Possessed (2000 TV Movie) User Reviews

Fasten your seat belt Beelzebb! It's going to be a Bumpy Ride!

[sol-kay · 5/10 · 27 December 2007]

(THERE ARE SPOILERS) Said to be based on the only documented exorcism in modern time the movie "Possessed" in it's own crazy and mind blowing way shows it's audience just why exorcisms are so strongly avoided by the Catholic Church. They end up driving everyone involved in them out of their minds. The case of Father Willam Bowden, Timothy Dalton, is a perfect example in that when you play with fire, or in this case the Devil, you end up getting both burned and possibly committed.

Father Bowden is troubled with an event that happened when he was a Chaplin on the Western Front for the US Army in WWII. On All Saints Day, November 1, 1944, Bowden freaked out and didn't come to the aid, in giving him the last rites, of a wounded comrade who was dying from a blast of lead he received from a German submachine gun. It's was moments later that Bowden himself was run trough with a bayonet that almost killed him.

Back in the states in Saint Louis MO. Father Bowden gets himself involved in a case of demonic possession that has little 11 year-old boy Robbie Mannheim, Jonahan Malen,doing things that defy scientific explanation. Making furniture move at will and levitating off his bed as well as pucking and relieving himself with so much bodily fluids that even a full grown elephant's stomach or bladder couldn't hold has his parents Mr. & Mrs. Mannheim,Michael Rhoades & Phyllis Lawson, very worried indeed. They think that their little Robbie is going insane.

It's only when Robbie attacked Reverend Eckardt, Richard Waugh, causing him to have 66 stitches in his right arm that it was decided to look into using the church, via a church sanctioned exorcism, to help the very troubled and disturbed young man.

At first being against the exorcism Archbishop Hume, Christopher Plummer, agrees to it if only that it's kept from the public and the Catholic Church involvement is totally covered up. It's then that Father Bowden and his assistant Father McBride,Henry Czerny, are given the go ahead to preform the act. It takes a while until both Fathers Bowden & McBride realize just how difficult this exorcism of little Robbie will be. The two Catholic priests have to go through at least three different exorcism's until they finally get the Devil, who's trying to take over Robbie's body and soul, to show himself. This all leads to the movies unbelievable and shocking climax where Father Bowden acts and looks like a man possessed not by the Holy Spirit but the Devil himself!

Timothy Dalton is without a doubt really enjoying his role as Father Bowden as he seem to be so into it that you don't for a moment feel that he's acting. The guy is so caught up in the role of the tormented, from his guilt feelings in WWII, Catholic Priest that he comes across even more deranged as well as possessed then the already off the wall Robbie ever was in the movie. Johathan Malen as Robbie actually does a far better job then even Linda Blair did as the possessed 12 year-old girl in the original "Exorcist". Without garish makeup and his head turning around in circles, which was far more comical then scary when Miss Blair did it, Malen was far more convincing as a child possessed by the Devil then Linda Bair ever was.

The movie "Possesed" also has Piper Laurie as Robbie's Aunt Hanna who's part in the young boys problems, demonic possession, is never really explained. Aunt Hanna seemed to have gotten Robbie into the occult science's, with things like playing with a wee-gee board, but died too soon, about ten minutes into the film, to really account for the wild and crazy things that happened after she left the scene. Or did Aunt Hanna from beyond the grave orchestrate everything that happened to both Robbie and Father Bowden after her sudden demise?

Watchable, but offers nothing new

[slayrrr666 · 6/10 · 5 October 2007]

"Possessed" is a rather entertaining, if clichéd version of this genre.

**SPOILERS**

After surviving World War II, Father William Bowden, (Timothy Dalton) spends his time either teaching missionary school or getting into fights with the police. A local young boy, Robbie Mannheim, (Jonathan Malen) soon gets his attention after a series of events that no one can explain. His parents, Phyllis, (Shannon Lawson) and Karl, (Michael Rhoades) desperate to get him fixed, offer to have him come over to the house to see what is wrong. At first thinking it is nothing more than a joke, he soon becomes convinced that the kid may indeed by possessed by the Devil. After several unsuccessful attempts to exorcise him, they try one last time to get rid of the demon inside.

The Good News: When this one tried to, it had some really great parts. One thing it gets right is that it starts off with the possession early on. Around twenty minutes in, the strange events that signal the possession start off. This starts off with the usual acts that indicate this, and from there it gets better. The confrontation ins the priest's house that signals the start of something weird happening, is the film's best scene, and is right in the middle of the freaky occurrences. Starting off with the sight of objects moving about by themselves and progressing to include more extreme actions, this is a fantastic sequence that is a pure joy to watch. Even the little things thrown in, including the incredibly brutal arm-slicing with the corkscrew or the playful gag at the end, don't derail this. That it also gets quite creepy at times with the camera flashing on and off during the struggle and the wind blowing, even though it's all indoors, really makes it all the better. As expected, the exorcism scenes are all great fun, and that there's several of them appearing in the film is a pleasant surprise. The final battle is the best one, which is great fun and really intense. It really does end the film with a really good scene that incorporates some spectacle and a touch of realism. These here are the film's good parts.

The Bad News: This here didn't have a whole lot wrong with it, but they were pretty major reasons. The biggest problem with it is that it never once does anything new or original with the possession angle. This feels just like every other film in this style. There's a ton of these filling up every part of the film. From the excessive cursing and religious searing to the demonic over-lapping voices to puking and overt sexual references and so much more clichés from this genre that it's simply too much at times. This is so filled with clichés from the past types that there's hardly any sense of originality in the film. That can be a really bad sign, since this is such a touchy genre to begin with. It can be really hard to find originality in this style without retreading on the past, which this one does quite efficiently. There's a couple of other flaws with this one, while the main one here is just the extreme repetition.

The Final Verdict: While not the best example of this genre, this does have enough to make it watchable even though it doesn't do anything new. This is simple, as fans of this would be entertained with it, while those who don't really enjoy possession films should steer clear of this one.

Rated R: Extreme Graphic Language, Violence and intense religious issues

Possessed with a Passion

[folsominc2 · 6/10 · 11 May 2020]

I'm going through a Timothy Dalton phase so I decided to go ahead and watch this film even though I try to avoid movies such as this as much as possible. I have never seen The Exorcist not do I care to. I do not get into movies which only attribute is the scare the daylights out of you.

However I have to say that I was very intrigued by this plot and to see Timothy Dalton in such a role. Once I saw a clip or two I knew I had to see the entire movie from beginning to end.

As a Christian, not a Catholic, I believe strongly in the Bible and the horrifying idea of demonic possession. Studying the background of the story it is left up to your own imagination weather the young boy, 14 years of age not 11, was really undergoing a demonic possession of his soul and body.

However, I thought the acting in this movie is superb on all fronts even to the fact that the priests we're not holier than thou. The character of Father Raymond who stated in the chapel, "Sometimes we try to be better then Him," meaning of course Jesus, was a very wise statement for all religious people.

According to the Bible only the name of the Lord Jesus Christ can force a demon to remove itself from someone. I was very pleasantly surprised and happy with the final statement by Father Bill before demanding the demon to leave the child. He finally had made his appeal to the Lord personally.

Timothy Dalton has been a fine outstanding actor to study and this film is no exception. I lost looking at Timothy Dalton, and I was enthralled with a character Father Bill and his personal PTSD as well his strength and determination to overcome his personal problems for the sake of the child's soul. He became the character.

And I have to give a lot of kudos to the child actor who played Robbie. That kid was an amazing young actor but I hope that experience did not scar him. It was such a horrifying part to play.

Good job all around.

Well-written horror

[mermatt · 23 October 2000]

A fictionalized version of the possession which was also the basis of THE EXORCIST, this film remains closer to the actual case than does the other. POSSESSED gives us a good cast approaching the topic rationally and with great dignity. The film begins without much of the traditional horror atmosphere, and that lends to the realism. Once the sense of reality has been created, there are some elements of the typical horror film, but they are well executed.

Set against the real horrors of the atomic age, the Cold War, and McCarthyism in the 1950s, the film is as powerful as THE EXORCIST but without using some of the FX. There are some genuine chills, and the story is well told, making the film well worth watching.

Too bad about the kid

[are77 · 5/10 · 16 June 2003]

The biggest problem with this movie is the kid. Ginger hair and freckles? Possessed by the Devil. Its not scary, its hilarious. The kid does a decent job, but he is horribly miscast. Timothy Dalton redeems things a bit with a convincing performance, which must have been almost impossible given the obvious handicap.

As a story it almost succeeds. As a scary movie it sucks.

The best

[andrewsames · 5/10 · 6 April 2021]

The best laugh I've had for ages. This film borders so close on parody, I suspect unintentionally, but it is risible.

One would need to be Possessed to find this film entertaining

[roxmewild · 3/10 · 1 May 2021]

Considering this was based on a true story that took place in the 1940's you would think 60 yrs later they could do a better job!

The main character is very badly cast even taking into account the boys age he is just not adequate for the role. Timothy Dalton as the priest is probably the films saving grace but even he can't carry a badly thought out cast and story.

The Excorcist will always be and remain the most scary and well produced and cast Horror in my eyes, that aside this movie offers nothing and some scenes I actually found comedic which is not what you expect in a horror not helped by the music score during some of the scenes either.

The best exorcism film to date

[JoshuaLieder-1 · 6/10 · 26 May 2007]

I have been watching horror films lately, which is a bit of a switch for me. I remember seeing the Exorcist films and even watched the second one again recently, wanting more of the inner life and workings of the priest, Father Merrin. This film far exceeds any I have seen dealing with this subject matter before (Emily Rose being a close second).

You have the usual Hollywood stuff thrown in, but what really gave this film such a high mark for me was the great masculine, spiritually focused portrayal by the main priest as played by Timothy Dalton. His characters friendship with the other priest and his inner life is exactly what I longed for in similar films dealing with exorcism but NEVER found. This is not a perfect film and Dalton does say one famous Betty Davis line that takes you right out of the film (I laughed) but its entertaining and I think riveting. More time could have been spent with the overwrought parents, especially the dad who seemed more possessed than the kid at times, and they didn't spend months working on the child as I think it took in real life, but all in all a good faith effort. Yes, a testimony in part of the fact that Jesus has Won and Wins and that saving souls is still important even in modern times. Rent the DVD and watch the extra (a real life interview with one of the priests involved in the exorcism).

Buckle Up, Satan. It's Going to be a Bumpy Night.

[LanceBrave · 4/10 · 22 March 2015]

In the year 2000, "The Exorcist" was released to theaters in an extended cut, advertised as "The Version You've Never Seen." This was mostly a stunt but it successfully introduced one of the best horror films of all time to a new audience. The same year, I recall seeing advertisements for a Showtime TV movie called "Possessed," based off the "true events" that inspired "The Exorcist." Yes, this was a movie based on a reportedly true story that inspired a better known movie. For some reason, the movie always stuck in the back of mind. I seem to remember some decent reviews at the time. For years, I assumed it was a better-then-average TV movie. Finally seeing the movie now, I can see that isn't true. "Possessed" is a cheesy, melodramatic made-for-television schlock-fest.

In the early 1950s, a little boy named Robbie begins to act erratically. He's using profanity and misbehaving at school. Bloody gashes and cuts appear on his body. Most alarmingly, he gains the ability to move things with his mind. The boys' parents don't know what to do, quickly turning to the local Catholic church. A troubled priest named William Bowden, and his student Raymond McBride, becomes involved. Bowden quickly begins to believe that the boy is genuinely possessed by a demon. He asks for an exorcism. Though the local bishop is reluctant to approve the ritual, he eventually gives them the go-ahead as long as it stay secret.

"Possessed" is simply not a very good horror movie. It's attempts to scare are obvious, ham-fisted, and poorly constructed. When Robbie first begins to display unusual behavior, he telekinetically slides his desk around his class room. The effect is hokey and overdone, generating laughter instead of chills. Later, he spins a chair in his living room around on its leg. This, too, is ridiculous looking and badly constructed. "Possessed" goes for the hackiest horror clichés. The little boy has a creepy ventriloquist dummy. The story is set during Halloween. The final exorcism takes place on a dark and stormy night. The actor playing Robbie is a freckled, beady-eyed redhead, which does not make for the most convincing scares. When the time comes for the demon to make itself known, "Possessed" limply recreates the famous things "The Exorcist" did. The boy yells profanity – not even very shocking profanity – in a cheesy demon voice. He spits and vomits. Worst yet is when he makes his bed hovers or produces a giant cross out of nothing. The melodramatic score, full of stock horror shocks, does not help matters.

Starring in "Possessed" is Timothy Dalton. Dalton, the most underrated of James Bonds, plays Father Bowden. Bowden is haunted by his time in World War II when a dying soldiers on the battle field asks for his last rites and the priest ran and hid instead. The bayonet wound on his side is frequently referenced and, in the film's most overdone moments, it causes a lingering pain. Dalton gives the part his all, forcing as much of his natural charm in the rickety material as possible. It's no hope though. The character's drinking habit is the hoariest of clichés as is his struggle with his own faith. When the film calls on Dalton to directly threaten the demon, he seems to be playing it for humor. He actually tells the devil to "buckle up. It's going to be a bumpy night." Dalton appearing in schlock like this is sadly understandable but how the heck did they get Christopher Plummer to drop in on this? All his scenes were probably shot in a day but, even then, surely he had something better to do. For that matter, even Piper Laurie is above the material, during her even briefer cameo.

"Possessed" does an okay job of establishing its setting. The kid's watch "Duck and Cover" in class. Radios are everywhere. Milton Berle is referenced. Robbie reads Superman and horror comics. However, most of the film's attempts to appear timely do not succeed. Early on, Bowden attempts to break up a fight between black protesters and the racist mob attacking him. References to Hitler and World War II are sprinkled through. (The most embarrassing moment is when the possessed Robbie pretends to be an MC in hell, introducing the Fuher to the priests.) These attempts to root the movie in a specific time are heavy-handed and cheesy.

Director Steven E. de Souza previously made "Street Fighter," a movie that gets a little more leeway with me then anyone else. Maybe de Souza should have stuck with Van Damme. By blatantly inviting comparison to a cinematic masterpiece like "The Exorcsit," "Possessed" was setting itself up for failure. By filling its run time with the corniest of dime store horrors, it sets itself up for unintentional laughter.

Good acting , good film and good for it is television film

[christianhoward-gelling-08003 · 7/10 · 31 December 2019]

Possessed is a good film for the exorcist genre and this shows throughout the film but this film has it downfall with the silly bits in there where highly where slightly predictable. Timothy dalton's performance is exceptional and was consistently good throughout the film , he portrayed a mental illness very well which can be hard to do for PTSD and was highly impressed with his performance. Sections of the film were silly and you could tell it was for t.v. but for the style of t.v. exorcist genre I would recommend to watch.

True Story ? Yeah Right

[Theo Robertson · 3/10 · 3 November 2003]

**** MILD SPOILERS ****

This is based on a true story is it ? If that`s the case then why does the opening caption read " Somewhere in France , All saints day , 1944 " Couldn`t the caption have given the exact location ? , or would that lead people to research the integrity of this true story ? Since reading about the truth in " true stories " like PAPILLON and SLEEPERS alarm bells always ring in my head when the words " true " and " story " appear side by side , and if the story is in fact true ask yourself this question : If the events on screen actually happened then why isn`t the case better known . I mean if chairs were running around putting the boot into teachers wouldn`t that be front page news .

My second criticism is that I thought this was going to be a bit more light hearted . Of course as soon as the waffen SS turned up and got some bayonet practice in I realised this wasn`t going to be the case , but by then the damage had been done and I knew not to expect any intentional laughs

POSSESSED isn`t of much interest except for one aspect - How things used to be . For example smoking wasn`t the social crime it is now , only white people were allowed to be catholics , commies existed and wanted to drop atomic bombs on the USA , young teenage boys could be looked after by priests without any suspicion and teenagers swearing was a certain sign that there were demonic forces at work . Ah the good old days

NB : That last line was sarcasm before anyone complains

Ultimately a realistic portrait of The Exorcist...

[Seikan · 8/10 · 7 February 2005]

One of the first underrated films of the new millennium, Timothy Dalton stars in a most gripping look at the art of Exorcism by taking the actual case, making minor changes for the cinema screen and ultimately delving into the emotional aspects of the boy and his family.

All doubters of this film complain that it completely rips off The Exorcist and rehashes all aspects that made the 1973 blockbuster a hit, but while there may be many things similar, including the suffering the boy goes through in the duration of his possession, you cannot help but realise the genius behind this movie: this is what really happened.

None of the characters are fictional, this boy Robbie was really possessed. And with such classic elements of real occurrences, including the urine expulsion; words on the skin and furniture movement, it's hard to really put this movie down on your blacklist unless you are ignorant and nailed to the fictional story of The Exorcist.

Don't expect to be frightened by this movie, rather intrigued. This is not a scary movie, it is simply an interesting film detailing the only American Demonic Possession recorded.

Overall, 8/10, the directing and screenplay was brilliant, however the actor playing the possessed child was an awful choice, with amateurish handling and this child looking like he's having too much fun playing the role. This being a big change from the Exorcist, where Linda Blair went mad after filming and underwent serious councelling to regain her head.

Cheesy But Intriguing Based-On-A-True-Story Film.

[meddlecore · 6/10 · 25 October 2014]

Possessed is a cheesy. but great made-for-cable movie from Showtime. That's based on the true story of the demonic possession and exorcism of "Robbie Mannheim" (aka "Roland Doe"...both being pseudonyms to protect his identity)- which also just so happens to be the case on which the original The Exorcist novel and film were based.

This film, itself, is based off the 1993 book-of-the-same-name by Thomas B Allen; which heavily relies upon the accounts of Raymond J. Bishop and Walter H. Halloran- two of the priests who took part in the successful exorcism, during which a demonic entity by the name of Dominus was driven from the boy...who would then go on to lead a normal life.

In the film, we follow Robbie-a youngster who enjoys comic books and toy soldiers- whose parents are strict and sometimes overbearing. His grandmother, though, is a sort of mystic, who fosters his creativity...and teaches him about contacting spirits via the ouija board.

Shortly after her passing, unexplainable things start to happen around their family home: bizarre sounds without sources are heard, while inanimate objects are seen moving around on their own. Around the same time, Robbie starts to burst into violent, angry rages; speak in ancient languages; and exhibits extraordinary strength...as if he has become someone else entirely.

Terrified, his parents take him to see a Catholic Priest at Georgetown University Hospital. Here an exorcism is attempted by Priest named of Edward Hughes. Though, somehow during the process, the boy manages to pry a spring from the bed and use it to slice open the arm of the priest...cutting the ritual short.

Enter our two protagonists: Raymond J Bishop & William S Bowdern, who are both Professors and Priests at St Louis University. They are assisted by a younger Priest named Halloran, and together, the three men would subject Robbie to a number of ritual exorcism attempts. During these rituals, upwards of 48 people- including 9 Jesuit Priests- had witnessed the supernatural occurrences that had been exhibited through the boy.

Such events included the uttering of guttural voices; knowledge of Greek and Latin; the sudden, yet temporary, formation of words like hell and evil etched into the boy's skin; extraordinary feats of strength; knowledge of things he couldn't possibly have known; pissing; vomiting; profanity; and poltergeist activity.

Finally, after discovering the hidden name, date, and time of changing, left in clues uttered by the spiritual force possessing the young boy, Dominus. The three priests were able to drive the dark entity from the boy's soul. However, the Catholic Church oriented a full cover-up, after the fact.

Whereas some of the acting in this film is a bit cheesy, you've got to respect what they did with a clearly low budget. It has an appealing cult-style and contains some cool special effects. Overall, it is similar, in content, to films like The Entity; with a style reminiscent of The Changeling- which is probably the most realistic ghost film ever made. This is a film that is based on a story so wild, that it will change the way you look at the world. And this version keeps more true to the tale than does The Exorcist...so it's worth watching for that reason alone. Recommended.

6 out of 10.

Hilariously bad

[kevk-05459 · 1/10 · 9 September 2021]

I can only imagine Timothy Dalton laughs or cries at this monstrosity.

In a genre of horror where films are 99% bad. This is the worst. By a distance.

The possessed kid is comically bad.

Predictable, but good performances

[SnappyGalBladder · 2 November 2001]

I just saw this movie a few nights ago and even though the plot was predictable in places, the performances make it worth watching. Timothy Dalton's portrayal of a priest tormented by wartime flashbacks was quite believable and almost moving in parts. The exorcism rituals and events are more believable than those in The Exorcist and your don't need any previous Catholic upbringing to keep up.

Other than the paranormal events which occur, one can almost believe the child is simply a severely psychotic individual with a fixation on the afterlife and demonic imagery, which lends an air of credibility to the presentation. If you chose to believe the events have been exaggerated and the paranormal occurrences did not occur as documented then this story should sit well with you. Even those that take the account as accurate as told will find the story quite gripping.

Regardless of your level of belief I think just about all will find this story well told in this movie. Your disbelief will not need to be suspended very much to walk away from this film with a good impression.

Yikes!

[AnglRdr · 3/10 · 7 December 2003]

Sorry, I see a lot of you enjoyed this movie, but, I think it was one of the most awful cheezoid productions I've ever wasted two hours of my life watching (and, for reference, I saw "The Tuxedo").

Timothy Dalton's acting (or, should I say, overacting) was tortured, belabored, and felt very ungenuine. He wasn't acting as if he were a priest; he was acting as if he were wearing a priest suit.

The little possessed boy was the only one who stood a chance. He acted wonderfully. However, the non-existent technical direction made me cringe: the entire audio department on this movie should have to write letters of apology. When I saw the movie earlier this week, I thought it had been made in 1980, so poor were the technical details.

If I had to choose between Possessed and The Exorcist, The Exorcist would win, hands down, every day of the week and twice on Sundays. It was, at least, entertaining.

Is this a goof?

[jwpappas · 2/10 · 27 February 2004]

I couldn't figure out if this made for cable would be shocker was meant as a satire or not. Its not funny enough to be a comedy & not scary enough to be a thriller. It has the appearence of a movie that was rewritten by several different people. Parts of it are satirical send ups of 1950s Cold War paranoia as well as religious hyprocracy, parts of it are gory & parts are trying (unsuccessfully) to be frightening. In the hands of someone like David Lynch, Sam Raimi, Stuart Gordon or even Frank Henenlotter these parts could've gelled together & made an effective thriller & social satire. POSSESSED however is a bunch a parts that don't fit & the result is substandard cable fodder

stupidly made with laughable affectations

[shantanudutt · 2/10 · 29 September 2021]

I looked up the dir. Steven de Souza's bio and he seems to be an un-stupid guy. But looks could be deceiving, perhaps. The movie is a series of stupid set pieces: -- American kid who has tons of things he is talented in, including not just ventriloquism, but even making the corresponding doll -- German soldiers shooting injured American soldiers, while Dalton and his injured buddy talk noisily10 paces away, until Dalton gets bayonated, but mind you, not shot -- Later, Dalton is a professor at Catholic university, in which he spews one-liner dialogues with a superficial slide show more apt in a popular grade school setting -- Dalton is also a major cheerer and informal coach of both basketball and football teams, and also fights with a referee in guess what, stinted set -piece dialogues -- Dalton bonds w/ the kid via their common multitude of American-style hobbies -- Dalton looking for exorcism books in a library, spies a book hiding behind other books whose title he can't read, and for no reason reaches for it clumsily but w/ determination, again, for no reason, and another set piece within a set piece: the book falls down mightily, and Dalton retrieves it -- The archbishop talking about the modern catholic church, anti-communist verbiage, says cannot allow a medieval practice like exorcism, but is convinced by Dalton in 1 minute, and gravely announces that he will -- A fight between the kid and Dalton at the edge of a precipice -- Suddenly for the exorcism session in the monastery, Dalton and his buddy priest discard their usual black colored and white collared priestly garb, and don shining white and gold flowing robes, and advance in Knight Templar fashion accompanied by a background score of what sounded like martial music.

And on and on. What these laughable things do is render a potentially serious and interesting spiritual-plus-horror narrative a superficial, bumbling, choppy farce.

Really good for A TV movie

[atinder · 7/10 · 25 August 2012]

I really enjoyed most of the movie,

This movie dose not take long to getting going and there are some good scenes in this movie but I would not say they are scary scene but really good for a TV movie.

the first 45 minutes of the movie were very entertaining and the one scene that surprised me as one really bloody scene, which I did not expect to see any bloody moment in this movie at all.

After the 45 mins mark. it kinda calm down. now and again for the next hour, there were some dull moment but they don't last for long but this movie could have been a little bit shorter, as it was little to long.

I really did enjoy how the movie came to a end, i thought it was really clever!, connecting the movie to flashback early in the movie.

The acting for this movie was really good from everyone in the movie. I going to give this movie 7 out of 10

Decently done

[sligocait · 7/10 · 11 November 2009]

I buck the tide of negative opinions of this film. It is not as salacious as "The Exorcist", which was written based on this true incident from 1949 mid-west America, and because we've become so used to vivid violence in movies, perhaps this movie suffers for not making up the details or punching them up to be more shocking to viewers. At any rate, I found it to contain an excellent performance by Timothy Dalton in particular and by the entire cast in general. Casting a red-headed, freckled boy caused at least one reviewer to mock the choice for the possessed child, but I remind everyone that Linda Blair was a cute, sugary-sweet child in "The Exorcist" as well, so I don't agree that this boy was a bad choice. Something really happened to a young adolescent boy in 1949 that was seen by and chronicled by many; it's amazing to me that his true identity hasn't slipped out after 60 years, but how do we know that he was NOT a red-haired, freckled child? I found the movie to be interesting and believable. No, it is not the most graphic horror film I've ever seen but it doesn't have to be. All it needs to do is to tell it like it really was, not how some writer imagines it, and I think that it succeeded very well in that way.

Sweet Jesus this was boring!

[mynameisal · 3/10 · 2 November 2000]

Sure THIS one is fact-based, but who cares when the facts are quite boring? The Exorcist was much better. I rather see something interesting yet loosely based on fact than something closer to the truth yet of the quality of a dramatization in a documentary. Not at any point during the course of the movie did I believe that that kid was possessed. However, he did remind me of that one kid from Problem Child. Now HE was possessed. John Ritter was funny in that though. I still watch reruns of Three's Company whenever I can...

-Al

Pretty damn good for a TV movie.

[PatrynXX · 9/10 · 14 October 2005]

(imdb has a bug and I gotta write the entire review yet again.) Hate it when that happens.

It's been a long time since I've seen a TV movie that was this good. Clearly from the course language, it probably was not on cbs. But I rented this film after seeing a rather large cross Timothy Dalton carried on the DVD cover.

This DVD is about as bare bones as DVD's come. No CC (is that legal?) no DVD menu's. Plays just like a videotape. But a surprisingly good film. Christopher Plummer is wasted in the film. Then I'm glad to see that guy from Mission Impossible. I haven't seen him since that movie. But the real star is Timothy Dalton. Very excellent acting on his part. Almost makes me want to see his other non bond films.

The movie isn't scary though. However it doesn't come across as silly like The Exorcist. But comes no where near The Omen.

I wish the DVD had more backstory. It says it's based on a true story. But most of it looks like directors license to me. It's also a film that actually shows priests looking up info in the library without top notch security. Which usually shows catholics in bad light. (Stigmata) I think they came off quite well in this film.

9/10

Quality: 9/10 Entertainment: 10/10 Replayable: 10/10

If only they had made up their minds...

[MoneyMagnet · 7/10 · 23 May 2007]

This would have been a really fine telefilm if only the director and/or screenwriter had made up their mind what kind of movie they wanted to make of this story. A subtle psychological drama where possession was only hinted at? Or an all-out, balls-to-the-wall action/revenge film (with holy water instead of M-16's)? About three fourths of the way through, this movie changes rather ludicrously from the former to the latter. In one particular non-dialogue moment, shortly after the two priests' pre-game pep talk in the monastery chapel, I was like, "No way. They DID NOT just go there!" (I won't give away what this moment was, but if you watch the DVD you'll know exactly what I mean.) That said, this is a very well produced and well acted project. Even though the tone shifts all over the place and is seriously off the chain at the end. Timothy Dalton gives a fine and accessible performance (albeit, as the type of priest that exists only in Hollywood -- the studly, hardbitten, chain-smoking, foul-mouthed, whisky-drinking, punch-throwing cynic with a Purple Heart and PTSD). His sometimes-American, sometimes-British accent is all over the map but you don't really notice after a while. By the end of the movie he is channeling Harrison Ford big time. He looks good and has several terrific scenes before everything goes completely over the cliff into silliness (the script and direction's fault, not his).

Dalton is ably backed up by Henry Czerny as another priest, by Christopher Plummer as an archbishop, and the actor playing the possessed kid is quite good too. It's just such a shame that as the film goes on, every scene seems to be taken out of a different playbook (Serious Drama! Psychological Complexity! Rambo!) and the actors have to all keep up as best they can. The fine cast isn't wasted, so much as they are thrown this way, that way and the other way from scene to scene by the unfocused tone of the screenplay.

This movie could have been so much better if they just canned a lot of the suggestive music, kept the emphasis on the psychological and the subtle (there ARE some subtly creepy moments that really work, at least in the first half), and canned the whole misguided "Raiders of the Lost Souls" crap at the end.

The best compliment I can give this film, is that I would have liked to see a weekly series with Dalton and Czerny as priests solving murder mysteries or something. They made a good team.

The Story That Spawned 'The Exorcist'

[twelve-house-books · 5/10 · 18 April 2021]

Great story here to be told, but so much of it was "off" that the entire film suffers tragically. I give it 5 of 10 stars because the shots, colors, and acting, at least from a few, were nice. This is supposedly a retelling of the actual events which inspired the classic Horror film The Exorcist starring Linda Blair. I also like how God is sincerely invoked for his authority over the situation, but I disagree with the priest saying that Jesus was sometimes afraid.

The true story that inspired THE EXORCIST. Need I say more?

[Jack the Ripper1888 · 15 December 2002]

Yes, or course there are the usual amount of cliched semi-plots that add to the character development and have nothing to do with the story, but POSSESSED is quite good. Not really scary to me, but if you are a religious person, then it is quite possible that this movie will f*** you in the head! So be warned. Take the same warning for THE EXORCIST. Both of these films are similar (because one inspired the other) and they are both disturbing.

The ending of this film was not as good as I was hoping, but the rest of the film was pretty much everything I wanted. The acting is cheesy in some cases, but Timothy Dalton and Christopher Plummer both do good. I recommend all those other demon movies, like THE EXORCIST, END OF DAYS, LOST SOULS, BLESS THE CHILD, and STIGMATA.

POSSESSED: 4/5.