Scott Derrickson isn’t among my favorite directors, but rewatching his work gave me new respect for him. Yet, binge-watching his films has deepened my appreciation for his craft and vision. His range surprised me—especially realizing he directed the Keanu Reeves remake of “The Day The Earth Stood Still.” Or what’s arguably one of the best possession films out there (and not that the competition is fierce), “The Possession of Emily Rose.”
What I truly admire about Derrickson’s work is his knack for taking familiar, often overused storylines—like possession or cursed videotapes—and spinning them into something fresh and original. With “The Black Phone,” he proves he can stretch a simple idea into something sharp and memorable. Of all the lists I’ve made, this one feels the least final. My last three picks are probably interchangeable and could shift spots depending on the day. So without any further ado, here’s my Scott Derrickson movie list. Let me know in the comments how you would rank them yourself!
9. Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)
After writing for the “Urban Legend” franchise, Derrickson made his directorial debut with another established horror name: “Hellraiser.” By then, the series had already lost much of its spark, and while this entry doesn’t revive it, you can sense Derrickson’s ambition. The film plays more like a “Se7en”-style detective thriller than a full-on “Hellraiser” movie, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The visuals and practical effects are solid, for instance, corpses hanging from walls, surreal dreamscapes, and that signature grim tone.
Doug Bradley’s Pinhead, though, feels shoehorned in, confirming the rumor that his scenes were added late. The biggest issue is the pacing: ninety minutes that crawl by, weighed down by a dull, derivative detective story and flat performances. You can see what Derrickson was going for — moral rot, guilt, a descent into hell — but it never fully connects. Still, for a first film, it shows the fingerprints of a director reaching for something larger than the material.
8. The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
After the success of “Emily Rose,” Derrickson was handed a much bigger project: a remake of Robert Wise’s 1951 classic. I’d seen the original twice and liked it, but didn’t worship it. So I went into this one with low expectations and no baggage — mostly hoping for some entertainment. What I got was … okay. Not terrible, not great. The film reaches for earnestness and moral weight — swapping Cold War paranoia for environmental indictment — but much of it lands flat. The attempted emotional beats between Jaden Smith and Jennifer Connelly feel perfunctory.
They’re trying, but the scenes rarely move you. Keanu Reeves embodies the alien’s stoicism well enough, but his performance can read as muted rather than mysterious. A few set pieces pop — the robot laser targeting the planes is a striking action moment. Yet the movie never builds sustained tension. Derrickson seems to be testing how much solemnity a big studio sci-fi can carry, but the production gloss often overwhelms the ideas underneath. It’s watchable, with flashes of craftsmanship, but it leaves behind the sense of untapped potential. Overall, a polished remake that rarely surprises.
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7. Deliver us from Evil (2014)
With “Deliver Us From Evil,” Derrickson returned to the possession genre but added a procedural twist. I remember watching this in theaters without realizing it was by the same director—just drawn in by the trailer. It’s not a bad film, but it’s also not as sharp or intense as it could’ve been. Derrickson knows how to handle tension, yet much of it here feels muted. The detective subplot is textbook and undercooked, while the exorcism scenes deliver the real spark.
The makeup and creature effects are excellent, especially that sequence where the woman crawls out of the cell. It’s genuinely chilling. The final showdown, too, has that loud, fiery energy you expect from Derrickson at his best. Bana and Ramirez make a solid pair, though the film would’ve benefited from introducing their dynamic earlier. Instead, the first hour meanders, only finding real rhythm near the end. By then, the stakes feel oddly small. Still, the ambition’s there. Sadly, it’s just buried under the weight of its own procedural setup.
6. The Gorge (2025)
By now, Derrickson has proven he’s comfortable twisting familiar tropes into something resembling originality. “The Gorge” continues that streak, built around a strong premise: two rivals forced to guard a hellish rift that occasionally spits out monsters. It sounds wild, and it kind of is, but the execution can’t quite keep up with the pitch. Miles Teller and Anya-Taylor Joy perform well, and their chemistry gives the film its emotional pulse, though their romance develops a bit too fast.
The creature design is memorable, if not groundbreaking, and Derrickson crafts a few legitimately tense sequences—like the vertigo-inducing midair scene. Unfortunately, the second half unravels. The story rushes through revelations that should’ve landed harder. By the end, I found myself wanting the film to linger in its mystery rather than sprint toward its action-packed conclusion. It’s not without merit, and some moments feel classic Derrickson. Nevertheless, “The Gorge” ends up as one of those “almost” films: ambitious, intermittently fun, but frustratingly thin.
5. Black Phone 2 (2025)
Derrickson’s latest film, “Black Phone 2,” has grown on me since I saw it. Watching it right after rewatching the first one helped. I caught callbacks I’d missed, like the opening brawl with Finney. The premise of ‘The Grabber’ returning through the phone sounds like a stretch, but Derrickson sells it surprisingly well. Ethan Hawke is fantastic here, giving The Grabber more presence than before. He’s no longer just a shadow in the dark but a full-blown physical menace.
Madeleine McGraw steals the show again, balancing humor, energy, and grit. In fact, she’s the film’s secret weapon. Derrickson’s direction shines in the set pieces: the skating kills are clever and tense, and his use of Super 8 footage nods to “Sinister” and the film’s eerie texture. It’s less claustrophobic than its predecessor. At the same time, it’s broader in scope, trading basement dread for kinetic urban paranoia. Not every idea lands, but as sequels go, it’s a rare one that deepens its myth instead of recycling it.
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4. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
I’ve always felt that Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” worked best not for its demon or possession, but for its humanity, i.e., the crisis of faith, the helplessness of watching someone you love disintegrate. Derrickson’s “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” taps into that same emotional core, and that’s what makes it one of my favorite possession films. The movie devotes more time to its courtroom drama than to the actual exorcism, but that works to its advantage. The horror scenes, when they come, are brutal and memorable. Jennifer Carpenter’s performance is downright unnerving, yet grounded in tragedy. The fog-drenched sequence on the poster remains one of Derrickson’s directorial career’s most striking visual moments.
What really anchors the film, though, are Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson. Their dynamic is restrained but deeply human. You believe in both of them, even as their beliefs collide. Derrickson finds the sweet spot between faith and skepticism, crafting a film that’s scary, thoughtful, and surprisingly empathetic. It’s quieter than most exorcism movies, and that might disappoint those expecting jump scares, but for me, that restraint is its greatest strength.
3. The Black Phone (2021)
As I said earlier, Derrickson has a real gift for choosing stories that feel instantly cinematic. “The Black Phone,” based on Joe Hill’s short story, is easily among his best. I liked it when it came out, but after watching the sequel, I appreciate it even more. Mason Thames’s performance plays better on rewatch, especially as you see his character’s emotional evolution. Madeleine McGraw continues to be the MVP. She is funny, fiery, and surprisingly moving. Ethan Hawke’s Grabber is pure nightmare fuel, and the mask—half grin, half grief—is genius in its simplicity.
Visually, the film is classic Derrickson: dream sequences that bleed into reality, a tight sense of space, and that nostalgic 1970s grime that makes everything feel both familiar and cursed. Mark Korven’s score leans into “Sinister”-style dread, amplifying the unease without overwhelming it. Some of the comedic beats threw me off at first—the pinball kid’s crude banter especially—but they work better now. The mix of humor, trauma, and supernatural revenge just clicks. It’s a rare horror film that’s scary, fun, and strangely cathartic all at once.
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2. Sinister (2012)
Four years after his detour into big-budget sci-fi, Derrickson returned to horror with “Sinister,” the film that solidified his reputation. “Emily Rose” proved he could blend genre with drama, but this one cemented him as a modern horror craftsman. Sure, it borrows from “Ringu” with its cursed film motif, but Derrickson gives it a distinctly American flavor, i.e., quiet suburban dread mixed with existential rot. The snuff film sequences are terrifying precisely because they’re so restrained: grainy, minimal, and brutally effective.
The real MVP here, though, is Christopher Young’s score, which practically hums with unease. The music is absolutely vital. It acts as the movie’s nervous system, carrying every emotional signal directly to the devastating final sequence. A few jump scares feel cheap (yes, the “Bughul peek-a-boo” moment still makes me roll my eyes), but the atmosphere is so well sustained it hardly matters. “Sinister” lingers, not because of gore, but because of how ordinary everything feels until it’s not. It’s horror as quiet corruption, and it’s haunting in a way few modern genre films manage.
1. Doctor Strange (2016)
Here comes the big one. “Doctor Strange” marked Derrickson’s leap into true blockbuster territory. And against all the odds, it’s his most accomplished film to date. I’ve seen it three times now, and I still find myself grinning like an idiot at how bold and kaleidoscopic it is. Visually, it’s stunning—M.C. Escher on acid, with cities folding in on themselves and time looping like a cosmic mixtape. Derrickson’s horror roots peek through in flashes—the hands multiplying, the astral projections—but it’s all filtered through Marvel polish. Ben Davis’s cinematography gives the film real cinematic weight, and Cumberbatch fits the role perfectly: charming, egotistical, but never cartoonish.
It’s also one of the few Marvel films where the visual effects genuinely serve the story rather than swallow it whole. Sure, you can sense the studio guardrails, and I wish Derrickson had been allowed to go darker, but his stamp is there, especially in the trippier sequences that flirt with Lovecraftian awe. For all its spectacle, “Doctor Strange” remains surprisingly focused on redemption and humility. It’s not flawless, but it’s confident, weird, and unmistakably Derrickson. It’s proof enough that he can scale up without losing his spark.
