meddlecore Possessed is a cheesy. but great made-for-cable movie from Showtime. That's based on the true story of the demonic possession and exorcism of "Robbie Mannheim" (aka "Roland Doe"...both being pseudonyms to protect his identity)- which also just so happens to be the case on which the original The Exorcist novel and film were based.This film, itself, is based off the 1993 book-of-the-same-name by Thomas B Allen; which heavily relies upon the accounts of Raymond J. Bishop and Walter H. Halloran- two of the priests who took part in the successful exorcism, during which a demonic entity by the name of Dominus was driven from the boy...who would then go on to lead a normal life.In the film, we follow Robbie-a youngster who enjoys comic books and toy soldiers- whose parents are strict and sometimes overbearing. His grandmother, though, is a sort of mystic, who fosters his creativity...and teaches him about contacting spirits via the ouija board.Shortly after her passing, unexplainable things start to happen around their family home: bizarre sounds without sources are heard, while inanimate objects are seen moving around on their own. Around the same time, Robbie starts to burst into violent, angry rages; speak in ancient languages; and exhibits extraordinary strength...as if he has become someone else entirely.Terrified, his parents take him to see a Catholic Priest at Georgetown University Hospital. Here an exorcism is attempted by Priest named of Edward Hughes. Though, somehow during the process, the boy manages to pry a spring from the bed and use it to slice open the arm of the priest...cutting the ritual short.Enter our two protagonists: Raymond J Bishop & William S Bowdern, who are both Professors and Priests at St Louis University. They are assisted by a younger Priest named Halloran, and together, the three men would subject Robbie to a number of ritual exorcism attempts. During these rituals, upwards of 48 people- including 9 Jesuit Priests- had witnessed the supernatural occurrences that had been exhibited through the boy.Such events included the uttering of guttural voices; knowledge of Greek and Latin; the sudden, yet temporary, formation of words like hell and evil etched into the boy's skin; extraordinary feats of strength; knowledge of things he couldn't possibly have known; pissing; vomiting; profanity; and poltergeist activity.Finally, after discovering the hidden name, date, and time of changing, left in clues uttered by the spiritual force possessing the young boy, Dominus. The three priests were able to drive the dark entity from the boy's soul. However, the Catholic Church oriented a full cover-up, after the fact.Whereas some of the acting in this film is a bit cheesy, you've got to respect what they did with a clearly low budget. It has an appealing cult-style and contains some cool special effects. Overall, it is similar, in content, to films like The Entity; with a style reminiscent of The Changeling- which is probably the most realistic ghost film ever made. This is a film that is based on a story so wild, that it will change the way you look at the world. And this version keeps more true to the tale than does The Exorcist...so it's worth watching for that reason alone. Recommended.6 out of 10.

decroissance I also enjoyed this movie quite a bit. The script was kind of hammy in places, for example, the scene where the mad priest more or less challenges Fr. Bowdern not to go nuts himself, thus setting up the final conflict. Also, the recurring theme of the WWII memory was overused, I thought. Surely there were other equally interesting obstacles that could have arisen during the exorcisms, to flesh out the character and the drama. But this is Hollywood and the conflict has to be kept simple.In the world of TV movies, I did think it was very good and it definitely piqued my curiosity on the subject of...well, all that scary stuff.My main comment regards Timothy Dalton's consistent difficulty with accents. It seemed like in this role his accent was 50 percent American and 50 percent English. I don't think I would have been so disappointed if his work were not otherwise so elevated. I was impressed and quite pleased that he could make me forget who was playing this role, considering the many iconic characters he has played. Forget, that is, until any moment of high tension, when he lapsed into his native accent and I thought, oh right, here's James Bond with a white collar around his neck. It was a bummer and I wanted more from him.From reading comments about his other movies, he apparently has this problem whenever he adopts an accent. Even in Jane Eyre, his Yorkshire accent was a fleeting thing, I noticed.

slayrrr666 "Possessed" is a rather entertaining, if clichéd version of this genre.**SPOILERS**After surviving World War II, Father William Bowden, (Timothy Dalton) spends his time either teaching missionary school or getting into fights with the police. A local young boy, Robbie Mannheim, (Jonathan Malen) soon gets his attention after a series of events that no one can explain. His parents, Phyllis, (Shannon Lawson) and Karl, (Michael Rhoades) desperate to get him fixed, offer to have him come over to the house to see what is wrong. At first thinking it is nothing more than a joke, he soon becomes convinced that the kid may indeed by possessed by the Devil. After several unsuccessful attempts to exorcise him, they try one last time to get rid of the demon inside.The Good News: When this one tried to, it had some really great parts. One thing it gets right is that it starts off with the possession early on. Around twenty minutes in, the strange events that signal the possession start off. This starts off with the usual acts that indicate this, and from there it gets better. The confrontation ins the priest's house that signals the start of something weird happening, is the film's best scene, and is right in the middle of the freaky occurrences. Starting off with the sight of objects moving about by themselves and progressing to include more extreme actions, this is a fantastic sequence that is a pure joy to watch. Even the little things thrown in, including the incredibly brutal arm-slicing with the corkscrew or the playful gag at the end, don't derail this. That it also gets quite creepy at times with the camera flashing on and off during the struggle and the wind blowing, even though it's all indoors, really makes it all the better. As expected, the exorcism scenes are all great fun, and that there's several of them appearing in the film is a pleasant surprise. The final battle is the best one, which is great fun and really intense. It really does end the film with a really good scene that incorporates some spectacle and a touch of realism. These here are the film's good parts.The Bad News: This here didn't have a whole lot wrong with it, but they were pretty major reasons. The biggest problem with it is that it never once does anything new or original with the possession angle. This feels just like every other film in this style. There's a ton of these filling up every part of the film. From the excessive cursing and religious searing to the demonic over-lapping voices to puking and overt sexual references and so much more clichés from this genre that it's simply too much at times. This is so filled with clichés from the past types that there's hardly any sense of originality in the film. That can be a really bad sign, since this is such a touchy genre to begin with. It can be really hard to find originality in this style without retreading on the past, which this one does quite efficiently. There's a couple of other flaws with this one, while the main one here is just the extreme repetition.The Final Verdict: While not the best example of this genre, this does have enough to make it watchable even though it doesn't do anything new. This is simple, as fans of this would be entertained with it, while those who don't really enjoy possession films should steer clear of this one.Rated R: Extreme Graphic Language, Violence and intense religious issues

lord woodburry One faces the inexplicable beyond the reaches of western scientificism and one reaches into the grey realm of faith and skepticism. Welsh born actor Timothy Dalton plays a persuasive American Irish priest Father Willam Bowden taking cover in superficial faith from the horrors of world war II; yet in pursuit of that faith, Father Willam Bowden comes directly into the grasp of Satan. He must struggle not only with Old Scratch but also with the Romanish Church hierarchy which despite its mideaval costumes and time worn ceremonies would like to modernize and depart from some of the smoke, fire and brimstone.Though Father Willam Bowden whose personal weaknesses particularly for alcohol are probably known might not be the best choice to perform the ancient ritual, Archbishop Hume (Christopher Plummer) chooses Rev Bowden to perform the rite.Can Reverend Bowden overcome both his past and the curlish Roman Church hierarchy more interested in political standing than preaching to drive away the Devil? See Possessed.