Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Leofwine_draca 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.

Mark Honhorst 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.

Poseidon-3 "Rosemary's Baby" helped usher in a sequence of religious-oriented thrillers, frequently taking place in an urban setting. Here, MacLaine is a well-off divorcée and mother of two who is pleased to have her brother King back from an extended stay in Tangiers. She is, however, disappointed that he has befriended a rather seedy-sounding Puerto Rican and moved into the man's apartment. Before her eyes, King begins to take on the reckless, crude ways of the new friend to the point where it seems as if the brother she knew is being almost fully eclipsed by the new persona. Things get even worse when someone close to her is discovered brutally murdered and MacLaine has to start worrying about the safety and welfare of herself and her children while wondering what will become of King. MacLaine plays a rather spoiled society type and one can see the early seeds of haughtiness that she would bring to later roles like Aurora in "Terms of Endearment." She sports some seriously long hair here along with some kicky 70s fashions including a couple of audacious fur hats and fur-trimmed coats. It's an unusual type of role for her in an uncommon genre and that makes it interesting to see. King isn't really given a chance to establish much of a character before the title event takes place (the title, of course, explains much of what is happening right up front, rendering some of the build up pointless!) He and MacLaine share a fairly unusual chemistry, which almost has an incestuous tinge to it, capped off by his shower scene, which includes frontal nudity through a mottled shower door. (King, at this stage of his career, had a great deal of trouble keeping clothes on!) Other cast members include Trentham as a glamorous girlfriend of King's, Powell as his concerned therapist, Colon as MacLaine's put upon maid and Hordern as Powell's businessman husband. There's a unique tone to the film and it's one that won't appeal to everyone. There's a starkness and bleakness to it, despite the sometimes-decadent settings. A couple of party sequences afford a fun glimpse of the styles that were then popular (in clothing and décor!) One notable scene takes place in the apartment of a Puerto Rican spiritualist who is trying to exorcise King's personality invader. Another involves MacLaine navigating a dicey neighborhood in her furry finery. Most memorable of all, however, is the finale in which MacLaine and her children are exposed to the darkest aspects of King's new persona, which is not only sadistic and violent, but also memorably perverse! A twist ending may annoy as many viewers as it entertains.

fertilecelluloid Films dealing with the subject of voodoo usually leave me cold. This left me lukewarm. Set in New York, the story focuses on Joel Delaney (Perry King), the brother of Shirley MacLaine. Delaney has been picked up by the police for beating a man. Later, he is accused of murder. As the title states, Delaney is possessed by the spirit of a killer. There's no originality here, but there is some courage in the writing. The climax pushes the envelope -- the 70's envelope, anyway -- and is satisfying enough. There is a lot of slow moving mumbo-jumbo and the obligatory scene -- where psychics attempt to get in touch with the bad spirit -- is predictable. Shirley MacLaine is very good in the lead role, as is Perry King. The film edges towards an incest subplot and features a scene you wouldn't see in a studio film today -- a little boy dancing nude on a table. Director Waris Hussein came from TV, and it shows. The film is not big on cinematic compositions, looking more like a TV movie than one meant for the big screen. Lower your expectations and you might enjoy this relatively obscure item from the 70's.