The Possession of Joel Delaney (1972)

Touches You

People are voting emotionally.

Fantastic!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

This seems to be a virtually forgotten film charting the realistic possession of a man by an evil spirit - forgotten, no doubt, in the hype that surrounded the release of THE EXORCIST which came out shortly after this did. It's a shame, as THE POSSESSION OF JOEL DELANEY is a well-acted film with a down-to-earth approach. The lack of special effects or makeup help to give this film a realistic edge and the possession of Joel is far more believable - and thus quietly chilling - than that of Regan in THE EXORCIST. All that happens is that he starts talking with a Spanish accent, a simple bit of dubbing which has a really spooky effect.The slow pacing is used to build up suspense and give us a chance to get to know the characters before plunging them into the depths of horror. To be honest, sometimes the lack of action means that this film gets bogged down in too much talk, but things are turned around in the final, taut twenty minutes in which Benson and her children are taken hostage by the possessed man. The degradation of the children and the threat of violence towards them makes this very tense and uncomfortable viewing and an unexpected surprise when considering the rest of the film.The acting from leads MacLaine and King is very good. Perry King (CLASS OF 1984) in particular is excellent in the dual role of a nice, shy young man and a possessed, ruthless killer who has no moral scruples. MacLaine may not be a likable character but you can see where she is coming from and her character, while flawed, is a human one. Watch out for an out-of-place cameo from Michael Hordern as a doctor.This isn't a particularly gory film, although there are a few shocking scenes of decapitated heads and bodies. Where it does succeed and become interesting is in the portrayal of the Puerto Ricans in New York and their religion and beliefs; the ritual in which they attempt to draw the spirit from Delaney's body is an immensely powerful one, building from nothing into a screaming frenzy. This may not be a brilliant film but it's worth a look for fans of gritty, '70s-style realism.

The Possession of Joel Delaney is from an era of filmmaking that cannot be done today. There is a certain casualness in the acting and filming that is strictly a product of 1970's films. Yes, there are moments that seem slightly unpolished which is exactly what makes some of these films from that era so interesting.This film is a perfect example of a type of film that Hollywood can no longer produce.Norah Benson is a society lady in New York amongst the upper middle class and attends parties with pretentious people. However, one of these socialites is a friend who tries to help her brother who may be possessed by a serial killer.The acting is excellent by everyone. Everyone looks good without being too perfect. But the atmosphere in the scenes, the believable characters are what make the film. You really feel that these people are their characters. The tension in the end keeps you on the edge of your seat. Don't miss this.

When watching this movie, I kept saying to myself-"Okay,this is it. It can't get any more bizarre than this". I was very,very wrong. It got weirder and weirder as it went along,each scene creeping me out and captivating me more and more. This movie is hands down horrifying. One scene that particularly sticks to my mind is the scene where our hero, Norah, is walking into her beach house with her children dragging behind her. She walks into the kitchen,and on top of the refrigerator is a severed head. Well, you may be saying, that's standard slasher movie junk! Wrong! The director made that scene special because the audience can see the head sitting there long before Norah does. What made the scene even more original was the fact that in the first couple of seconds we see the head, it is just sitting there comfortably, no horror music or anything attached to it. At first I thought, hmm, nice kitchen...then my eyes drifted to the head and I thought ,woah, is that a head?!? The horror movie music kicked in a second later, confirming my fear that yes, it was a head. And ritual scene where the Puerto Rican man became possessed was intense and nerve wracking. A very, very good, overlooked horror thriller.

After reading a few reviews here on IMDb I thought I'd give this one a shot. This movie started out promising, but quickly became tedious and boring. This one is far too long and wastes way too much time on scenes that have nothing to do with moving the story forward. I am a huge fan of movies about possession, but this was very disappointing. It was interesting to see Shirley McClain so young, and the acting in general is competent, but unfortunately it's just not a very good example of the genre. The only really enjoyable feature of this movie for me was watching the scenery of New York from back in 1972. It doesn't change that much, really. Go rent The Eyes of Laura Mars, or The Exorcist, and skip this one.