This article contains spoilers for Diablo 4.Diablo 4 leans heavily into the series' cosmic horror theme with a story that revolves around the rise of the demon Lilith and her hedonistic cult. After finishing a playthrough, or while gearing up for another, players may want to watch a movie or two to stay in the mood. These cosmic horror films can scratch that otherworldly itch.
Although the Diablo games focus on the war between demons and angels, cosmic horror covers everything from aliens to eldritch monsters. Staples of the genre include the summoning of ancient and powerful entities, sublime encounters with the unknown, and the discovery of esoteric cults. Of course, viewers will still find demons and devils in the following films, but they should expect a host of new and terrifying beings to contend with as well.
The Ritual (2017)
Diablo 4 draws upon Christian cosmology—i.e. Demons, angels, etc.—for its cosmic elements. After a few playthroughs, players might begin to wonder whether another a story built on a different mythos might prove just as creepy. Horror fans looking for frights from an entirely different spiritual tradition need look no further than The Ritual (2017).
The Ritual follows a group of friends on a backpacking trip through the Swedish wilderness. The death of one member of their group on a previous trip has cast a shadow over their plans, but the friends are determined to have a good time in his honor. Things quickly take a dangerous turn when one of the men, Dom (Sam Troughton), injures himself, forcing the hikers to brave the thick woods in order to reach civilization more quickly. They end up spending the night in an abandoned cabin, where they encounter a strange figurine that seems to demand worship.
Diablo 4 fans can look forward to a story centered on cultists and an ancient power that hungers for human subjugation. Great performances, combined with a stunning wooded setting and competent special effects, make this movie a satisfying exemplar of "lost-in-the-woods" cosmic horror.
The Void (2016)
Players who love Diablo 4's focus on human cultists are spoiled for choice when it comes to this particular genre of film. Besides the genre's otherworldly entities themselves, humans that have been affected by them in some way are often the most memorable aspects of cosmic horror. Madness, frenzy, obsession—the alien sublime can do a number of terrifying things to the people that bear witness.
The Void (2016) offers a veritable buffet of such cosmically-altered figures. When Sheriff Deputy Carter (Aaron Poole) stumbles upon a badly injured man and helps him into a nearby hospital, he must soon deal with a group of mysterious hooded figures gathered outside. Sudden onset insanity begins to spread among the hospital's inhabitants, leading Carter to discover a portal to something sinister hidden on the premises.
Of the game's many unforgettable vignettes, Diablo 4's Nevesk cutscene in the game's prologue leaves one of the more lasting impressions. Watching the villagers tear into one of their own with the glee of a child opening a birthday present can evoke a unique sort of terror. Viewers may—with luck—walk away from The Void with a similar feeling of existential dread.
As Above, So Below (2014)
Speaking of cutscenes, the sequence that introduces players to Diablo 4 also taps into a well-loved vein of cosmic horror: exploring ancient ruins and finding more than one bargains for. For those who love the idea of venturing deep below the Earth's surface, translating dead languages, and tapping into long-dormant powers, As Above, So Below (2014) offers all of the above and more.
As Above, So Below follows Scarlett (Perdita Weeks), a scholar in search of Nicholas Flamel's famed Philosopher's Stone, and her friends George (Ben Feldman) and Benji (Edwin Hodge). The group embarks on an illegal expedition into the off-limits regions of the Catacombs of Paris. There, they hope to find the mythical stone, which according to legend grants immortality and immense power. What they uncover, of course, brings them face-to-face with occult forces that threaten to add them to the catacombs' storied bones.
Just as the men in Diablo 4's opening cutscene fall one-by-one to the very entity they came to unleash, Scarlett and company suffer heavy casualties in their pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone. Fans that enjoyed the scholar's role in Lilith's summoning will find a lot to love in Scarlett's academic approach to the occult. Real-life scholars may likewise appreciate As Above, So Below's archaeological elements and historically informed mythology.
Hellraiser (1987)
The oldest film on this list may also be the most recognizable. Diablo 4 has much in common with Hellraiser (1987), especially with respect to Lilith's predilection for manipulating human fancies. Players who like the game's focus on demons and sinful desire will certainly enjoy Hellraiser's iconic Cenobites.
Hellraiser tells the twisted story of Julia (Clare Higgins), a woman whose deceased brother-in-law Frank (Sean Chapman) returns from the dead and demands that she help him restore his body through serial murder. Frank has just escaped a hell-like realm guarded by a race of demonic creatures called Cenobites. These entities torture mortals who desire to know the extremes of pain and pleasure, taking advantage of humanity's most foolish desires.
The leader of the Cenobites, a character since dubbed Pinhead, famously describes his kind as "demons to some, angels to others." This perfectly sums up the role of Lilith—and other cosmic figures in Diablo's universe—in the lives of Sanctuary's human residents. In fact, Diablo 4 makes a nod to this connection by way of the Easter egg side quest, Unyielding Flesh.
Devil (2010)
The last film on this list presents perhaps the most obvious connection to Diablo 4, apparent even in its title. Players looking for more heaven-and-hell cosmic horror should check out Devil (2010), which boasts a story written by M. Night Shyamalan.
Devil follows Detective Bowden (Chris Messina), who has been assigned to a mysterious suicide case in a Philadelphia skyscraper. When faced with the predicament of five people trapped in the elevator of that same building, however, he must work out which of them is secretly the Devil in disguise. As readers can probably deduce from that description of the film's initial setup, viewers should expect a classic Shyamalan twist ending.
Not only do Diablo and Devil share virtually the same title, but they also both deal in the surreptitious nature of evil. The Devil could lurk inside anyone. Just as the people of Sanctuary never know who to trust amidst Lilith's rise to power, the characters in this film offer up a delightfully anxious scenario defined by paranoid dis(and mis)trust.