Theme: Possession

Possession concerns the belief that the human body can be inhabited and control taken over by another entity. Ever since the massive success of The Exorcist (1973), cinema has been dominated by cliches of the demonically possessed being fought off by Catholic priests chanting rituals of exorcism.

Most commonly in cinema the possessing entity is taken to be a demonic force usually of the Christian variety, although there are many examples of possession that come from other cultures. There a good many other works dealing with possession by spirits of the dead or malevolent entities.

Possession is almost always something that is seen as an evil that necessitates a battle for the possessee’s body. More recent years have shown a tendency towards gonzo treatments showing everything from possessed vehicles, items of furniture and laundry presses.

For more detail and an overview of the genre see the Theme Essay Possession Films.