The 6 Best Possession Movies in Cinema
In honor of the recent home video release of the horror hit The Possession (written by SWSCA's Writing Creatures instructors Juliet Snowden & Stiles White), we thought it would be cool to chat with these two horror screenwriters about their inspiration for the movie and some of their other favorite "possession" films. Take a look at their picks and add your own to the comments section below.
-Matt Winston
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- The Exorcist (1973)
- The Dybbuk (1914)
- Ghostbusters (1984)
- The Innocents (1961)
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
- Evil Dead 2 (1987)
(Possession (noun) 1) the act of occupying 2) domination by something such as an evil spirit 3) a psychological state in which an individual's normal personality is replaced by another.)
Stiles White: It feels like a lot of horror subgenres are having various resurgences. Maybe it's because there's simply more of everything now: comic books, video games, TV series, young adult novels. There's fiction everywhere. So we're getting all kinds of new variations on classic horror concepts -- vampires, zombies, ghosts... as well as evil entities who can control your mind and body. That idea of something taking you over is at the heart of our film, The Possession.
Juliet Snowden: From the very beginning, we saw this project as more of a "possession" story than an "exorcism" story. It was tentatively called Dibbuk Box when we were writing the script, because that was the nature of the original Los Angeles Times article the story was based on... a haunted antique box that had been discovered and the strange phenomena that began happening to the various owners. What was interesting to us was the idea of a cursed object that you've brought into your home. And wherever the box goes... the evil follows. So that was the hook for us in terms of what could make this scary.
Sam Raimi's company, Ghost House Pictures, got the rights to the story, and that's where we came onto the project. We thought it was a great real-life idea for a horror movie.
Stiles White: In terms of research, we had to dig into the whole nature of this type of entity that supposedly inhabits the box. The word dibbuk (or dybbuk) comes from Jewish folklore. It's a malicious or malevolent possessing spirit; an abbreviation of dibbuk me-ru'aḥ ra'ah ("a cleavage of an evil spirit"). This idea that the dibbuk spirit 'cleaves' to a human host is very scary. Like a parasite, it's hiding in plain sight. The tagline in the trailer says it all: 'Darkness lives inside.' If the dibbuk had been trapped in the box sometime in the past, there was probably a good reason.
Juliet Snowden: It was also cool to create something new in this horror subgenre of "possession films." Like any story category that deals with a particular mythology, we had to find the way to exist in the world of rules that audiences have come to believe about such phenomena, and yet establish our own unique twist on possession. And it was fun to revisit some of our other favorite films that tread into this territory.
Stiles White: So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are some of our favorite Possession Movies and Moments:
The Exorcist (1973)
We're big fans of this movie. It's certainly a major touchstone of a film in terms of drama blended with horror. Stellar cast, smart script, classic direction by William Friedkin and those amazing make-up effects by Dick Smith. It's hard to pick a single scene from this movie that defines it. Every time we watch it, we discover a new favorite moment. The entire film takes you on this journey of horrific transformation, and that's why no list of this sort is complete without it. And hey, as long as we're talking about cool moments, here's some fantastic behind-the-scenes footage of the famous "head spin" scene:
Click Video Player or here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
The Dybbuk (1914)
If you really want to go back into the heritage of this kind of story or film, there's a famous play from 1914 called The Dybbuk about a young bride who becomes possessed by one of these same malicious entities from Jewish folklore that we explore as well in The Possession. It was also made into a Yiddish language film in 1937. Very eerie and atmospheric. It might even be the first narrative film that deals with this whole idea of evil entities and possession. Throughout the process of making our movie, the question comes up, "Why is it usually girls or young women who become possessed?" Who knows, but maybe the DNA of that goes all the way back to stories like The Dybbuk. Here's a clip from the film called "Dance of Death."
Click Video Player or here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Ghostbusters (1984)
Now shifting gears, here's one of the funniest scenes in this genre -- when Sigourney Weaver is possessed by Zuul in Ghostbusters. It's a totally comedic approach to the concept (and actually pretty sexy as well). This is the glammed out supermodel version of what it looks like to be under the influence of an evil spirit. When you think about it, this scene actually follows the structure and echoes many visual elements of Father Merrin and Father Karras entering Reagan's bedroom in The Exorcist. Except here, Peter Venkman's (Bill Murray) reactions to everything Zuul says are hysterical.
Click Video Player or here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
The Innocents (1961)
"Do they ever return to possess the living?" That's the question asked in this 1961 film directed by Jack Clayton (based on the novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James). An evocative story in atmospheric black and white, this is also one of the first movies we can remember that features "creepy kids" as a big part of the plot. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and check out this movie that Martin Scorsese placed at #11 on his "Scariest Horror Films Of All Time" list.
Click Video Player or here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Here's our entry, which involves a form of alien possession. This remake really deserves its reputation as a modern science-fiction classic. A sense of increasing paranoia escalates throughout the story, and every actor is perfect in their depiction of what happens when you become a "pod person." No spoilers here, but the very final frame of this film is one of the most iconic horror movie endings ever.
Click Video Player or here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Evil Dead 2 (1987)
Last but not least, one of our favorite moments ever is Ash's possessed hand in Evil Dead 2. This scene is a tour de force on so many levels. The idea that your hand is fighting against you is brilliant and twisted. But then Bruce Campbell takes it over the top with an insane physical performance, smashing, punching, and flipping himself. You really believe in the evil personality of the possessed hand. Then, it's as if the audience and Ash realize that, at the same moment, there's only one way for him to stop his own hand. You see the chainsaw and think, no... he wouldn't. He can't! Needless to say, it ends in blood. Lots and lots of blood.
Click Video Player or here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
That's our list. What's yours? We'd love to hear from you guys in the comments section. Tell us some of your favorite Possession Movies and Moments.
-Juliet Snowden and Stiles White