The Possessed

Released to TV in 1977, this combines the milieu of another television drama/horror, "Satan's School for Girls" (1973) and "Suspiria" with bits influenced by "The Exorcist." You can't beat the female cast, which stars Joan Hackett as the headmistress and several notable up-and-comers, like Ann Dusenberry, Diana Scarwid, Carol Jones, Dinah Manoff, Susan Walden and PJ Soles.

On the masculine side of things, James Farentino stars as the former priest turned exorcist and is quite 'cool' in the role (I don't know how else to put it). Meanwhile Harrison Ford has a peripheral part as a biology teacher similar to the professor he would play four years later in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Remember the female student in that movie with "love you" written on her eyelids? I'm sure that that bit was influenced by a subplot here. Of course, Harrison would skyrocket to fame with his next movie (a theatrical one) released the same year, "Star Wars."

Unfortunately, I found the dramatics dull with only the cast drawing interest and maybe 2-3 thrilling parts. "Satan's School for Girls" wasn't anything phenomenal, but it's superior to this. Nevertheless, if you like flicks like "The Woods" (2006), it's worth a look.

It's short 'n' sweet at 1 hour, 14 minutes, and was shot at Reed College in Portland, Oregon.

GRADE: C.

"The Possessed" is better than you might expect, mainly due to the absence of gore and shocks (since this is a TV movie, they didn't even get to show any nudity). The recently deceased James Farentino plays a priest investigating strange occurrences in a girls' school in Salem, Oregon. One of the most famous things about the movie nowadays is that it was probably Harrison Ford's final role before he became known as Han Solo. But like I said, the emphasis on suspense rather than gore and special effects strengthens the movie. The last ten minutes turn out to be the really creepy part of the movie. It's definitely worth seeing if you get a chance. Also starring Joan Hackett, P.J. Soles (Norma in "Carrie") and Diana Scarwid (Christina in "Mommie Dearest").

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.

The Possessed (1977)

*** (out of 4)

Father Kevin Leahy (James Farentino) is in an automobile accident when he is pronounced dead on the scene. In the limbo he hears a voice telling him to return to life and seek out the Evil in the world. Soon afterwards he ends up at a girl's boarding school in Salen, Oregon where mysterious fires have been breaking out. The head mistress (Joan Hackett), her sister (Claudette Nevins) and her younger daughter (Ann Dusenberry) all seem to have some sort of connection.

THE POSSESSED is without question one of the better made-for-television horror movies ever made. It's kind of funny that Warner now handles the release of the picture since it was released the same year as their disastrous EXORCIST II. There's no question that this movie was probably inspired by THE EXORCIST but everything wrong with that film's sequel is certainly improved on here. There's no doubt that I went into the movie not sure what to expect but I walked away with an extremely good film that manages to feature great performances and a pretty good story.

The performances are certainly a major plus because there's quite a bit of character development here. Farentino is wonderful as the Father who finds himself trying to figure out exactly why he was brought back to life and who is behind these Satanic fires. Nevins is also excellent in her role as the mother and Dusenberry is also good. The supporting cast includes Dinah Manoff, P.J. Soles and Diana Scarwid. The biggest name is Harrison Ford who is excellent in a small role as a professor. The film also benefits from some nice cinematography and an extremely effective music score.

Another thing that really works for the movie is its pacing by director Jerry Thorpe. He certainly knows how to keep the film moving and manages to make the story quite interesting and makes it hold your attention even without the big-budget special effects. The ending itself is quite good, although there's no question that they were going for the same feel as THE EXORCIST. THE POSSESSED isn't a masterpiece but it's about as good as a film like this can get.

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.