The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver

THE STRANGE POSSESSION OF MRS. OLIVER opens with a perfectly gloomy sequence, featuring a burning mansion, a fog-enveloped cemetery, and a creepy mausoleum. It's clear that we're in the icy hands of writer, Richard Matheson.

Wealthy, prim, and proper Miriam Oliver (Karen Black) is unhappy with her dull, stifling life. She feels trapped in her mammoth house all day, while her distant husband, Greg (George Hamilton) ignores her when he's not at work. He's too busy to notice much of anything. One day, Miriam decides to change her look. She ditches her Librarian motif for a more loose, fun style. Soon, her entire life follows suit. Greg is not amused.

Miriam just isn't herself these days. The question is, who is she?

Ms. Black plays Miriam as a repressed woman who shakes off the chains of her life. Hamilton plays her smug husband as only he can. Of course, this is a made-for-TV horror film, so, things aren't quite as they appear to be. Matheson's story is mysterious and creepy, with some nice twists / revelations toward the end.

An outstanding example of its sub-genre...

This movie starts off quite slow and stays that way for the first half of the movie. But then, it finally kicks into some suspense and mystery, where the female lead tries to find out why she suddenly starts to dress up and takes up the personality of a deceased woman.

The acting was subpar, with much of the characters showing no emotion whatsoever. But, at just over an hour's worth, it's not that bad of a movie to pass the time with. IMDb lists this as a "horror" genre movie, but I wouldn't label it as a horror - more like a "mystery."

Grade C+

Mrs. Oliver, a modern-day lawyer's wife in her late 20s, suffering under the oppressive thumb of her husband--who seems to like her spinsterish, her hair in a tight bun, etc.--is having an identity crisis. She tries on a blonde wig with red lipstick and hoop earrings one afternoon while shopping and feels like a different woman; turns out this alter-ego bears a striking resemblance to a sexy woman named Sandy, who lived at the beach and but disappeared five years prior. Karen Black was on a horror movie roll in 1977, having had great successes with the TV-made "Trilogy of Terror" (written by this film's author, Richard Matheson) and the theatrical screamer, "Burnt Offerings". "Mrs. Oliver", also a TV-movie, has echoes of both, but is nearly weighed down by its red herrings (a curious dream, a flashback to a fire, a painting). Director Gordon Hessler sets a peculiar, almost surreal tone that initially grips the viewer, but Matheson overloads the plot; since Hessler's pacing is so methodical, there's too much going on at too slow a pace. Black is very good (if too old for her role), and George Hamilton does fine as her colorless husband (not the condescending sonuvabitch you may expect, but a workaholic with no interesting qualities). The finale wraps things up sufficiently, so "Mrs. Oliver" isn't a disappointment, exactly. But it's more spooky/romantic than suspenseful and scary, and perhaps that is why it has failed to acquire the type of following Black's other projects have.

Although not a great film, "The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver" does bring together many great (and personal favorite) people of the 70s horror scene. Karen Black was a marvelous leading lady of this decade ("Trilogy of Terror", "Day of the Locust", "The Pyx"), and she's surrounded by excellent supportive actors like George Hamilton ("Evel Knievel", "The Dead Don't Die") and Robert F. Lyons ("The Todd Killings"). Richard Matheson wrote many of the best episodes in "The Twilight Zone", as well as classics like "The Omega Man" and "The Devil Rides Out". Finally, director Gordon Hessler sadly always remained somewhat underrated, but he has great titles on his repertoire like "The Oblong Box", "Cry of the Banshee", and "A Cry in the Wilderness".

Despite the atmospheric and authentically frightening opening sequences, which unfold as a nightmare/hallucination set at a graveyard and uncanny funeral parlor, "The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver" isn't a horror movie. The plot starts out similar to "Diary of a Mad Housewife", but then gradually turns into a supernatural mystery. Black is the uptight and conservative Myriam Oliver, kept on a very short leash by her conservative lawyer husband Greg, whose dreams push her to become a blonde and lewdly dressed girl who hangs out in shabby coastal pubs. But is Myriam's subconsciousness only trying to alter her dull lifestyle, or has she been selected to resolve a 5-year-old murder case?

This certainly isn't the most compelling or exhilarating TV-movie the 70s decade brought forward, but the unusual plot and set-up keeps you curious and interested, and at least it differs from the overload of contemporary "The Exorcist" possession movies. The pacing is often slow, in sheer contrast with the abrupt ending, but a devoted Karen Black - whether prudish or looking like a femme fatale - makes it all worthwhile.

Since she died a few years ago, I feel that I can speak freely. Karen Black was NOT a particularly good actress in "The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver". During much of the film, she played a character who stared into space a lot and, at times, seemed a bit like a zombie. Sure, she was supposed to be a lady who was slowly turning into another woman...but she started out as a zombie...which is pretty odd as this was supposed to be the 'normal' lady! Additionally, many of her scenes just seemed difficult to believe...especially when she was required to show emotion. Considering she showed LOTS of emotion in "Trilogy of Terror" (another made for TV film), I can only assume the director was at least partially at fault here.

When the film begins, Miriam Oliver (Black) is having a super-creepy dream. Then, through the course of the film, she goes from a terribly quiet (zombie-like) lady to a wilder and much more interesting one. Sadly, the one you like is some sort of dead lady- -one who died five years ago. Could the ghost of the dead lady really be possessing Miriam?

I do agree with the review by Moonspinner55 that this film is slow moving. I think the lead-like pace especially made Black look bad as the film clearly lacked energy and life. But I thought the woodenness of the character through much of the film was just awful and I don't think that in the long run there is much in the way of payoff. And, I can almost guarantee that by the end of the film that the song "Venus" will practically make you scream as you hear it again...and again...and yet again.

By the way, at one point in the film, Miriam says she's 26...though actually she was about 38 at the time.