The Necronomicon & 6 Of The Most Powerful Cursed Objects In Movies, Ranked

Slashers, monsters, and the like have driven horror movies for decades. But characters and locations aren’t the only things that can drive a scary narrative. In fact, cursed objects, like the Necronomicon in Evil Dead Burn (2026), are tied to some fantastic horror films.

Cursed objects often have a set of rules a person must break, leading to more than a few deaths and a twist ending where, more often than not, no one wins. But the objects themselves are incredibly unique, and while many may consider Obsession’s (2026) One Wish Willow an example, that’s actually one of the few not on this list because it’s not cursed.

6. The Monkey - 'The Monkey' (2025)

Based on a Stephen King short story, The Monkey follows a titular toy monkey that, once wound up, kicks off a chain of events that leads to a violent death. If you are in the area of the monkey and didn’t wind it up, there’s a very real chance you could be its next victim, and it wouldn’t be pretty.

There’s nothing fun or safe about the Monkey, but what makes it sit at the bottom of its list is that even though it’s indestructible, it’s harmless if you don’t wind it up. It’s entirely up to you if you want to awaken a violent curse, and the thought that someone would is scary enough.

5. Lament Configuration - 'Hellraiser' (1987)

Hellraiser introduced audiences to a puzzle box known as the Lament Configuration, and while mysterious, once it’s solved, you beckon the Cenobites. These beings are from a different dimension and thrive on torture, to have people who call them experience the furthest reaches of pain and pleasure.

Pinhead, the lead Cenobite, will often tell you that if you call them, it’s too late, but Kirsty Cotton proved that’s not always the case because undoing the configuration of the puzzle box can send the Cenobites back. But what’s dangerous about this is if you don’t know that you’re doomed.

4. Canopic Jars - 'The Mummy' (1999)

The Mummy is one of the best movies revolving around Egyptian curses out there, and the best part is it’s simple to understand. While the Book of the Dead seems like the cursed object because it brings Imhotep to life, it’s actually the canopic jars of his lost love that are cursed.

Upon opening the chest, if you awaken the Mummy, he will kill all those present by sucking the life force out of them to make himself stronger. There’s no way to avoid this either unless you can defeat the mummy, but that requires quick thinking rather than following set rules.

3. VHS Tape - 'Ringu' (1995)

Ringu is a ghost story about actions and consequences, as the cursed object in this movie is a videotape you watch. As the tape ends, you receive a phone call that tells you you will die in seven days. Once that day comes, a spirit will emerge from the TV and mutilate you to death.

There is a way to beat this curse, but it’s not easy and leaves you less of a person than you were beforehand. But with the wide window you get to try and survive, it’s a cursed object that doesn’t feel like certain death even if it could be considered so. It's also the film that inspired The Ring (2002).

2. Aztec Death Whistle - 'Whistle' (2025)

Whistle (2025) is a recent horror film in which the sound of an Aztec death whistle will cause you to be haunted by the ghost of your death until you fulfill the future it represents. It’s a psychologically terrifying curse and one that dooms you simply by hearing a sound.

There is a way out of the curse, but it’s not something that’s readily understood by anyone cursed. Therefore, for an average person, it’s certain death no matter what. But to be haunted by the ghost of yourself feels like torture enough as it is.

1. The Necronomicon - The 'Evil Dead' Franchise

The Evil Dead (1981) introduced the Book of the Dead, aka the Necronomicon. Technically, three books, the franchise shows the consequences of what happens when you speak or write the words in the book. Once uttered, Evil emerges and possesses people, turning them into Deadites that are very hard to kill.

What puts all versions of the Necronomicon at the top spot of this list is the fact that it’s virtually a no-win scenario. Even if you survive the night against its forces, it’s not guaranteed that your nightmare is over; ask Ash Williams, and once you’re possessed, you have to die to expel it or be incredibly strong to fight it off. No matter what, you’re never in control.