The Possession of Joel Delaney (VHS, 1992)

"The Possession of Joel Delaney" (1972) was banned in various countries when it was released because of a controversial nude scene. Today, it would rate a mild R rating. MacLaine's performance is superb; so, this film is currently enjoying quite a revival, especially among those who are cult classic fans.

What is a cult classic? A film that flops at the box office when it's released, but resurfaces a generation or so later & generates popularity among a large following. "The Possession of Joel Delaney" didn't exactly flop; but, rather, it was censored, banned, excommunicated from & by the moral majority public . . . in some places.

Now, Shirley MacLaine is nearly 75yo, and her career has been enormously successful, she's an American icon who has a following of fans among all of the generations. Her performances are so widely varied that they appeal to a very broad spectrum of the public. Now that this film is 37yo, it could be said that it's spirit has been resurrected!

The plot is about Nora Benson's (Shirley MacLaine's) younger brother going through the supernatural experience of becoming possessed by the spirit of a serial killer. It's much more plausible than "The Exorcist" & way less grotesque, indirect & flat out phoney.

Joel Delaney's (Perry King) sister, a socialite & divorced mother of 2, is summonsed to intervene when her younger brother appears to be in some sort of trouble. Given that it was an era when young adults experimented with hallucinogenic drugs, like LSD, Nora suspects that Joel's involved with drug abuse. But, after being with Joel for a while, his older sister starts to recognize signs that Joel's possessed by some kind of wanton spirit.

As Joel's concerned sister searches to discover precisely what's making her brother's behavior change so dramatically, she enters into Manhattan's voodoo underground of Spanish Harlem. There she finds a religious cult that's been influencing Joel. Instead of calling a priest to the rescue, as is done in "The Exorcist," Nora familiarizes herself with the black magic practices of a hispanic brand of voodoo.

This is a suspense, not a horror; so, the plot is developed in stages that build up to an intense, unexpected, powerfully thrilling crux that involves Joel, Nora & her two children at an out-of-the-way beach house. There's a difference between thrilling & chilling, suspenseful & horrific. "Possession" is definitely filled with the element of drawn out, building suspense & that powerful punch of the unexpected at the end.

I believe that this supernatural thriller is a far better film than "The Exorcist" because there's nothing far fetched about it. The realism, the very idea that what happens to Joel, Nora & her children could happen to an everyday person, is precisely what makes it so effective. Both thumbs up to Shirley MacLaine for ever having made this film at all. It was a daring role to take & career move to make, with a whole lot at stake, almost 4 decades ago~