Possession (1981)

Possession (1981) is a tense, unsettling blend of domestic drama and psychological horror that follows Mark, a husband who returns from a business trip to find his wife Anna demanding a divorce. What begins as a fraying marriage and suspicions of infidelity soon unravels into something far stranger and far more violent. As Mark pursues answers — learning of Anna’s lover Heinrich, meeting Bob’s teacher Helen (who eerily resembles Anna but is calm and controlled), and hiring investigators — he discovers increasingly bizarre, grotesque revelations about Anna’s secret life and obsessions. Their interactions escalate from anguished arguments to explosive, physically brutal confrontations, with their infant son Bob caught helplessly in the crossfire. Viewing experience: expect a film that starts as a slow-burn domestic psychodrama and progressively shifts into intense, often surreal horror. The movie is emotionally raw and claustrophobic, alternating moments of quiet despair with frenzied, shocking set pieces. It mingles themes of jealousy, identity, alienation, and possession (both psychological and possibly supernatural) and refuses easy explanation, leaving a lingering sense of ambiguity and dread. Tone and impact: this is not a conventional horror outing — it’s carnal, disturbing, and visceral, driven by escalating performances and a relentless, disorienting atmosphere. Audiences should be prepared for graphic emotion, physical violence, and imagery that can be deeply disturbing; viewers often come away rattled, unsettled, and provoked to think about the darker, incomprehensible edges of love, obsession, and self-destruction.

Actors: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, Margit Carstensen

Director: Andrzej Zulawski

Runtime: 124 min

Genres: Drama, Horror

6.7 /10 75 /100 7.3 /10 7.2 /10