The Possessed

Along with Gargoyles, Trilogy of Terror & Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, this movie scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. The premise, though somewhat formulaic, is still quite effective in this flick. The possession scenes are great, with a particular "hell yea!" during the nail spitting sequence! THAT freaked me out. Poor Harrison Ford hides from this film like it's leprosy or something. I dunno why...it beats "The Devil's Own" ANY day!!!

J Richter

Lost-his-faith priest Kevin Leahy (James Farentino) dies in a car accident. He is admonished by God for having lost his faith and returned to Earth on a mission to seek out evil. He quickly finds it at an all girls school run by siblings Ellen (Claudette Nevins) and Louise (Joan Hackett). Fires have been starting with seemingly no source and it appears to actually be targeting the girls. This TV movie plays like a pilot for THE EXORCIST: THE SERIES, but WB Television never went any further with it. Farentino is good in the lead role and you'll notice some familiar faces among the students including P.J. Soles, Dinah Manoff, and Ann Dusenberry. Perhaps the biggest draw for folks is a pre-STAR WARS Harrison Ford as the girls' biology teacher. The fire bits are pretty spooky, as is the performance of the possessed person (I won't spoil it) during the last ten minutes. The end gets down to the EXORCIST-lite moments, including the possessed person puking up nails (!) on the priest.

James Farentino plays boozy Father Kevin Leahy. He dies during a car crash, but is given his life back to fight evil. All of this is shown before the credits even roll. Farentino is quite good in this somewhat intense role and carries the film. At the Helen Page All-Girls School unexplained fires start happening, so Leahy is brought in to investigate.

I think the biggest problem I had with this 1977 TV Movie originally shown on NBC was what it wanted to be. It obviously was inspired by William Friedkin's THE EXORCIST, but half the time it just plays itself out like a cheap knock-off. Also becomes dialogue heavy and by the end of the movie the possession angle is pretty hokey. Which is too bad, because I did enjoy Farentino's performance.

Also starring Diana Scarwid, Dinah Manoff, P.J. Soles (as students at the all-girls school) and a pre-STAR WARS Harrison Ford who plays a nutty, creepy teacher Paul Winjam. Was very interesting seeing an early film role for Ford, but at the same time it wasn't exactly a very memorable role.

While by no means on par with such a great made-for-tv horror films from the 70s, such as The Night Stalker and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, not to mention the early 80s classic Dark Night of the Scarecrow, The Possessed is chock-full of fantastic acting. Those playing the high school girls, right on up through more experienced actors like James Farentino, a young Harrison Ford, and the wonderful character actor, Eugene Roche, all take their roles seriously, and turn what could have easily been a ho-hum affair into something far more entertaining. As silly as the plot is on the face of it, if one suspends disbelief, there is also some above-average dialogue.

In THE POSSESSED, Father Kevin Leahy (James Farentino) is killed in a car crash, only to be judged to have fallen from grace. Returned to life, he must seek out and fight eeevil.

Meanwhile, at the Helen Page private girl's school, in addition to the usual end of the year hijinks, strange things begin happening. Spontaneous, near-fatal fires break out.

Friends Weezie and Lane (Ann Dusenberry and Diana Scarwid) have only three weeks to go before graduation. Lane's mother, Ellen (Claudette Nevins) has taught at the school for years. Burned in one of the fires herself, Ellen fears that dark forces are at work. Willing to try anything, Ellen is referred to Leahy. Can he discover the source of the problem, before someone else is hurt or even killed?

As made-for-TV horror films go, this is one of the better ones dealing with the paranormal / supernatural. The story is interesting, using fire as a metaphor for jealous rage, which is what seems to have allowed the demonic presence to flourish. The characters are strong and the pool-side finale is magnificent! Farentino is quite believable in his rather dour role.

Co-stars Joan Hackett as headmistress, Louise Gelson, and Harrison Ford as biology teacher, Paul Winjam. Ford has one of the best, grimmest scenes in the movie! Watch for P.J. Soles in a tiny role...