The Possessed

I normally love these supernatural films, but this one doesn't work. Its photographed well, and most of the cast is OK, not great but an Aussie possession film mainly shot during the day is actually quite odd and NOT scary at all.

John Jarret is a legend, but he doesn't suit this character at all, even if it's based on a real guy. The waving the hands around a person is so comical and cringeworthy. Sometimes it's better as a film-maker to make changes for the audience especially cringe-factors.

The best actress in the film is Lauren Grimson, a talented and attractive actress. Lincoln Lewis is also good, but everyone else seem like they were just dropped into the film because they knew the director.

The story is weak and not believable, some of the VFX or SPFX is good, but then some are really bad. Its a bad mix. The creature designs on some demons are EPIC, I'll give it that.

There's a scene in the film, when they just had the lights turning on and off constantly - leaving no suspense at all and desensitising the audience. Thats not scary when you do it 100 times, think of JAWS and how many times you see the shark.

Not much else to say apart from, terrible soundtrack, terrible film, terrible story, the lighting in the houses is atrocious, it's not professional lighting and the color grading is not ascetically good to look at, it looks cheap and rushed, not cinematic at all. And I don't know how this director keeps making these B or D grade films.

This would have been a lot better if it hadn't been presented as a "true story" based on "actual events." As a Catholic, I have no doubt the existence of demons and evil spirits. This guy makes exorcists look like circus sideshow freaks. For those of you who already hold that belief, go ahead and feel free to skip this movie altogether. It's not for you.

Having said that, it's an interesting work of FICTION as is perfectly entertaining as far as that goes. The problem comes when you try to associate this with reality. When they show the guy on whom this was based at the end, you lose all interest in everything you just watched. You're better off watching this as entertainment and stopping the movie as soon as the credits begin to roll. You'll feel much better about having spent an hour and a half watching this.

+ It's like an australian Buffy the Vampire slayer + decent practical FX /makeup + they probably could have made a decent TV series out of this, but not shoot it as a movie seeing how they become a ghostbusting demon-slaying team at the end.

This is indeed belongs to the comedy-horror genre, but the practical effects are absolutely stunning here! Overal it would be great as a miniseries, because each part could be a skit of its own if given time and background to develop itself and the acting would be okay for a TV-like short series where the audience and the actors are both in-on-it and don't take it all too seriously.

I've watched several new horror films in the past week and this film is the only one I would watch again. Not because it was a great horror film, or well done, or well acted, it isn't any of those things. What it is is so hilariously, over the top, they've got to be kidding, bad, that it is very funny and immensely entertaining. I watched it with a friend who rarely gets movies that are so bad they are good, but we weren't long into this when he started to laugh, then I followed and we both laughed throughout it. It get's funny and then gets funnier. Since there is one character who was obviously put in this horror film to add comic relief, I can't help wonder if this really was filmed as a comedy. I know it's based on some real life stuff, but this was preposterous. I find it hard to believe anyone would view this as a real horror film, but as a spoof of possession films, this completely works. Loved it !

While most might think exclusively of "Wolf Creek" when they think of Australian horror films, Chris Sun has done a great job of ramping up his efforts within the genre. His latest, "The Possessed", is clearly the next chapter in that evolution.

Starring "Wolf Creek"'s John Jarratt and Lincoln Lewis, the movie follows accidental exorcist Jacob as he rids Australia of some pretty nasty demonic possessions. After going through a few harrowing "clearings", the film has its climax in a spooky house where the previous owners may have performed some rituals to summon a very powerful demon. I won't spoil the ending but it's quite a surprising take indeed.

Jarratt and Lewis carry the film pretty well. I found Jarratt's affectations a bit odd at first, but when you see the person this story is based on (Mark Gardener; they show clips of his real life clearings during credits) it's pretty spot on. Lewis plays the straight man roped into this strange work by his uncle, and while he doesn't have a LOT of room to spread his wings, his performance is even and gives Jarratt a good foil to work from. The other actors were strong as well, though the character of Orion (Jade Kevin Foster), who serves as very capable comedic relief, did feel overused in the climax, drawing away from what would have otherwise been a terrifying sequence.

A lot of the film's strength comes from the demons and their design. They are differing, terrifying, and grotesque in equal parts. While they are largely glimpsed or shown in shadow, their appearances are startling and stomach churning. On top of that, the FX makeup for those suffering possession is very well done too.

All of that would be for not if the film wasn't shot as well as it was. Andrew Conders work is excellent. The framing and exposition, especially during the possession sequences, enhanced the moments. It felt clean, colourful and easy on the eyes, despite the content.

For a modestly budgeted horror flick, this one is pretty fun to watch and, while not perfection, has a lot going for it.