"The Possessed" isn't that bad but does have some problems.
**SPOILERS**
After narrowly avoiding death, Minister Kevin Leahy, (James Farentino) is assigned to fight evil in all it's forms. The students at the Helen Page Girls School, all ready to graduate in a short manner of time, soon start experiencing weird phenomena, as all sorts of objects on campus start bursting into flame for no reason. After meeting Leahy, Ellen Sumner, (Claudette Nevins) a teacher at the school decides to take over the investigation. Questioning staff members Mrs. Louise Gelson, (Joan Hackett) and Paul Winjam, (Harrison Ford) for possible explanations, he comes up empty but the strange events continue. Finally discovering that a source of evil rather than student Weezie, (Ann Dusenberry) that is causing the fires, the remaining students race to stop it from spreading through the school while he deals with his own demons from the past.
The Good News: This one wasn't that bad and had some great moments. The film's at it's best when it goes for the shock moments, and these are mainly the sudden fire-spouts. They come out of nowhere and show no consistency, neither in source or intensity. From having a paper catch fire inside a typewriter, which itself is a marvelously spooky concept, to having a dorm room, then a pant's leg and soon afterward, human targets themselves, spontaneously combust out of nowhere and really manage to get some effective shocks out them. The first human target is the biggest example, as the site of the person going up in flames and the placement of where we see it starting from is a great idea and really one of the better ideas yet. The finale is one of it's highlights, as the culmination of a possessed victim and the need for an exorcism come into play, which is quite new and comes out of nowhere, allow it really let fly with the horror conventions, including the hurling of numerous foreign objects that aren't really seen before, giving them a real sense of this trying new things. The objects used during the possession are regular items expected during this kind of scene, and they make it all the more memorable. Combine that with one of the most extensive fire stunts possible and it just becomes all the more creative. It's a really unique vision and comes across spectacularly. The film's other big improvement is that it successfully manages to throw the red herring into the mix as for what the explanation is. While there's tons of speculation offered and some evidence, it's never accepted as a reason and never really brought up, though this is done in a great way. It's hinted at and offered evidence for, but isn't in any way conclusive and really does seem possible. That's a great compliment and works well for the film.
The Bad News: There's a few problems with this one. One of the biggest ones is that this one here has no real explanation for what's going on. Nothing is uttered about why the events are going on at the school, and this is even pointed out by the characters themselves. For all the time spent investigating and looking for clues, this one doesn't even put one explanation out there as a possible reason. That there's not even a possible one offered is a little confusing, since this could've been all the creepier had something been offered for what was causing it. Another really big flaw is the constant scenes of investigation or of the girls in their dorm doing nothing. These simply stretch the film out far longer than it should be and makes them seem like padding. While it's necessary for the introduction to take place, putting it into the middle of the film just makes it seem a little unnecessary and way too much like time was being taken up, not a great move for a film. The last big problem stems from it's feel, as there's an obvious touch to make this a real omnipresent danger around the film, yet it just comes across as a series of isolated incidents without much behind them. It's a great idea, but there's a sense that it's building to a huge payoff and the one received is acceptable, but not as grand as it was building to. This is what hurts the film the most.
The Final Verdict: While there's some good stuff here, there's some nagging problems that do hold this one back. Give it a try if it's something potentially interesting, but those expecting a big supernatural thriller like the time-period will be disappointed.
Rated UN/R: Violence and some Language
**SPOILERS**
After narrowly avoiding death, Minister Kevin Leahy, (James Farentino) is assigned to fight evil in all it's forms. The students at the Helen Page Girls School, all ready to graduate in a short manner of time, soon start experiencing weird phenomena, as all sorts of objects on campus start bursting into flame for no reason. After meeting Leahy, Ellen Sumner, (Claudette Nevins) a teacher at the school decides to take over the investigation. Questioning staff members Mrs. Louise Gelson, (Joan Hackett) and Paul Winjam, (Harrison Ford) for possible explanations, he comes up empty but the strange events continue. Finally discovering that a source of evil rather than student Weezie, (Ann Dusenberry) that is causing the fires, the remaining students race to stop it from spreading through the school while he deals with his own demons from the past.
The Good News: This one wasn't that bad and had some great moments. The film's at it's best when it goes for the shock moments, and these are mainly the sudden fire-spouts. They come out of nowhere and show no consistency, neither in source or intensity. From having a paper catch fire inside a typewriter, which itself is a marvelously spooky concept, to having a dorm room, then a pant's leg and soon afterward, human targets themselves, spontaneously combust out of nowhere and really manage to get some effective shocks out them. The first human target is the biggest example, as the site of the person going up in flames and the placement of where we see it starting from is a great idea and really one of the better ideas yet. The finale is one of it's highlights, as the culmination of a possessed victim and the need for an exorcism come into play, which is quite new and comes out of nowhere, allow it really let fly with the horror conventions, including the hurling of numerous foreign objects that aren't really seen before, giving them a real sense of this trying new things. The objects used during the possession are regular items expected during this kind of scene, and they make it all the more memorable. Combine that with one of the most extensive fire stunts possible and it just becomes all the more creative. It's a really unique vision and comes across spectacularly. The film's other big improvement is that it successfully manages to throw the red herring into the mix as for what the explanation is. While there's tons of speculation offered and some evidence, it's never accepted as a reason and never really brought up, though this is done in a great way. It's hinted at and offered evidence for, but isn't in any way conclusive and really does seem possible. That's a great compliment and works well for the film.
The Bad News: There's a few problems with this one. One of the biggest ones is that this one here has no real explanation for what's going on. Nothing is uttered about why the events are going on at the school, and this is even pointed out by the characters themselves. For all the time spent investigating and looking for clues, this one doesn't even put one explanation out there as a possible reason. That there's not even a possible one offered is a little confusing, since this could've been all the creepier had something been offered for what was causing it. Another really big flaw is the constant scenes of investigation or of the girls in their dorm doing nothing. These simply stretch the film out far longer than it should be and makes them seem like padding. While it's necessary for the introduction to take place, putting it into the middle of the film just makes it seem a little unnecessary and way too much like time was being taken up, not a great move for a film. The last big problem stems from it's feel, as there's an obvious touch to make this a real omnipresent danger around the film, yet it just comes across as a series of isolated incidents without much behind them. It's a great idea, but there's a sense that it's building to a huge payoff and the one received is acceptable, but not as grand as it was building to. This is what hurts the film the most.
The Final Verdict: While there's some good stuff here, there's some nagging problems that do hold this one back. Give it a try if it's something potentially interesting, but those expecting a big supernatural thriller like the time-period will be disappointed.
Rated UN/R: Violence and some Language