1. The Exorcist (1973)
At an archaeological dig in Al-hadar near Nineveh in Iraq, archaeologist Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow) visits a site where a silver medallion and a small stone resembling a grimacing, bestial creature is found. Merrin travels onward to find the strange statue of Pazuzu, which has a head similar to the one found earlier.
Meanwhile, Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), a young priest at Georgetown University, begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mother's terminal illness.
Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), an actress filming about protests against the Vietnam War[10] in Georgetown, notices dramatic and dangerous changes in the behavior of her 12-year-old daughter, Regan (Linda Blair). Regan has a seizure, then exhibits unnatural powers including levitation and great strength. Regan curses and blasphemes in a demonic male voice. Chris initially believes Regan's changes are related to puberty, but doctors suspect a lesion in her brain. Regan endures a series of unpleasant medical tests. When X-rays show nothing out of the ordinary, a doctor advises that Regan be taken to a psychiatrist, whom she assaults. Paranormal occurrences continue, including a violently shaking bed, strange noises, and unexplained movements.
When all medical explanations are exhausted, a doctor recommends an exorcism, suggesting that if Regan's symptoms are a psychosomatic result of a belief in demonic possession, then perhaps an exorcism would have the effect of ending them. In desperation, Chris consults Father Karras, since he is both a priest and a psychiatrist. During a period in which Father Karras observes Regan, she constantly refers to herself as the Devil. Father Karras initially believes her to be merely suffering from psychosis, until he records her speaking in a strange language which turns out to be English spoken backwards. Despite his doubts, Father Karras decides to request permission from the Church to conduct an exorcism.
Father Merrin, an experienced exorcist, is summoned to Washington to help, aware this day was coming. He and Father Karras try to drive the spirit from Regan.[11] The demon threatens and taunts both priests, both physically and verbally (including the demon using the voice of Father Karras' mother). Father Merrin excuses the younger priest and begins the exorcism, once more on his own. Father Karras returns to find Father Merrin has suffered a fatal heart attack. He attempts to perform CPR to no avail, while Regan giggles. Father Karras strikes her and chokes her, challenging the demon to leave Regan and enter him. The demon does so, whereupon the priest regains enough control and throws himself through Regan's bedroom window and falls down the steps outside. At the bottom, a devastated Father Joe Dyer (William O'Malley) administers last rites as Father Karras dies. Regan is restored to health and does not appear to remember her ordeal. Chris and Regan leave Georgetown and their trauma behind. They return Father Karras' silver medallion to Father Dyer, who takes one final look down the steps, behind the house and departs.
2. The Sixth Sense (1999)
Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), a child psychologist in Philadelphia, returns home one night with his wife, Anna Crowe (Olivia Williams), after having been honored for his work. She says that everything in the world is second to his job including her. The two then discover that they are not alone; a young man (Donnie Wahlberg) appears brandishing a gun. He says that he does not want to be afraid anymore and accuses Crowe of failing him. Crowe recognizes him as Vincent Grey, a former patient whom he treated as a child for hallucinations. Grey shoots Crowe in the abdomen, and seconds later kills himself with the gun.
The next autumn, Crowe begins working with another patient, nine-year-old Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), who has a condition similar to Vincent's. Crowe becomes dedicated to the boy, though he is haunted by doubts over his ability to help him after his failure with Vincent. Meanwhile, he is also very worried that his relationship with his wife is beginning to end due to his dedication to his work.
Once Crowe earns his trust, Cole eventually confides in him that he "sees dead people that walk around like regular people". Though Crowe at first thinks Cole is delusional, he eventually believes that Cole is telling the truth and that Vincent may have had the same ability. He suggests to Cole that he should try to find a purpose for his gift by communicating with the ghosts, perhaps to aid them with their unfinished business on Earth. Cole at first does not want to, because the ghosts terrify him, but he soon decides to try it. One is an overworked wife abused by her husband who slit her wrists; another that tries to hurt Cole is only heard as a voice who starts pleading calmly to Cole to let him out of the dark cupboard because he's suffocating, then yells at Cole that he didn't steal "the Master's horse" and threatens to attack Cole if he doesn't obey. The third ghost appears very briefly; a boy a bit older than Cole asks him to come into the room, to find his father's gun. The boy turns around to show that he has a large gunshot exit wound on the back of his head.
Cole finally talks to one of the ghosts, a very ill girl who appears in his bedroom, who promptly vomits in his tent. He finds where the girl, Kyra Collins (Mischa Barton), lived and goes to her house during her funeral reception. Kyra died after a prolonged illness and funeral guests note that Kyra's younger sister is starting to get sick, too. Kyra's ghost appears and gives Cole a box, which is opened to reveal a videotape. When Cole gives it to Kyra's father, the videotape shows Kyra's stepmother putting floor cleaner fluid in Kyra's food while she cared for Kyra during her illness. The continual illness may indicate slow poisoning as a case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy.[2]
Cole confesses his secret to his mother, Lynn (Toni Collette). Although his mother at first does not believe him, Cole soon tells Lynn that her own mother once went to see her perform in a dance recital one night when she was a child, and that Lynn was not aware of this because her mother stayed in the back of the audience where she could not be seen. He also tells her that the answer to a question she asked when alone at her mother's grave, "Do I make you proud?", was "Every day". Lynn tearfully accepts this as the truth.
Crowe returns to his home, where he finds his wife asleep on the couch with the couple's wedding video playing, not for the first time. As she sleeps, Anna's hand releases Malcolm's wedding ring (which he suddenly discovers he has not been wearing), revealing the surprise ending of the film: Crowe himself was actually killed by Vincent and was unknowingly dead the entire time he was working with Cole. Due to Cole's efforts, Crowe's unfinished business—rectifying his failure to understand Vincent—is finally complete. Recalling Cole's advice, Crowe speaks to his sleeping wife and fulfills the second reason he returned, saying she was "never second", and that he loves her. Letting her live her own life, he is free to leave the world of the living.
3. I Am Legend (2007)
In December 2009, military virologist Lieutenant Colonel Robert Neville (Will Smith), lost his wife Zoe (Salli Richardson) and daughter Marley (Willow Smith) in a helicopter accident during the chaotic quarantine of Manhattan. K.V. (Krippen Virus), a genetically-engineered variant of the measles virus created by Dr. Alice Krippin (Emma Thompson) meant as a cancer cure, mutates into a lethal strain as it spreads throughout the world, killing 90% of humanity (5.4 billion people). In September 2012, Neville is the last healthy human in New York City. Of the 600 million survivors worldwide, only 12 million were naturally immune to the virus. The rest have degenerated into hairless, aggressive beings referred to as "Darkseekers,"[4] who hunted the immune humans as prey. The Darkseekers are so named for hiding during daylight due to a painful intolerance of UV radiation. The infected show increased speed, agility, aggression and strength. They also have an increased metabolic rate, which consumes the infected with an overwhelming hunger, making them resort to cannibalism. Despite their primal behavior, the Darkseekers display some basic problem-solving intelligence and the capacity for organization.
Neville's daily routine includes experimenting on infected rats to find a cure for the virus and trips through a decaying Manhattan to collect supplies from abandoned homes or hunt for the deer that have moved into the city. He also keeps vigil each day for a response to his continuous recorded AM radio broadcasts, which instruct any survivors to meet him at midday at the South Street Seaport. Neville's isolation is broken only by the companionship of his German Shepherd Sam and interaction with mannequins he has set up as patrons of a video store.
When one of his rat experiments shows a promising treatment, Neville sets a snare trap and captures an infected woman. An enraged Darkseeker alpha male of the pack, attempts to rescue her, but is driven back by the sunlight. Neville notes this unusual behavior in a daily video log he records. Back in his laboratory, in the basement of his heavily fortified Washington Square Park home, Neville tries the new serum on the infected woman, seemingly without success.
The next day, after finding one of his mannequins ("Fred") out in the street in front of Grand Central Terminal, he is caught in a snare trap and passes out. When he regains consciousness and manages to get free, it is dusk and Neville and Sam are attacked by a pack of infected dogs. Although Neville and Sam manage to kill the dogs, one bites Sam during the fight. Dogs are immune to the airborne strain but are susceptible to the contact virus strain. Neville brings Sam home and attempts to save the dog by injecting a strain of his serum. Neville sees a piece of Sam's fur fall, pupils dilate, and gums become inflamed. Neville is forced to strangle Sam when the virus takes over and the dog attempts to bite him.
The next night, overcome by grief and rage after burying his only friend, Neville attacks a group of the infected with his UV light equipped SUV. Despite killing a large number of Darkseekers, they overwhelm Neville and nearly kill him before he is rescued by a pair of immune humans, a woman named Anna (Alice Braga) and a boy named Ethan (Charlie Tahan), who followed his radio broadcasts. Anna and Ethan take injured Neville back to his home, where Anna explains that they are making their way to a survivors' camp in Bethel, Vermont. Neville disputes that such a camp exists, and expresses his doubt when Ana says God told her about it.
The next night, the alpha male leads a mob of Darkseekers in an attack on the house. Anna was unaware of Neville's precautions in covering his scent outside the house, inadvertently allowing the Darkseekers to follow their trail and discover Neville's home. When the Darkseekers charge the house, Neville uses strong UV worklights to push the mob back, but the infected easily shatter the lights and continue their attack. Neville then uses claymore mines and manages to kill the first wave. However, Neville has no more defenses against the second wave of Darkseekers. Neville tries to find Anna and Ethan, but before he can, a Darkseeker enters and attacks Neville. The Darkseeker retreats upstairs and begins tearing a hole in the roof so other infected can get in.
After Neville saves Anna and Ethan, they hear the infected climbing the house, so they retreat into the basement laboratory. They seal themselves in a reinforced plexiglass room with the infected woman, where they discover that Neville's treatment is in fact working: the subject looks much more human. The infected break in and the alpha male starts throwing himself against the plexiglass, cracking the material. Realizing that the last treatment has been successful, Neville draws a vial of the infected woman's blood and gives it to Anna before shutting them inside a coal chute hidden in the back of the lab. He uses an M67 hand grenade to wipe out the attackers at the cost of his own life and the healed Darkseeker woman's.
Anna and Ethan are later seen driving in Vermont and stopping at the gated entrance to the survivors' colony, where Anna hands over the antidote. In a voice-over, Anna claims that the survivors are Neville's legacy, as his fight for a cure became legend.
[edit] Alternate ending
Due to test audience's dislike of the film's original ending, several scenes were altered before the film's release, especially the standoff between Neville and the infected in his laboratory. Visual effects supervisor Janek Sirrs recounts the original ending, starting with the standoff: "At that point, Neville's – and the audience's – assumptions about the nature of these creatures are shown to be incorrect. We see that they have actually retained some of their humanity. There is a very important moment between the alpha male and Neville. The alpha male slapped his hand on the glass and smeared it revealing a butterfly shaped imprint."
Neville realizes that the alpha male is identifying the woman he was experimenting on by a butterfly tattoo, and that the alpha male wants her back. Neville puts his gun down and returns the infected woman. Neville and the alpha male then exchange stares; Neville apologizes to them, which the alpha male acknowledges before the infected leave. The final shot follows Neville, Anna, and Ethan as they drive away towards Vermont with the antidote.
4. Van Helsing (2004)
In 1887, Transylvanian Doctor Frankenstein (Samuel West) brings to life his Monster (Shuler Hensley) with the aid of his assistant Igor (Kevin J. O'Connor), and Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh). Dracula kills Frankenstein after revealing that he helped him only so he could use the Monster to bring his undead children to life. The Monster then escapes to a windmill, which is burned down by a pursuing mob. The mob flees as Dracula and his three brides, Verona (Silvia Colloca), Aleera (Elena Anaya) and Marishka (Josie Maran), mourn the loss of the Monster and their chance to bring their children to life.
One year later, the Knights of the Holy Order, stationed at the Vatican, dispatch Gabriel Van Helsing, who has amnesia, to kill Dracula. He is also tasked with preventing the last of the Valerious family from falling into purgatory; the family swore to kill Dracula nine generations ago and is unable to enter Heaven until they succeed. He is given a torn piece of paper with an insignia on it. He is joined by Carl (David Wenham), a friar who provides support and weapons.
Arriving in Transylvania, the two meet Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), who tells them her brother Velkan (Will Kemp) was recently killed by a werewolf. Van Helsing then saves her from Dracula's brides as they attack the village, ending with Van Helsing killing Marishka as the others escape. Anna then takes the pair back to her castle. Anna is determined to kill Dracula herself, but Van Helsing is unwilling for her to take the risk, knowing that she is the last of the Valerious family. When she resists, he gases her to sleep and puts her in her bed. Later in the night, Anna awakens from her deep, dreamless sleep and encounters Velkan, now a werewolf himself. After Velkan flees, Van Helsing and Anna track him to Frankenstein's castle, only to find Dracula attempting to give life to his children using Velkan as a substitute for the Monster. Anna frees Velkan but he becomes a werewolf again. Dracula confronts Van Helsing, who recognizes him from his past.
While escaping, Van Helsing and Anna fall into a cave. There, they find Frankenstein's Monster alive. Van Helsing decides to take him to Rome so he can be protected. They flee in a carriage, but while crossing the Carpathian Mountains, the brides and Velkan, who have been pursuing the group, attack. The carriage plummets down a precipice and Verona tries to save the Monster, but on opening the door reveals that it is a decoy carriage containing only stakes bundled against explosives, which kill her when the carriage hits the bottom. The genuine carriage is attacked and Velkan is killed by Van Helsing, but not before Van Helsing is bitten by him; when the next full moon occurs, Van Helsing will become a werewolf. Anna is then captured by Aleera and taken to Budapest.
In Budapest, Van Helsing agrees a trade and hides the Monster before he and Carl head off to save Anna, who is at a masked ball for vampires. They manage to rescue her, but the Monster is captured and taken away on a boat. Escaping from Dracula's Summer Palace, Van Helsing, Anna, and Carl return to Frankenstein's castle, where they find all the equipment has been removed. At Anna's castle, Carl explains that Dracula was the son of Anna's ancestor. Dracula was murdered, but not before making a Faustian Bargain, which gave him new life as a vampire. Carl explains that although Anna's ancestor made the vow to kill Dracula, he couldn't kill his own son. Instead, he banished Dracula to an icy fortress from which he should not have been able to return, but the Devil gave him wings and the power of flight, which allowed him to escape. Van Helsing then finds a portal to Dracula's castle disguised as a wall map, completed using the paper that Van Helsing brought from Rome. They enter the portal, emerging on a cliff near Castle Dracula.
As the trio sees the Monster being lifted to the laboratory, he tells them that Dracula has a werewolf cure. Carl realizes that only a werewolf can kill Dracula and that he uses werewolves to do his bidding, but needs a cure in case they have the willpower to turn against him. Making his way to the laboratory, Van Helsing frees the Monster, then becomes a werewolf and enters a final battle with Dracula (who turns into a giant bat-like creature). Anna and Carl retrieve the cure but are attacked by Aleera and Igor. Igor falls to his death off a bridge, and Aleera gets impaled by Anna with a silver stake.
Dracula reveals that Van Helsing is really Gabriel, the Left Hand of God—as well as the one who originally murdered him. He offers to restore Van Helsing's memories, but Van Helsing refuses, deciding that "some things are better left forgotten". He then bites into Dracula's throat, killing him and his offspring. Anna arrives with the cure and injects Van Helsing with it, only to be killed by him at the same time, much to his grief. Van Helsing and Carl hold a quiet ceremony for Anna and cremate her as the Monster departs on a raft into the ocean, having been allowed a chance at life. As Anna's body burns, Van Helsing sees her and her family in Heaven, at peace thanks to Dracula's death.
5. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
In 1462, Vlad Dracula, a member of the Order of the Dragon, returns from a victory against the Turks to find his wife, Elisabeta, has committed suicide after receiving a false report of his death. Enraged at the notion of his wife being damned for committing suicide, Dracula desecrates his chapel and renounces God, declaring that he will rise from the grave to avenge Elisabeta with all the powers of darkness.
In 1897, newly-qualified solicitor Jonathan Harker takes the Transylvanian Count Dracula as a client from his colleague R. M. Renfield, who has gone insane. Jonathan travels to Transylvania to arrange Dracula's real estate acquisition in London, including Carfax Abbey. Jonathan meets Dracula, who discovers a picture of Harker's fiancée, Mina, and believes that she is the reincarnation of Elisabeta. Dracula leaves Jonathan to be seduced by his brides and sails to England with boxes of his native soil, taking up residence at Carfax Abbey. His arrival is foretold by the ravings of Renfield, now an inmate in Dr. Jack Seward's neighboring insane asylum.
In London, Dracula emerges as a wolf-like creature amid a fierce thunderstorm and hypnotically seduces, then rapes and bites Lucy Westenra, with whom Mina is staying while Jonathan is in Transylvania. Lucy's deteriorating health and behavioral changes prompts Lucy's former suitors Quincey Morris and Dr. Seward, along with her fiancée, Arthur Holmwood, to summon Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, who recognizes Lucy as the victim of a vampire. Dracula, appearing young and handsome during daylight, meets and charms Mina. When Mina receives word from Jonathan, who has escaped the castle and recovered at a convent, she travels to Romania to marry him. In his fury, Dracula transforms Lucy into a vampire. Van Helsing, Holmwood, Seward and Morris kill Lucy.
After Jonathan and Mina return to London, Jonathan and Van Helsing lead the others to Carfax Abbey, where they destroy the Count's boxes of soil. Dracula enters the asylum, where he kills Renfield for warning Mina of his presence before visiting Mina, who is staying in Seward's quarters while the others hunt Dracula. He confesses that he murdered Lucy and has been terrorizing Mina's friends, but a confused and angry Mina admits that she still loves him and remembers her previous life as Elisabeta. At her insistence, Dracula begins transforming her into a vampire. The hunters burst into the bedroom, with Dracula claiming Mina as his bride before escaping. As Mina begins changing, Van Helsing hypnotizes her and learns via her connection with Dracula that he is sailing home in his last remaining box. The hunters depart for Varna to intercept him, but Dracula reads Mina's mind and evades them. The hunters split up, with Van Helsing and Mina traveling to the Borgo Pass and the castle, while the others try to stop the Gypsies transporting the Count.
At night, Van Helsing and Mina are approached by Dracula's brides. They frighten Mina at first, but she gives into their chanting and attempts to seduce Van Helsing. Before Mina can feed on his blood, Van Helsing places a communion wafer upon her forehead, leaving a mark. He surrounds them with a ring of fire to protect them from the brides, then infiltrates the castle and decapitates them the following morning. As sunset approaches, Dracula's carriage arrives at the castle, pursued by the hunters. A fight between the hunters and gypsies ensues, and at sunset Dracula bursts from his coffin. Harker slits his throat while a wounded Morris stabs him in the heart with a Bowie knife. As Dracula staggers, Mina rushes to his defense. Holmwood tries to attack but Van Helsing and Harker allow her to retreat with the Count. Morris dies, surrounded by his friends.
In the chapel where he renounced God, Dracula lies dying in an ancient demonic form. He asks Mina to give him peace. They share a kiss as the candles adorning the chapel light up, and Mina shoves the knife through Dracula's heart. The mark on her forehead disappears as Dracula's curse is lifted. She decapitates him, and finally gazes up at the fresco of Vlad and Elisabeta ascending to Heaven together.
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