One of the many everlasting tropes in horror movies is that of the cursed item. Legions of poor, unfortunate souls have stumbled across a range of seemingly harmless objects only to find themselves desperately fighting for survival. What makes these cursed objects so fascinating to watch is that, unlike the traditional masked killer or vengeful ghost, the victim selection is entirely random.
These items have no bias, and they work on poor bad luck from the user. However, in some cases, sympathy for those on screen can be hard to muster as these strange artefacts typically come with some clear red flags. The breadth of cursed objects on screen is vast, ranging from the traditional antique, like the decorative box in Wish Upon, to the more modern cursed app as seen in Countdown. But which are most powerful?
Directed by Corin Hardy, 2026’s Whistle is one of the newest recruits to the pantheon of cursed objects and one that is sinister on many levels. Its release has prompted us to delve into the cinematic archives (being careful not to touch anything!) and draft up a list of some of the most formidable cursed objects in films, ranked from least to most powerful, and where to find them. (A quick note: we’ve excluded dolls and animatronics, such as Annabelle or the Five Nights at Freddy’s robots, as they fall more into the ‘haunted/possessed’ category than cursed, and could make up an entire separate list by themselves.)
10. Spellbook - Hocus Pocus (1993)
At the start of Hocus Pocus, the story of the Sanderson Sisters’ capture is told. As the trio of siblings is executed for being witches, they chant a spell that will enable them to be resurrected. Centuries later, new kid on the block Max ignores stories of the curse, lights the Black Flame candle, and unwittingly brings the Sandersons back.
While the candle is a little eerie, it is the lead witch Winnie’s book that is creepiest. Bound in human skin and featuring a working eye, the book is full of curses and spells, and its appearance is rather ghastly for what is, at its heart, a kids' movie.
9. Board Game - Jumanji (1995)
On the face of it, the titular board game in Jumanji doesn’t look particularly powerful, but the ramifications of playing it prove otherwise. Two siblings stumble across a mysterious board game, but soon after they begin playing, they are met with grown-up Alan Parrish. Alan has been trapped in the game for 30 years, and if they don’t finish the game, they could even suffer the same fate, and everything they unleash could become permanent.
Playing Monopoly can feel as though it goes on for years, but in Jumnaji it genuinely does. Add to that the eerie sound of the tribal drums during gameplay and that all threats on the spaces and cards come to life, and the game becomes one cursed object you definitely want to avoid.
8. VHS Tape - Ring (1998)
A couple of decades ago, the tape from Ring would have been deemed far more creepy and powerful. The innocuous-looking VHS tape could easily have been hidden amongst a pile of others in your home, and you wouldn’t realise what it was until it was too late and it had been watched. Now, with the decline of VHS and physical media in general, this happenstance is less likely to occur. Even still, what happens after viewing said tape – the viewer being killed by the vengeful Sadako after seven days – remains horrific.
Sadly, time has diluted the potency of this cursed object, though the more recent US sequel did try to digitise the cursed tape. This update failed to land, though, as, to be honest, the internet is a scary enough place already.
7. Scarab-Shaped Mechanism - Cronos (1993)
Right from his debut feature, Cronos, director Guillermo del Toro proved himself to be a master of his craft. The film presents an interesting spin on the traditional vampire movie and lore, as it tells of a mechanism that can grant eternal life; the catch being that it has an insatiable appetite for blood. In Cronos, an elderly antique dealer uncovers the artefact and finds himself battling its want for blood as well as a powerful businessman who wants the trinket for himself.
As with all of del Toro’s other films, the production design of Cronos is immaculate, and the design of the scarab-shaped device is startling. Somehow simultaneously beautifully ornate and macabre, the item is alluring and repulsive in equal measure. The events in Cronos' work are a great deterrent to becoming a vampire.
6. Mirror - Oculus (2014)
Before Mike Flanagan brought the world The Haunting of Hill House, he was making audiences afraid to look in the mirror with Oculus. Based on his short film Oculus: Chapter 3 – The Man with the Plan, and much like Hill House, the film is told across two time periods. In both, siblings Tim and Kaylie find their fates intertwined with an antique mirror. While the power of the object is not to be trifled with, it doesn’t look too different to any other Gothic-style mirror.
This is, of course, part of its magic; no one is going to buy something that looks grotesque, and its beauty perfectly masks the malice within. Oculus replica mirrors can actually be purchased, should anyone wish to tempt fate.
5. Monkey Toy - The Monkey (2025)
Based on Stephen King’s short story of the same name, The Monkey features a wind-up drum -playing monkey toy that racks up a body count that even Freddy, Jason, and Michael combined can’t match. The curse of the monkey is straightforward enough – if you wind the key, someone will die. Yet preventing the devastation proves difficult as the toy appears to have a charm and sway over those who get too close. It’s a good thing for it, too, considering how creepy it looks.
What parent thinks that this will make an adorable toy for their little bundle of joy makes the mind boggle, but then The Monkey is a horror film, and leaps of logic are to be expected.
4. Embalmed Hand - Talk to Me (2023)
The cinematic universe that directors Danny and Michael Philippou have created with both Bring Her Back and Talk to Me is terrifying. During Bring Her Back, a ton of cursed-looking items are glimpsed, meaning that the siblings have plenty more frightful tales in the bank, but whether any of them will match the embalmed hand of Talk to Me remains to be seen. Touching the hand and saying, ‘I let you in’, enables a dead person to enter the holder’s body. Apparently, this is safe for around 90 seconds, but after that, the deceased starts to get rather cosy in the host's skin suit.
As with so many cursed items, the hand is hard to resist, giving the user an intoxicating high with each use, and it quickly becomes the drug of choice for the teens in the film. Poor Mia ignores the rules, though, and finds herself targeted and haunted by hordes of the departed.
3. Aztec Death Whistle - Whistle (2026)
The premise of Whistle sees new kid Chrys find an ancient Aztec Death Whistle in her newly assigned locker. She soon discovers that those who hear it put themselves at the top of the Grim Reaper’s list. As with anything good in horror, despite Whistle being a work of fiction, the idea behind the object and the implications of its use mean that there would be trepidation about approaching even a prop replica.
The ancient whistle holds so much power; it reaches beyond the screen. The design is unsettling; it looks like a miniature skull, and authentically ancient. Hardy has admitted during interviews that the prop looked so realistic that he noticed people giving the item a wide berth, and who can blame them?
The ancient whistle is also battered, which alludes to it having cursed thousands of poor souls over the centuries. Another troubling factor is that the whistle summons forth death, not just for the person who blows the whistle, but for anyone in the vicinity who hears it too. This means that even those who are most respectful and superstitious of the object could still find themselves cursed just by accidentally overhearing someone else using it. Now that’s power.
2. Puzzle Box - Hellraiser (1987)
It takes a truly depraved mind to conjure up something like Hellraiser’s puzzle box, and anyone who has read any of Clive Barker’s books will understand why he was the man for the job. The puzzle box, or Lament Configuration Box to use its correct name, is both a mind-bending puzzle and a gateway to another realm. Within that world reside the Cenobites, a group of beings who believe that pain and suffering produce the greatest pleasure. The ‘reward’ for opening the box is an eternity of anguish at their hands. This promise draws in the adventurous Frank in the first instalment, but after he escapes, his niece Kirtsy is left battling the interdimensional creatures.
Hellraiser’s puzzle box is a perfect example of an item that no sensible horror fan would ever welcome into their homes; its power is too strong, and yet replicas are easy to buy for those with an affinity for risk.
1. Necronomicon - The Evil Dead (1981)
Books can be scary. Never has that been more apparent than in The Evil Dead. What should be a weekend of fun and frolicks in a secluded cabin in the woods becomes an absolute nightmare for Ash and his friends. Suddenly, Deadites spring forth, possess everyone, and leave Ash fighting for both his life and sanity. The book in question is the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, aka the Book of the Dead. It is bound with flesh and is filled with gruesome imagery.
One would hope that it being written in an ancient language would deter people from triggering the curse, and yet, film after film, a safety-averse character begins reading the book, unleashing actual Hell on those around them.
