Possession

 


Name: Possession

Directed By: Andrzej Żuławski

Subgenre: Psychological Thriller, Body Horror

Series: Spooktober 2018 entry #25

Review: The director's cut is a bit tough to track down now due to it's cult status following being banned and labeled a "video nasty" upon release. So, of course I had to find it. Possession, ostensibly, tells the story about a disintegrating marriage only to reveal something much more sinister; it's your typical "boy meets girl then gets upset because girl is cheating on boy with a tentacled flesh-monster" story. Possession periodically makes the list for "top body horror movies," and, while there is a bizarre tentacled monstrosity lurking within the film, it's not about that. Possession is a drama first that dives head deep into manic psychological horror. To give an example, the lead actress literally screams and wails in a dirty, slimy corridor for several minutes then, in the height of her episode, she miscarries the manifestation of her faith. Maybe; it's open to interpretation, by design. Its cult status is with cinephiles and lovers of arthouse horror, so adjust your expectations appropriately. Possession is a dense film, so much so that some scenes and sequences feel overlong or entirely unnecessary. Reviewers far more keen than I highlight the fact that the movie is all about excess, but while the excess leads to some amazing performances by the actors, the bloat in run time starts to give way to the occasional test of patience. That said, it's a cerebral film and will likely leaving you wondering what you just watched--perfect for discussing in those horror-enthusiast groups or in the comments below. Now, whether that's a good thing is up to you, but I generally enjoyed it but only after tweaking my expectations. If you go into the viewing expecting a manic marital melodrama which devolves into madness rather than expecting it to be a pure "horror" story in the traditional sense, you'll likely enjoy it as well.




Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5 Chads afraid to slip on demonic goop. Did Possession scare you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

IMDB: Here

How to Watch: Possession is available on these platforms.


Official Trailer



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shevenge

Image
  Name :  Shevenge Directed   By :  Various--check the IMDB page linked below, as each of the segments in the anthology were directed by a different director. Subgenre : Anthology Series :  Spooktober 2019 entry #10; review #41 Review : Shevenge is an anthology of horror shorts entirely directed by women and centered around the central concept of women seeking out vengeance against those that have wronged them in some way--shevengeance, if you will. The film is broken up into 12ish stories (if we include the sign off from the mostly unnecessary Hostess character leading us through the various entries and segments) that are loosely tied into four over-arching themes: Kiss and Kill, Murderous Moms, Anger Management, and Love You to Pieces. After watching the similarly titled and themed Prevenge , I knew I had to check this one out. Now, that motivation was also spurred on by the fairly glaring reviews against the film that, frankly, come off as a notably misogyn...
Read more

Tigers Are Not Afraid

Image
  Name :  Tigers Are Not Afraid Directed   By : Issa López Subgenre : Foreign, Fantasy, Thriller Series :  Spooktober 2020 entry #20; review #82 Review : Let me start by saying that I love this movie. It's a multi-layered modern day ghost story / fairy tale fusion that's as uncompromising as it is creative. I absolutely want to gush about this movie, but doing so would rob each of you of a more pure, first-time experience with the film. Stop what you're doing and go watch it, then come back here, finish the review, and then leave me a comment. So, while my reviews tend already be fairly succinct, this review will be even shorter than usual. Hey, we've all got those days. But seriously, go watch it and then tell me how wrong (or right) I am. Tigers Are Not Afraid is a Mexican film about a young girl, who happens to be gifted with three wishes, as she joins with a group of kids who have all made orphans by the local cartel. Given the mix of dark whimsy and even bl...
Read more

Absentia -- Mike Flanagan's First Foray into Horror

Image
  Name :  Absentia Directed   By : Mike Flanagan   Subgenre : Creature Feature Thriller Series :  Spooktober 2021 entry #18; review #111 Review : Mike Flanagan is so hot right now. You may already know this from my review (or literally anyone else's, as there's no dearth of opinions floating around the internet) of Midnight Mass , or you may know Flanagan from his work on Doctor Sleep, Oculus, The Haunting of Hill House and/or Bly Manor ; either way, putting his name on a horror project is like printing money. And that's largely due to him proving how original and creative his visions are, so I wanted to go back and check on his first foray into the realm of horror: 2011's Absentia . Absentia is a good film, but it's not without it's flaws. After binging Midnight Mass before checking this one out, it's fun to see just how much Flanagan has grown as a writer and director. Originally funded via a Kickstarter campaign, Absentia follows Tricia as she tak...
Read more