top of page
Search
starwarsds1

Andrzej Zulawski's Possession: A Deranged and Hypnotic Arthouse Horror Experience

Updated: Feb 26, 2023


Reviews by:

  • @starwards1

RATE THIS MOVIE

  • 6

  • 5

  • 4

  • 3



 

"I can't exist by myself because I'm afraid of myself, because I'm the maker of my own evil."


Andrzej Zulawski’s 1981 film Possession is a film that on one hand was disregarded as a b-movie exploitation gore-fest and went straight to video in a couple of countries, but at the same time it has an arthouse relevance, and it has found its way back even today, and taken its place among many other beloved arthouse films. It’s…. Well it’s a weird movie, if you haven’t seen it, there is really no way to explain what you’re in for. It’s a bizarre and absurd work of art that is a lot to take in.. Even if you have seen it and you say you understand all of it, you’re probably lying. It’s an enigmatic film that still grips you from start to finish. It puts you in this extreme hypnosis, and takes you through a creatively fascinating journey but one that is not for the faint hearted.. It’s chaotic and absolutely deranged.


There’s an uncomfortable tension that’s built up brilliantly and it erupts in madness. It’s creepy, and genuinely traumatizing. For all its arthouse metaphors, it still is, one the surface, one of those horror films I never want to rewatch. Isabelle Adjani, as you’ve probably heard, invented acting with this movie. No words can truly describe her performance. It is breathtaking. Her and Sam Neil really elevated this film to a distorted reality that holds you in its clutches. I want to add what the film is about in this “review” but if I’m being honest, I’m not completely sure? Zulawski himself referred to it as a movie about a woman f*cking a demon octopus, but it definitely holds a lot more statements and messages than just that.


It’s a movie about marriage, about divorce. The traditional horror movie about a couple with a demented twist on it. The demons and other otherworldly stuff is just ironically, a simpler way to break down ideas of complex human relationships. And Possession is not obsessed with throwing as much gore and twisted concepts at the audience as it can but instead tries to find something deeper. It explores the human soul. It’s a mysterious film, full of allegories, that is crafted with such meticulousness, one can’t help but admire the genius of it all. It’s definitely a film that warrants a rewatch even if it’s a bit hard to stomach. A fantastic movie formed out a twisted imagination and it has one of the most unsettling endings, possibly ever? And not mentioning the miscarriage scene would be a crime as that scene is probably what I’ll remember the most out of this film, no matter how many years pass.


By @starwards1


RATE THIS REVIEW

  • 6

  • 5

  • 4

  • 3


 

6 views0 comments

Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet

Add a rating

rnixon37

Link

bottom of page