In 2023 the kitschy opening scene comes off more like the origin of a supervillain rather than of the hero the man is obviously supposed to be. Kindly setting that aside, this made-for-TV horror movie progresses with much the same tenor as most of its kin, with a lot of conversation, straightforward dramatic airs, and investigation flavored with only touches of abnormal goings-on for much of the length. Those abnormalities do escalate, in fairness, and there's a nice twist to come when we're about three-quarters of an hour through. Then again, is it actually a twist if the script strangely doesn't do anything with it? I don't think it's so simple as to say that 'The possessed' is just altogether bad; I see what it did well, and there are worse ways to spend one's time. There's also a great deal that it does poorly, however, and sadly I just don't think it's very good.
Past that revelation with which the script does nothing, we climb into the home stretch of these seventy-six minutes and have to wonder if the chief abnormality of the whole production hasn't actually been the writing all along. Substantial portions of the dialogue and scene writing are pretty much just senseless; elsewhere they're vague, or scattered; at other times a moment comes across as overly direct. All this applies equally to the direction, and the actors can only try to make the most of it all with their best earnest effort. The acting comes off better at some points more than others, yet unfortunately I don't think there's any point weaker than the climax. Joan Hackett seems to be having fun, at least, but my reaction swiftly went from "hey, she's really leaning into it" to laughing at how over the top it was. That climax is also written and shot so sloppily that it's almost incohesive, and the resolution thereof - while marked by a neat effect - feels so much like John Sacret Young just shoving his typewriter off the desk and exclaiming "done" without actually finding a real solution.
In that climax, by the way, we also see how while the makeup artists did fine work, they were apparently instructed to piggyback off of 'The exorcist.' This dovetails neatly into how Leonard Rosenman's score hovers between conventional TV thriller music, and borrowing from Jerry Goldsmith's timeless compositions for 'The omen.' I do actually like the effects here, and I think there was strong potential in the concept, and in some of the story threads. However, though Leahy seems to be posited as a figure of momentous import, the script does nothing meaningful with him. The reveal of the antagonist comes from out of nowhere; the moments preceding the climactic showdown portend something bigger and more wicked afoot, but the screenplay just can't be bothered to explore any such possibilities. 'The possessed' is a picture that relies on the big beats of the narrative to carry the day, trusting that it will be enough, but the writing is ultimately so simplistic in that regard, and otherwise extremely variable in its quality, that the whole can never capture a spark of vitality.
To each their own. Other folks will watch this and just think it's a good time. I want to like it more than I do, honestly, in recognition of the hard work that went into it. Yet the issue is that the value it can claim is outweighed far too much by its faults and shortcomings, and what entertainment the feature can offer is saddled with observation of one foible after another. Yes, there are worse ways to spend your time, but with so many other things to enjoy instead, there's little reason to direct our attention here. 'The possessed' isn't outright awful, but in the very least it needed much more careful, thoughtful, and focused writing and direction to succeed, and the finished film as we see it is all too lacking.
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