A Spanish priest suffering from a crisis of faith is called upon to perform an exorcism on the son of a famous flamenco dancer in the claymation horror-comedy Possessed. Father Lenin (Josema Yuste) is a priest, who keeps getting sent on archaeological missions by his greedy and corrupt Bishop, which results in him ignoring both his mother and parish. This results in Lenin to have a crisis of faith, which is tested when he is called upon by retired flamenco dancer Trini (Anabel Alonso) to perform an exorcism on her possessed son Damien.
Directed by Samuel Ortí Martí, credited on screen as simply Sam, Possessed is a claymation horror-comedy that pays homage to many classic horror films from the 1970s and 1980s. In addition to obvious references to The Exorcist and The Omen, the film also features allusions to Poltergeist, Hellraiser, and The Evil Dead, among others. Despite being an animated film, Possessed is very much a film for adults, with there being gobs of plasticine blood and gore.
While the film does have a bit of a slow start, particularly an exposition-heavy scene telling Trini’s backstory, Possessed becomes quite a lot of fun to watch once the horror antics get going. The film is played much more for comedy than scares, however there are a number of very creative and gory deaths within the film. By not holding back, Possessed is a better stop motion horror homage than more kid-oriented films like ParaNorman. Altogether, I thought that Possessed was a quite hilarious horror-comedy.
★ ★ ★ ★ | LIKED IT
Screenings:
- Fri, July 24, 11:55 PM – J.A. De Seve Theatre