10 More Horror Movie Villains Who Actually Won

It is such a spectacular win for the cult in Hereditary that I felt there was nowhere this entry could go other than in first place. The result of years of planning, of grooming and seeding ideas and working tiny details into the lives of a family right under their noses, the rise of Paimon is an unadulterated success.

Hereditary has received enormous amounts of (well-deserved) praise in the years since its release, much of it focussed on just how detailed and intricate the whole thing is. Practically from the very start the film’s gory end is seeded - in dialogue, in set design, in otherwise unsuspecting characters.

As we roll up to the big finale we begin to realise that Paimon’s win is certain. Papa has been burned to death, momma is sawing her own head off with piano wire, and the terrified son (and thus living heir to Paimon’s spirit) is running around like a headless chicken - even more so than his mum.

After he takes a tumble from the window, the whole deal is done. We witness the treehouse filled with cultists, his dead sister’s severed head, the glowing light of a rising demonic force. It’s perfect, it’s powerful, and it was almost completely inevitable.