Unless I'm overlooking some titles, "Possessed" is only the third Danish horror film I've seen in my life and, speaking purely in terms of quality and entertainment value, it neatly ranks between the other two. "Possessed", written and directed by Anders Rønnow Klarlund, is not as dazzlingly terrific as Ole Bornedal's superior serial-killer thriller "Nattevagten", but it's undoubtedly numerous times better than that Danish attempt at making a slasher movie, entitled "Mørekeleg". But the comparison between these three films already stops with the country of origin, as the substance of Klarlund's films covers entirely different and far more ambitious themes. The most praising thing I can say about "Possessed" is that it has a solid and intelligent (albeit slow-moving) script, even though you only come to fully realize this quite late in the film. For more than an hour of playtime, you appear to be following two entirely separate story lines and it's practically impossible to link the events together. After the death of a Romanian man in a Danish hospital, the overzealous virologist Søren and his student-girlfriend Sarah travel to Romania; hoping to find out more about the origin of the deadly disease. Meanwhile, the oddly behaving priest/doctor Vincent Monreau stalks the people with whom the Romanian had contact before he died, as if he intends to prevent the virus from spreading even before these people suffer from any symptoms. It's really too bad that most plot summaries and even the film's own DVD cover image (showing a pentagram) already reveal a reasonably important piece of the story's main twist. Most reviewers describe "Possessed" as a mixture between medical thriller and occult horror, but truthfully it isn't, since the medical theories promptly vanish when the occult stuff is hinted at. The twist if you can even call it that is profound and extremely intelligent, in my humble opinion. It's creepy and convincing although incredibly far-fetched and, even more importantly, every tiniest detail that looked confusing and senseless at first now suddenly fits with the wholesome of the picture. Just because Klarlund's script is so extremely careful with revealing information and clues during the first hour, "Possessed" occasionally feels a little dull and distant. Some sequences, like the ones shot on location in Romania, come across as redundant padding footage. The last half, however, instantly makes you forget all the tiny little flaws and defects and particularly the climax is nail-bitingly suspenseful (and very Anti-Hollywood, I may add). Obviously I'm not too familiar with the Danish cast members, but the film definitely benefices from the presence of horror veteran and cult icon Udo Kier as the crazed occultist. What an awesome performer that guy is!
10 Reviews
Pre-millennial tension writ large
Leofwine_draca12 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Denmark isn't a country normally recognised for its contributions to the horror genre, but with this top-notch effort they really have done themselves proud. POSSESSED is a startling and unique combination of science fiction thrills and spills (the investigation of the deadly virus) and good, old-fashioned horror (the religious aspects of the disease and the impending countdown to worldwide destruction), all neatly mixed up with pre-millennial tension and a firm footing in realism to give the movie a gripping edge. Taking a break from the weary CGI antics of modern Hollywood horrors, instead this low budget tale transports us into a bleak world of death and decay, shot darkly with plenty of shadowy atmospherics and icy chills. The film as a whole uses a murky grey colour palette to give it a 'dead' look and feel which comes across admirably; as a modern exercise in post-SEVEN downbeat atmosphere and gloomy sets this is untouchable stuff.
Leading the way is matter-of-fact hero Søren, a guy propelled onwards through the obsession of his case regardless of the effect it may have on his career and girlfriend. Søren is played by Ole Lemmeke, who does superbly in the part and has every element of his character nailed down correctly. Later in the story, Kirsti Eline Torhaug - playing Sarah, the girlfriend - is also given a chance to shine with some memorable histrionics, whilst a surprise plot twist throws her character into the limelight and gives her a real chance to shine. The only familiar face in the cast is Udo Kier, who puts in a small but pivotal turn as a ruthless priest fighting the forces of darkness - Kier is magnificent in the part, which gives him far greater depth and acting scope than his recent cameo appearances in Hollywood fare have allowed.
The slow-burning nature of the plot may be off putting to some, but unusually this is a film which gets better as it goes along. The last half an hour and in particular the finale are wonderfully gripping and horrific, turning the whole scientific basis of the plot around on its head and introducing some very dark, important elements. The payoff for the slightly dry and wordy first half of the film is well worth it and the film ends on a real high. POSSESSED is a great movie which easily beats modern Hollywood rivals on the same theme (BLESS THE CHILD, etc.), which sadly will never achieve the status it deserves due to it being foreign and sometimes subtitled. My recommendation is to track it down and give it a try - you won't be disappointed.
Leading the way is matter-of-fact hero Søren, a guy propelled onwards through the obsession of his case regardless of the effect it may have on his career and girlfriend. Søren is played by Ole Lemmeke, who does superbly in the part and has every element of his character nailed down correctly. Later in the story, Kirsti Eline Torhaug - playing Sarah, the girlfriend - is also given a chance to shine with some memorable histrionics, whilst a surprise plot twist throws her character into the limelight and gives her a real chance to shine. The only familiar face in the cast is Udo Kier, who puts in a small but pivotal turn as a ruthless priest fighting the forces of darkness - Kier is magnificent in the part, which gives him far greater depth and acting scope than his recent cameo appearances in Hollywood fare have allowed.
The slow-burning nature of the plot may be off putting to some, but unusually this is a film which gets better as it goes along. The last half an hour and in particular the finale are wonderfully gripping and horrific, turning the whole scientific basis of the plot around on its head and introducing some very dark, important elements. The payoff for the slightly dry and wordy first half of the film is well worth it and the film ends on a real high. POSSESSED is a great movie which easily beats modern Hollywood rivals on the same theme (BLESS THE CHILD, etc.), which sadly will never achieve the status it deserves due to it being foreign and sometimes subtitled. My recommendation is to track it down and give it a try - you won't be disappointed.
Nice gothic horror tale.
simenkv18 August 2002
This is another horror movie in the Danish tradition, as I like to put it: Good cast, good plot and in my opinion quite an original twist to the classic possessed-by-the-devil plot. Also a hint of drama, with well-written dialogue and interesting inter-character relations and intrigues.
If it runs on TV, see it by all means! Some chilly moments, that's for sure.
7 out of 10.
If it runs on TV, see it by all means! Some chilly moments, that's for sure.
7 out of 10.
Solid thriller. Interesting twists on familiar material.
Infofreak21 January 2002
'Possessed' is a very strong Danish thriller with atmosphere and suspense galore. It begins like a medical thriller in the vein of 'The Andromeda Strain' with a mysterious death which could have been caused by a new and potentially devastating virus. A young and ambitious virologist (Ole Lemmeke) investigates the death which leads back to a similar one in Romania, with a bizarre case of arson involved. Meanwhile, police pursue a mysterious German "priest" (the legendary Udo Kier) who is a suspect in said arson. When the paths of these two men collide we find that things are not as the appear to be, and the film turns into an Apocalyptic horror movie.
'Possessed' is an entertaining and fairly original race against time story. While certain elements are familiar from previous genre movies it manages to add enough interesting twists to keep you involved and guessing. The acting by the largely Danish cast is excellent, and the icing on the cake is yet another strong performance from the wonderful Udo Kier. Kier's long and varied career has included many highlights - from 1970s cult classics 'Flesh For Frankenstein' and 'Blood For Dracula', 'The Story Of O' and Argento's 'Suspiria', to frequent collaborations with Lars von Trier, and appearances in everything from the sublime ('Shadow Of The Vampire') to the ridiculous ('Barb Wire', 'Johnny Mnemonic'). Kier is always compelling no matter what the standard of the material he is involved in. 'Possessed' is no exception, and in this case, the standards are very high. Watch it and enjoy.
'Possessed' is an entertaining and fairly original race against time story. While certain elements are familiar from previous genre movies it manages to add enough interesting twists to keep you involved and guessing. The acting by the largely Danish cast is excellent, and the icing on the cake is yet another strong performance from the wonderful Udo Kier. Kier's long and varied career has included many highlights - from 1970s cult classics 'Flesh For Frankenstein' and 'Blood For Dracula', 'The Story Of O' and Argento's 'Suspiria', to frequent collaborations with Lars von Trier, and appearances in everything from the sublime ('Shadow Of The Vampire') to the ridiculous ('Barb Wire', 'Johnny Mnemonic'). Kier is always compelling no matter what the standard of the material he is involved in. 'Possessed' is no exception, and in this case, the standards are very high. Watch it and enjoy.
Tired Concept, but Well Executed
martinr4 May 2001
Summary pretty much says it all. This is yet another Satan's son is born to earth story, and yet another evil spirit transferring from one person to another story. It's been done time and time again, and I think it's about worn out. But the film is well executed and well acted. Definitely worth a look if you haven't seen other films with similar plots.
Old wine on new, shiny bottles
nilaus2 August 1999
With a plot that seems to have been heavily inspired by productions such as Warlock (1989), Outbreak (1995) and "Riget" (1994), this movie uses the Danish medical community as exemplified by the National Hospital to build an instant atmosphere of impending doom.
Unlike "Riget", which featured a plot that ended up in a Twin Peaks-like parody of surrealism, the focus in this movie is not on the medical community itself, but on the investigation by a young doctor of the mystical spread of a strange new virus.
In parallel with this activity we have the police pursuing a man suspected of arson (impressingly performed by Udo Kier).
The two threads end up colliding in a way that will not be revealed here.
The movie contains some interesting scenes from Romania, where the young doctor tries to collect a marrow sample to analyse the virus. These scenes are quite important in building the atmosphere so important for a thriller, and they are executed nicely.
Basically, all horror movies reiterate the same old message of "how terrible it is, when you're powerless." The interesting new part is usually the way in which ingredients are mixed, conveying a story full of scares, to which the contemporary viewer can relate.
"Besat" is no exception from this rule: As a true child of it's time, the dominant themes used in this movie are the threat of a global epidemic, cultic prophecies of apocalypse, the horrible living conditions of the poor in Eastern Europe, and how a man's single-minded pursuit of his career can turn him into a monster.
All in all some good, well-executed entertainment, but don't expect to find anything new here.
Unlike "Riget", which featured a plot that ended up in a Twin Peaks-like parody of surrealism, the focus in this movie is not on the medical community itself, but on the investigation by a young doctor of the mystical spread of a strange new virus.
In parallel with this activity we have the police pursuing a man suspected of arson (impressingly performed by Udo Kier).
The two threads end up colliding in a way that will not be revealed here.
The movie contains some interesting scenes from Romania, where the young doctor tries to collect a marrow sample to analyse the virus. These scenes are quite important in building the atmosphere so important for a thriller, and they are executed nicely.
Basically, all horror movies reiterate the same old message of "how terrible it is, when you're powerless." The interesting new part is usually the way in which ingredients are mixed, conveying a story full of scares, to which the contemporary viewer can relate.
"Besat" is no exception from this rule: As a true child of it's time, the dominant themes used in this movie are the threat of a global epidemic, cultic prophecies of apocalypse, the horrible living conditions of the poor in Eastern Europe, and how a man's single-minded pursuit of his career can turn him into a monster.
All in all some good, well-executed entertainment, but don't expect to find anything new here.
Good Medical Horror Flick
MWillis4 April 2000
A man shows up in airport, dead of symptoms distressingly similar to Ebola, or something much worse. What begins as a search for answers becomes a race to stop what could be a global plague. There are some very creepy scenes in Romanian morgues, and the ending is particularly suspenseful.
Well-made Danish horror/thriller
DaySleeper-231 January 2000
Well-made Danish horror/thriller, it had been doubted (myself included) that we were capable of thrillers of this caliber in little Denmark but "Besat" ("Possessed") proved us all wrong. "Besat" is better than most US productions in the same genre, cast, plot and special effects included. Check out talented director Rønnow-Klarlund's first movie "Den Attende" ("The 18th") as well!
Contagious little gem!
punishmentpark26 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
'Besat' has (horror film) atmosphere in spades. The lighting is beautiful (= eerie) and makes the film stand out. The story may be riddled with clichés about the devil and the end of times, still it has a way to it, that I could call Scandinavian, though it may be better described as nót Hollywoodian; for instance, the fact that the main character is willing to do pretty much anything to further his career (up to the point where he digs up the corpse of a boy for a spinal tap, even if we, the viewers, know that the fate of the world is at stake as well). It helps creating a gritty world, full of true to life characters, even if some ingredients are rooted in the supernatural. The love story between the main character, a professor, and his student, is well interwoven with the plot of satanic mayhem. Yes, this is a little late-'90s horror gem.
A big 8 out of 10.
A big 8 out of 10.
The Nordic Omen.
dbdumonteil25 October 2003
The first part is rather suspenseful and the snowy dark atmosphere of Denmark is really intriguing;then all that takes place in Romania is excellent and we 're looking forward to getting more scares..
but as soon the Pentagram,the beast,and all the clichés dealing with His Satanic Majesty appear,it's downhill and there's nothing more to hope."Besat" borrows a lot from "the Omen" and a little from Carpenter's "they live" and many a horror and/or sci-fi movie.There's the obligatory unexpected last scene :it's not over when you think it is ;probably to be able to make a sequel if the movie is a smash.It was not and Satan can rest till the next millennium.
but as soon the Pentagram,the beast,and all the clichés dealing with His Satanic Majesty appear,it's downhill and there's nothing more to hope."Besat" borrows a lot from "the Omen" and a little from Carpenter's "they live" and many a horror and/or sci-fi movie.There's the obligatory unexpected last scene :it's not over when you think it is ;probably to be able to make a sequel if the movie is a smash.It was not and Satan can rest till the next millennium.
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