Possessed

Summary pretty much says it all. This is yet another Satan's son is born to earth story, and yet another evil spirit transferring from one person to another story. It's been done time and time again, and I think it's about worn out. But the film is well executed and well acted. Definitely worth a look if you haven't seen other films with similar plots.

The first part is rather suspenseful and the snowy dark atmosphere of Denmark is really intriguing;then all that takes place in Romania is excellent and we 're looking forward to getting more scares..

but as soon the Pentagram,the beast,and all the clichés dealing with His Satanic Majesty appear,it's downhill and there's nothing more to hope."Besat" borrows a lot from "the Omen" and a little from Carpenter's "they live" and many a horror and/or sci-fi movie.There's the obligatory unexpected last scene :it's not over when you think it is ;probably to be able to make a sequel if the movie is a smash.It was not and Satan can rest till the next millennium.

With a plot that seems to have been heavily inspired by productions such as Warlock (1989), Outbreak (1995) and "Riget" (1994), this movie uses the Danish medical community as exemplified by the National Hospital to build an instant atmosphere of impending doom.

Unlike "Riget", which featured a plot that ended up in a Twin Peaks-like parody of surrealism, the focus in this movie is not on the medical community itself, but on the investigation by a young doctor of the mystical spread of a strange new virus.

In parallel with this activity we have the police pursuing a man suspected of arson (impressingly performed by Udo Kier).

The two threads end up colliding in a way that will not be revealed here.

The movie contains some interesting scenes from Romania, where the young doctor tries to collect a marrow sample to analyse the virus. These scenes are quite important in building the atmosphere so important for a thriller, and they are executed nicely.

Basically, all horror movies reiterate the same old message of "how terrible it is, when you're powerless." The interesting new part is usually the way in which ingredients are mixed, conveying a story full of scares, to which the contemporary viewer can relate.

"Besat" is no exception from this rule: As a true child of it's time, the dominant themes used in this movie are the threat of a global epidemic, cultic prophecies of apocalypse, the horrible living conditions of the poor in Eastern Europe, and how a man's single-minded pursuit of his career can turn him into a monster.

All in all some good, well-executed entertainment, but don't expect to find anything new here.

A man shows up in airport, dead of symptoms distressingly similar to Ebola, or something much worse. What begins as a search for answers becomes a race to stop what could be a global plague. There are some very creepy scenes in Romanian morgues, and the ending is particularly suspenseful.

'Possessed' is a very strong Danish thriller with atmosphere and suspense galore. It begins like a medical thriller in the vein of 'The Andromeda Strain' with a mysterious death which could have been caused by a new and potentially devastating virus. A young and ambitious virologist (Ole Lemmeke) investigates the death which leads back to a similar one in Romania, with a bizarre case of arson involved. Meanwhile, police pursue a mysterious German "priest" (the legendary Udo Kier) who is a suspect in said arson. When the paths of these two men collide we find that things are not as the appear to be, and the film turns into an Apocalyptic horror movie.

'Possessed' is an entertaining and fairly original race against time story. While certain elements are familiar from previous genre movies it manages to add enough interesting twists to keep you involved and guessing. The acting by the largely Danish cast is excellent, and the icing on the cake is yet another strong performance from the wonderful Udo Kier. Kier's long and varied career has included many highlights - from 1970s cult classics 'Flesh For Frankenstein' and 'Blood For Dracula', 'The Story Of O' and Argento's 'Suspiria', to frequent collaborations with Lars von Trier, and appearances in everything from the sublime ('Shadow Of The Vampire') to the ridiculous ('Barb Wire', 'Johnny Mnemonic'). Kier is always compelling no matter what the standard of the material he is involved in. 'Possessed' is no exception, and in this case, the standards are very high. Watch it and enjoy.