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Possession
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Possession

1981
Drama, Horror
2h 4m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 68.37% from 1557 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1557)
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Rated 28 Dec 2015
75
68th
If The Brood was too coherent for you, boy, will Possession give you the 'what the shiiiiit' you crave! The exaggerated, almost primal acting only adds to the surreal experience. Impossible to predict and at times frustratingly vague (I guess I need to read up on the context in which the film was made). Still, the imagery is INTENSE and some scenes will haunt me for quite a while. Isabelle Adjani was a revelation.
Rated 21 Mar 2023
78
40th
Well, uh, that sure was something. Not sure I liked it much, but it was something. Oblique, intense, and VERY European. I couldn't really sympathize with any of the characters, and I needed more answers than the movie was willing to give. The bugnuts performances held my attention at least.
Rated 12 Aug 2008
100
99th
Exhaustingly beautiful, intense and fearless. The whole movie is 'possessed' by the madness of its lead characters, filled with frantic camera shots, shrieking psychotic actors (Isabelle Adjani gives the performance of her life) and bizarre sequences of crying ballerinas, milky subway births and grotesque alien sex (slimy tentacles and all). One of the greatest films ever made, perfect marriage of art, horror, sci-fi, 'trash' and gothic melodrama.
Rated 25 Sep 2019
95
96th
But what about Bob? Holy moly Isabelle Adjani and tunnels. “This a joke ... what is it?” I have nothing, I might be too hopped up on Tylenol cold and flu.
Rated 24 Jan 2007
36
4th
The film is intense, but only because the actors are completely overdoing it and the cameraman has some form of ADD. The performances are histrionic to the point of utter laughability. (is that the point? is this a comedy?) Also, anything "Lovecraftian" almost always seems more silly than disquieting, and this is no exception. Add on some paper thin metaphors/symbolism, and the film feels like a parody of itself.
Rated 30 Apr 2008
32
19th
I liked the cinematography but honestly what the hell was this? From start to finish it just feels like a really insane noncoherant horror fest. Maybe that was the point, in fact I'm sure it was the point, but that doesn't make good cinema. The acting was so over-the-top it was almost laughable. No, it's not the worst horror you'll ever see but still this movie is downright absurd. Watch Cronenberg's "The Brood" instead.
Rated 28 Apr 2010
81
75th
I don't know what to make of this movie: it's insanity commenting, by filmically vomiting on, insanity. This is somewhere between Wiseau's The Room and Trier's Antichrist, with the pluses and minuses of both. I don't even know if I like it. But I won't forget it.
Rated 04 Jan 2017
70
58th
What the hell? A very difficult film to define, as it seems to lurch confusingly from genre to genre. It's probably a horror film, I think. The only consistent factor is the general oddness of everything that happens. The acting verges from overwrought am-dram to sheer surrealism, the script and plotting is truly bizarre, and the camerawork quite insane. That being said, it actually feels quite competently made, Adjani has some decent moments, and it's curiously compelling. Odd, but intriguing.
Rated 25 Jul 2016
87
70th
Watching this can make you feel possessed by it. It's mostly the merit of Adjani's epic performance and Zulawski's madman directing. The subway scene is genius on so many levels. Moreover, all the subtexts add so much layering that you're left haunted with thoughts of the film and wanting to rewatch it. (social= marital conditions; political= 80s global turmoil; religious= anxiety caused by loss of faith; sexual= women's entitlement to sexual satisfaction). Somewhat dated effects, but who cares?
Rated 21 Apr 2011
30
10th
I'll give it some points for peculiarity but overall 'Possession' is a quickly grating experience. The dialogue is often throw-away terrible and the acting is all over the place - which is kind of fun - but the virtuosity of the camera movements and some creepy moments can't save it from ridiculousness. Zulawski is clearly not without talent but that guy would do well to hold back a bit. This is one for those of you that revel in fucked-up-ness. That alone isn't enough for me.
Rated 12 Nov 2014
87
94th
Bizarre plot, bleak but naturalistic setting and shrieking performances will offset any viewer even before the introduction of a demonic octopus-creature. There are a number of fascinating ways into this story. The political, religious & psycho-sexual subtexts will reward multiple viewings, but are all marinaded in stark hysterical paranoia that explodes in several unforgettable scenes. The one in the metro tunnel left me genuinely stunned. A layered depiction of mysterious uncontrolled anxiety.
Rated 24 Dec 2018
20
7th
Hayatım boyunca izlediğim tüm filmler içinde tartışmasız en kötü oyunculuklara sahip filmdi. Belki de senaryo rezilliği olarak da top 20'ye girer. Çekeni de oynayanı da beğeneni de ayrı ayrı tebrik ediyorum. Komedi filmi olsaydı puanım 100 olabilirdi ama haklısınız. Bu verdiğim 20(iki) gibi uçuk bir puanı tamamen görüntü yönetimi ve bazı mesajları hatrına. Yoksa 0.
Rated 06 Apr 2007
48
36th
The acting is fine... it's in the script itself where everything's really overblown. The first half hour is very impressive, but later on, when the horror elements kick in, they don't add to nor complement the drama but rather crush it under a layer of overly harsh symbolism. As the film progresses it squanders more and more of its initial gravitas and by the ending just seems silly. Reminded me a bit of David Cronenberg's lesser works.
Rated 06 Jul 2010
80
86th
What the fuck is wrong with polish people.
Rated 08 Oct 2010
40
19th
This film is so lousy. Everybody's just running, shouting and going nuts for 2 hours, just like in any other Zulawski's film. I'd give it 10 if not for tentacle monster that is extremely cool and the only reason to see this.
Rated 30 Jun 2011
85
66th
The main flaw of this movie is that Nicolas Cage wasn't around to take the Sam Neill role.
Rated 18 Feb 2016
35
19th
Watching this, my first Zulawski, on the day of the filmmaker’s death, unfortunately I am forced to conclude that, whether despite or because of its expressionistic style and artistic ambitions, it is kind of terrible. At times, I felt sorry for what the actors had to endure and enact, regardless of the fact that they may later have been rewarded with awards. In the end, it was hard to get through. A spinoff series about Heinrich could have worked.
Rated 01 Nov 2019
90
91st
This blew me away. It just might be a new favorite of mine. Two incredible, animalistic central performances, surprising horror set-pieces, and a stylish presentation with at times stunning cinematography
Rated 05 Jan 2009
40
9th
Stop yelling!! I wouldn't say that this is not an peculiar movie, but even the overdrama, overacting and overeverything, are not enough to make this film more than boring most of time. But besides all the silly mumble jumble symbolisms, the gore effects are nice.
Rated 13 May 2009
20
1st
This movie is absolutely ridiculous...
Rated 12 Mar 2010
19
8th
this is the most irritating movie i've ever seen. people are constantly screaming, but nothing happens, it's just a bunch of overwrought pseudo-philosophical dialogue, like godard on a meth binge. and overacted, too. i do want adjani's sunglasses though.
Rated 13 Oct 2010
14
2nd
Gory, hysterical, over-intellectual and often unintelligible.
Rated 18 Jun 2012
4
70th
Body horror, warring gender roles, tentacle rape, unexplained doppelgangers, an unsavory love triangle and disintegrating marriage, and and the creepiest birth scene ever...what the hell did I just watch?
Rated 16 Oct 2012
82
91st
Sometimes there really is a monster in the closet. And sometimes mommy's in there with it.
Rated 26 Mar 2013
30
7th
Hilarious horror-comedy about a gay flappy-handed German with verbal diarrhoea who steals another mans wife, not realising she was a bit of a lunatic, and has a pet octopus she liked to fuck around with. Her husband tries to win her back by screaming his head off and making funny mouth movements, but he only succeeds once he smashes the german guy over the head with a toilet cistern. Meanwhile the womans son, who up to this point is the only normal one, forgets his snorkel when he has a bath.
Rated 31 Oct 2013
55
48th
From a q&a with Zulawski, when asked about how he directed Adjani in THAT scene: "I told her to... how you say... fuck the air." (Cue "For he's a jolly good fellow!") Even so, he's clearly not comfortable with the english language and this movie might be the most hostile he's ever gotten. Sandpaper for the eyes and ears.
Rated 30 Jul 2014
44
10th
One of the most irritating movies I've ever seen. It's as if the director told Neil and Adjani to turn their emotional exuberance up to 10 and then triple it. The feverish emotional discharge with which lines are spoken is perplexing and annoying beyond belief. And the dialog mostly comes off as pretentious. There may be something I'm missing here, some interesting subtext or purpose that's escaping me. But I don't care, because no matter how deep a movie is, it first must be watchable.
Rated 20 May 2016
80
89th
Loud to the point where it becomes almost unbearably annoying, saved by psychotic camerawork, sweaty overacting and a huge amount of weirdness, often bordering on a fine line between terrifying and hilarious. I had a swell time.
Rated 14 Jun 2017
10
95th
This movie is pure, weaponized anxiety. It makes me genuinely uncomfortable in ways I don't really get from other horror movies.
Rated 15 Aug 2008
100
97th
The darkside of love have never been portraid so brutally honest as in Possession. With the help of a touch of surrealism Zulawski manages to explore every emotionall angle of the subject and never holds back. The film might seem overdone and absurd but every scene and detail has a reason, put to life with stunning camerawork, clever dialog and unexpected turns in both estetics and story. Also Neil and Adjani do some of the most honest and unsettling acting ever witnessed in film.
Rated 21 Jan 2009
95
97th
Fiercely and beautifully intemperate and torrid in its outburst of emotion and thought and frantic anxiety, yet somehow sane in its insanity... I enjoyed the urgent images and "feverish" acting, the awesome, implicative dialogue and "irregular" soundtrack... Stunning, just stunning.
Rated 24 Dec 2011
24
17th
Insanity. Extremely bad dialogue and even worse acting. Maybe it would have been better, had it been cut by at least a half... but probably not.
Rated 03 Feb 2013
100
98th
Incredibly intense and with an unbelievable performance from Isabelle Adjani that is bound to make the most equanimous person uncomfortable. Zulawski's commentary on the DVD is helpful for understanding the themes and what he was going through when he made this.
Rated 19 Oct 2013
66
30th
It's often laughably overwrought and maddeningly obtuse, yet this has something: a balls out directorial vision, utterly committed performances from Neill and Adjani, and stunning fluid wide angle photography of an eerily deserted cold war era Berlin.
Rated 28 Oct 2015
77
51st
I don't know what the hell to make of this. It's intense and the performances are so off the wall they make it hard to look away, but I'm not sure that makes it good.
Rated 22 Mar 2016
15
3rd
No wonder this was made in 1981 and Sam Neill stars in it, as it looks just like an Omen sequel with a little bit of Cronenberg and an Eraserhead touch. Throw in some blood, screaming, gasping, two doubles and a slug and you got a wannabe-horror movie. Suitable title would be 'Omen XIV: Nee Nah Nee Nah Don't Open Don't Open' to reflect the ridiculousness of it.
Rated 01 Apr 2016
86
94th
Holy shit, I need to watch the carebears now.
Rated 14 May 2017
40
19th
Sort of a better quality Argento film but I'm still not feeling it.
Rated 16 Jun 2018
29
3rd
Looks like someone tried to make a movie out of acting exercises. The two main characters being so annoyingly agitated and fucking broad all the time turned all the attempts at convolution and mystery into pure randomness. I don't mind movies being unnatural or absurd, but this is just too much, too redundant and too fucking boring. I would call the dialogue "hilariously shitty", if it hadn't been so fucking annoying, as well. At least the cinematography was gorgeous and the monster was cool.
Rated 27 Oct 2007
70
55th
One of the most insane films ever made. Make sure you get the 123-minute version. The 80-minute cut is a total butcher job
Rated 11 Oct 2010
76
76th
Nightmarish in a way that kind of reminds me of Polanski's early thrillers (notably Repulsion and The Tenant).
Rated 10 Sep 2011
70
69th
A very intense, imposing picture, thanks to the unsettling imagery, the pitch-perfect cast (especially Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani), the terrifying music and the great photography.
Rated 22 Oct 2011
77
87th
Isabelle Adjani can now be added to my list of women I am completely in love with. But yes, this film is amazing, if completely weird, and has the best cinematography I think I have ever seen in a horror film. Would be right up there with Rosemary's Baby and Don't Look Now if it made any sense at all. The whole thing is tremendously overacted, but bitchingly awesome. WATCH.
Rated 02 Oct 2012
90
98th
"kurtuluş katil mhp" Kreuzberg, Kurtuluş, 1981
Rated 12 Mar 2013
80
68th
Very flawed with weak dialogue, an un-effective obtuseness and Bennent's dreadful performance wailing his arms about like a buffoon. And yet it is utterly mesmerizing with Isabelle Adjani's staggering performance bursting with fierce intensity and raw emotion, and the scene in the tunnel which is three minutes of pure un-distilled horror both ranking as highlights. It's a very imperfect film, yet I can't deny its strange, demented power.
Rated 19 Jul 2014
52
16th
Not as bad as Von Trier's Antichrist, but not good either. I really have no idea what I watched (pretty much insanity on film). Some of the effects are nice (but there isn't enough) and I liked the score (which also seemed like it could have been used more), but the acting is kind of off and on and of course the plot is almost nonsense.
Rated 24 Oct 2014
73
31st
What the actual fuck even happened^
Rated 07 Jan 2015
88
60th
Fucking mental. Sam Neill is a Cold War spy, up against his greatest threat... a weird-y sex-monster-y gross version of himself? I'm sure there are political layers to this film which are stunning but the bleak cinematography, unheimlich performances and uncomfortable direction are more than enough for me to adore this film.
Rated 01 Nov 2015
7
48th
Would make an interesting comparison piece to Cronenberg's The Brood.
Rated 03 Jul 2016
68
46th
It's been 48 hours and I have no idea what the hell I watched or if I liked it, but I couldn't look look away! Absolute batshit insanity.
Rated 07 Oct 2016
83
78th
Loud, insane roller-coaster ride. I loved it.
Rated 06 Dec 2016
88
97th
Fuuuuuuck!!
Rated 26 Mar 2017
90
89th
A married couple go through some relationship problems. Gets a bit weird.
Rated 16 Nov 2017
10
9th
8/1
Rated 15 Aug 2019
86
89th
Utter madness. This is a film that leaves you exhausted as it progresses through the horror of a marriage unraveling. There is obviously a lot to unpack here as Zulawski leaves much up to interpretation. The film's dizzying photography adds to the sense of being lost in these characters' hopelessness. Understanding polarizing.
Rated 20 May 2020
60
62nd
I don't get it, but it's beautiful in an East Berlin way. Isabelle Adjani is beautiful and does great freak-out scenes. Neill can take a ton of bullets and still keep going. Fav scene: when The Shape of Water doesn't go far enough.
Rated 15 Mar 2021
91
96th
Incredible ramp up while still drawing steady parallels to the directors tumultuous divorce and the affect it had on him and his family.
Rated 01 Mar 2024
85
81st
Never knew I could be so enthralled by a crazy lady taking a dump in a tunnel. I would have thrown in the classic bit where the janitor stumbles onto the aftermath and is like "aww man, I hate this job"
Rated 13 May 2008
60
65th
I agree with the delirious plot and unreasonable progression, however the overacting(I'm not sure if I've seen anything so overdone) and extremity of the relationship circle made it worth a watch for me. It may be a little hard to forgive the pointlessness of the ending though. All in all it's a depressive stimulant if nothing else.
Rated 09 Jul 2008
90
96th
Probably the best movie about madness ever made. Isabelle Adjani is fabulous.
Rated 03 Oct 2008
80
77th
The abrupt pace/directing changes hurt the film. Nevertheless, the exhilarating performances, shocking imagery and impressive cinematography more than make up for it. Adjani is specially incredible and absolutely unapollogetical.
Rated 16 Jan 2009
80
92nd
what... the... fuck...
Rated 02 Mar 2009
43
22nd
I saw the 80 minute version
Rated 04 Mar 2009
1
0th
"...an ostentatious, absurd waterfall of beauty and horror and I let it wash over me."
Rated 04 Nov 2009
59
62nd
Okay Movie
Rated 29 Nov 2009
60
29th
It seems the implicit meaning must have gone over my head, because this just totally freaked me out, and the in the end everyone goes ape-shit. The scene from the underground is particularly harrowing and Adjani is marvellous, as opposed to Neill. I'm kind of guessing it has something to do with the two parts, chance and fate, but I may be way off. Crazy movie....
Rated 09 Mar 2010
89
97th
Not having this much fun for some time though, actually...since my childhood nightmares. I mean...watching the whole thing over and over, yeah...! This is your movie and the secret way to conceive twins.
Rated 06 Sep 2010
96
98th
The most romantic film ever made. Adjani's performance is unbearingly intense, you just have to appreciate how insane she gets. And Neil's acting too is just as brilliant, showing a surely exaggerated (?) portrayal of a man going through the (e)motions after a nasty break-up. Total madness! Something art-house and horror aficionados can sit together and watch and equally enjoy.
Rated 01 Nov 2010
40
97th
"Horror being a profitable genre in the early 1980s, Possession was made to pronounce an aesthetic more visceral than cerebral, in turn more superficial than it was initially conceived to impart." - Rumsey Taylor
Rated 13 Jan 2011
100
83rd
My favorite movie ever!!!!! Flawless!!!!
Rated 28 May 2011
90
79th
Insane and heart-breaking.
Rated 22 Oct 2011
75
68th
What the fuck...?
Rated 29 Mar 2012
77
79th
I have no idea what the fuck I just watched. Beneath the hilarious acting and awful execution, 'Possession' is clearly an intelligent film with subversive political and sexual (and possibly religious) overtones. The problem being that everything is far too ambiguous and incomprehensible, coming off as a pretentious faux-arty psychodrama. Whilst not a bad movie, it's perfect for a bad/insane film night. The 'miscarriage of faith' and...sex(?) scenes were incredible and quite disturbing.
Rated 02 Dec 2012
3
45th
What shocked me were the number of people in the theater watching this film with such serious intensity. While I found it to be wonderfully (and quite intentionally) absurd, existing somewhere between the lines of humor and horror, not in the sense of a spoof but in a way that plays with you mind since you haven't been trained to react to content so outrageously horrific and bizarre.
Rated 04 Jan 2013
78
58th
77.500
Rated 17 Oct 2013
70
78th
I really need to rewatch this one day.
Rated 15 Mar 2014
75
65th
Possession is one of the most unsettling horror films ever. Dialogue is strange and the entire cast performs in subtly off ways. The atmosphere is surreal and the narrative provides more questions than answers. Also notable is the powerful emotional insanity of the crumbling romantic relationship between the two leads. Possession will make you feel uncomfortable and unsure of its world.
Rated 06 Oct 2014
87
92nd
Fuck me gently with a chainsaw
Rated 02 Feb 2015
85
59th
Might actually be the craziest movie I have ever seen. I also found it pretty relatable at times. Isabelle Adjani is a hero.
Rated 17 May 2015
8
71st
Slow to start up, but worth the wait.
Rated 21 Dec 2015
6
95th
Jesus, this film doesn't let up for a minute. I need to see more Zulawski ASAP
Rated 16 Jan 2016
87
41st
It's hard to evaluate something as deliberately weird and off-putting as this, but it's an intense and memorable experience.
Rated 04 Mar 2016
82
74th
I'm guessing Zulawski brainstormed a bunch of great unnerving horror scenes and wrote an incomprehensible narrative around it. Just withstand the plot, the bizarreness and horror is worth it.
Rated 14 May 2016
85
81st
Very close to being truly great, but overacting along with pretty incomprehensible narrative kind of ruined it for me. Luckily, there is much more to like than to dislike
Rated 22 Jul 2016
93
94th
(...)Zulaswki ist ein ausgesprochen romantischer Regisseur, ein passionierter Forscher dessen, was in uns zerrissen ist. Possession soll uns helfen, diesen Zustand zu überwinden trotz unserer dunklen Sehnsüchte. Tief im Innern ist Zulawskis Werk ein Film über die Suche nach Gnade.
Rated 14 Aug 2016
80
85th
Okay, one of the first things you'll notice about Possession is the acting. It took me by surprise and almost put me off, so if you're going into this be forewarned, the acting here is BIG. Just push through it. Apparently, Zulawski made this film whilst going through a divorce and this makes sense of so much of what's there. I'll definitely be watching more Zulawski films...
Rated 21 Aug 2016
50
28th
I just do not know what to write about this. It's certainly....interesting?The performances are over dramatic and bizarre choices at points.The monster is Rob Bottin levels of great.But...DAFUQ did I just watch?I guess I can recommend it to a film lover who has time on their hands just for the experience.
Rated 23 Oct 2016
92
98th
Same.
Rated 09 Sep 2017
85
85th
Oh look, a film I watched and never rated. Um, this is a pretty heavy film about divorce. Did you know? Isn't that one of the only things people know about this film? Man, with terrible revelations like that, who do I think I am?
Rated 21 Jan 2018
100
94th
Hysterical over the top performances from both leads. Adjani was especially good. I'm not really sure what it all means but I think it's something to do with divided East/West Germany.
Rated 04 Apr 2018
60
55th
The cinematography is way ahead of its time but thats pretty much all i liked about this movie. its really stressful but it doesn't earn your anxiety. There were several times were I was left wondering if it was plot, foreshadowing, or just bad acting. Honestly, I don't even think it was the acting as much as the directing because some of the performances were exceptional. All the men are incomprehensibly stupid except one who's uncharacteristically observational and dies far too quickly.
Rated 22 Apr 2018
100
99th
96
Rated 26 Sep 2018
26
44th
straight people hate being married
Rated 16 Oct 2018
85
87th
(ten years) before the berlin wall, a family crumbles down as we decent in to the postmodern political climate where nothing makes any sense because we can't encounter it with coherent narrative of our own. possession as womans emancipation. :p
Rated 22 Oct 2018
5
91st
It's so much. Too much to grasp on the first watch. Isabelle Adjani with probably the most terrifying performance I've ever seen. Love a movie that uses genre to strike deeper and more effectively at something so human than nearly any drama. Masterful film making, one of the greats.
Rated 29 Oct 2018
76
59th
Оценка - 80 Общая - 67 Нарратив - 6 Сценарий - 6 Постановка - 8.5 Целостность - 5 Монтаж - 8.5 Выполнение своей цели - 6 Флоу - 7 Сцены - 1 Личное - 7 Атмосфера - 7 Эмоции - 7 Актерская игра - 6 Саундтрек - 6 Синематографи - 8.5 Визуал - 7 Звук - 3 Продакшн дизайн - 8 Костюмы - 7.5 Грим - 7 Сложность - 1 Скидка
Rated 10 Dec 2018
90
97th
Topo da Adjani, incrível a cena do metrô
Rated 12 Jan 2019
60
71st
I can't work out whether I liked it or not so I'll be no help to you.
Rated 01 Feb 2019
100
95th
The best film ever made.
Rated 23 Sep 2019
65
45th
Going off of a 90-ish minute, heavily edited cut, my observations: Carried by solid performances from Neill & Adjani, both of whom give their all & are delightfully manic and unhinged, it's an artsy & oddball psychological horror featuring plenty of religious themes & motifs that largely plays out in a big string of strange, confusing, surreal & sometimes darkly funny sequences. Very little makes sense. However, it's oddly fascinating in spite of that, & leaves a heavy impression. Worth a look.

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