lehne) that plagued the Winchester family for two decades. This creature — also known as Azazel — was a direct lieutenant of the Devil himself and did everything he could to usher in the apocalypse. While Azazel isn't exactly scary on screen, his actions make him more terrifying than Valak. Not only does Azazel have the physical ability to slaughter an entire convent's worth of nuns, but he knows how to play the long game as well.
We learn early on in the series that Azazel has been feeding infants his own demonic blood, hoping to create "Special Children" with supernatural abilities to lead his demonic army. At the end of the show's second season, he even succeeds in opening a gateway to Hell, letting more demons out into the world. He's also immune to holy water and can bring back the dead if the right soul-selling deal is made. Basically, he can only be stopped by special demon-killing bullets, which Dean (Jensen Ackles) kills him with later on.
Azazel is one of the scariest demons, but believe it or not, his counterpart in "Supernatural: The Animation" is even spookier, leaning further into the horror aspect of his demonic nature. Despite his frequently charming appearance, this is one demon you wouldn't want to cross.
Lucy Butler (Millennium)
You may not have heard of the demonic Lucy Butler (Sarah-Jane Redmond), but she's certainly a force to be reckoned with. Appearing in just six episodes of Chris Carter's short-lived series "Millennium," Lucy is one of those demons that you can't quite shake out of your head. She's seductive, vengeful, and down-right dangerous. Appearing in three separate forms — as a woman named "Lucy Butler," as a man with long hair, and as her true demonic self — this demon taunts the series' lead Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) down the path of the dark side, doing everything she can to seduce him outright.
But Frank never breaks, even after Lucy kills one of his best friends, defiles his home, and torments others in a way only a demon could. What's different about Lucy compared to other evil beings is that she pretends to be an innocent woman. She uses her female appearance as a way to shield herself from Frank's pursuits as a lawman and then uses her male guise as an enforcer when she's ready for the kill. Even her demonic form doesn't appear all too often as this demon instead opts to remain underestimated in order to gain the upper hand.
Chernabog (Fantasia)
You wouldn't think that a Disney movie would be the place to look for a demon scarier than one found in the Conjuring Universe, yet 1940's "Fantasia" manages to deliver with Chernabog. This demon shows up during the "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria" segment of the musical extravaganza, and it is the standout scary moment in an otherwise unalarming movie.
This creature lives at the top of the titular mountain — blending into its peak with his gigantic wings — and every night he sends his demonic forces into the little town below. Chernabog can raise spirits from the grave, create hellfire from thin air, and seemingly open Hell itself as if he were actually the dark lord. Maybe in Disney's imagination, he is the devil. But whatever Chernabog is, we know that he's the demon prince of his land, and given his enormous size and the power he wields, he's no laughing matter.
Though some of the other demons on this list also have their band of cultists or demonic underlings, Chernabog beats them all with his band of ghosts, demons, witches, satyrs, imps, fire creatures, and other dark beings that all respond to his call. It isn't until the nocturnal demon hears the sound of an Angelus bell and the light begins to break through that he goes back into his slumber, but even then he awaits his inevitable return when night falls again.
Azazel (Fallen)
The second Azazel on the list, this demon is one that you've likely forgotten about, but who certainly deserves its place here. Appearing in the 1998 supernatural thriller "Fallen," this creature is first seen possessing a man named Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas), who has been accused of killing countless people. Of course, the demon admits to his murders but explains to Detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington) that he'll be back again. After his vessel is killed, Azazel finds a new host and soon makes Hobbes' life a living hell, framing him for a new series of copycat murders.
Like his "Supernatural" counterpart, the Azazel in "Fallen" isn't traditionally terrifying, but it's their actions that make them particularly noteworthy. For starters, they're a serial killer. Demons like Valak may haunt to kill, but this version of Azazel has no problem slaughtering his enemies right then and there. In fact, as Hobbes learns, the only way to stop a demon like this (aside from hiding out in a church) is by killing yourself in the middle of nowhere where the demon can't find a new host to latch onto. Unfortunately, Hobbes' plan fails, and at the end of "Fallen," Azazel strolls off in the form of a black cat to the tune of "Sympathy for the Devil."
Both demons and serial killers are bad enough on their own, but when you add the two together, they become nearly unstoppable. Hobbes almost got there, but Azazel is out in the wind — and who knows who he'll strike next time around.
The original Valak (the Conjuring Universe)
Did you know that the Valak we see in "The Conjuring 2" almost didn't bear the iconic nun appearance we're now used to? As it turns out, the demonic nun was almost just a full-on demon, utilizing a combination of practical effects, costuming, and CGI wings that would've revealed this creature's truest and darkest form — and it's arguably much scarier.
"I think I have only one fully finished shot with CGI wings in place," Wan wrote on his Instagram. "It was really grand and epic. But as cool as it was, it felt out of place within the 'Conjuring' world we had built." The director explained that Valak ultimately needed to be more personal and grounded, which made it a bit creepier. While there's no denying that making Valak a demonic version of a nun — and therefore challenging and spitting on Ed and Lorraine's (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) faith — was the right move, there's an argument that the original demon was much more frightening.
Fans of "The Conjuring 2" may note that the original demon form of Valak does briefly appear at the end of the film after Lorraine banishes the creature back to Hell. Still, it hasn't shown up in either installment of "The Nun" series, which is more than a little disappointing. Maybe if they do a third "Nun" feature, or if the demon reappears in "The Conjuring: Last Rites," we'll finally get a better look.