Ava's Possessions

A girl recovering from demonic possession is forced into therapy, but flashbacks make her doubt the origin of her troubles.

What if we did a coming to terms story, but instead of drug addiction it's ... demonic? I dunno, wouldn't that be kinda lame? No, think about it - we set up all the usual conflicts but make the heavy stuff literal without losing the METAPHOR.

This really rambles on. I do like the concept, and the performances are good. But the dialogue is sooo Brooklyn Jewish, the story doesn't take itself seriously enough to create drama or frights, the humour is "gentle", and enough already with the daughter-mother antagonism. Also too many characters, and the most interesting one - the empathetic girl friend - trails off.

Directed by the writer, and I guess he did the photography, editing, music and effects too. Just not enough contrasts for good story telling. Music is interesting, but it never lays off and leaves a taste of the elevator. There is one brilliant smash cut: punch lands on a ball break at a pool table.

Overall - pleasant viewing with some atmosphere, but no real spark. Reminded me of Life After Beth.

About 20 minutes in I had to check that I wasn't watching a series pilot. AVA'S POSSESSION doesn't really take off like a movie should. The back-story is a mismatch of flash-backs and hints from the family that don't accelerate the plot much. I realise I'm supposed to suspend disbelief a bit more than usual due to the genre, but the alternate world, where possession is relatively common, wasn't as fleshed out as I thought it should be.

That aside, it is funny in parts, and watchable in a very predictable and cliched way. Overall: a bit flat, a bit lazy and nothing to get excited about.

This movie is not a comedy but I liked it! This put a less scary twist on possession with a different take on the story line! It would of been cool if there was a little more to the effects but for a B class movie - not bad! I would put this in the casual viewing category for myself but definitely a good choice to add to your watchlist. Giving a 6 for thinking outside the box and watch worthy~

Finally someone made a movie, that is so obvious, you really wonder, how no one came up with that simple yet brilliant concept yet. All the exorcism/possession movies end, after the exorcism - whether it went right or wrong, there's not much we get after that. There have been sequels to exorcism movies of course and they show a sort of aftermath, but this is an "original", without any background as to what happened before.

Well until you watch the movie and it backtracks at certain points so we do see what has occurred. It's all done in a rather light (still vivid) fashion, that doesn't shy away from gross or graphic content. If you are into the idea, you will like what they did with it. The movie is worth it (the performances too).

Ava awakens to find a priest at her bedside; unbeknownst to her, she's been possessed by Naphula, a demon from hell, for the past month, but the priest has successfully exorcised the demon and she's herself again. When her family confirms this story, Ava's first question is whether anyone called in sick for her at her job. Unfortunately, the demon caused a great deal of injury, mayhem and property damage and, well, legally somebody has to pay for that and since it was all carried out by Ava's body, guess who's going to jail? Unless she agrees to join a self-help group, the SPA or Spirit Possession Anonymous, that is. Of course Ava does so, but it turns out that her possession was rather more than she, or almost anybody else, could have suspected....

This is a very funny horror spoof that is yet totally true to its internal logic; in a New York City (and, presumably, world) where demon possessions are real and well-known, what happens to the victim once the demon has been done away with? This film answers that question quite entertainingly. Louisa Krause as Ava and Wass Stevens as Tony, the SPA leader, are both very engaging and believable, and the behaviour of some of the other once-possessed people is pretty hilarious too, especially Whitney Able as Jillian, who longs to be possessed by her demon once again. Recommended!