The Possession of Joel Delaney

1972 "If you believe, no explanation is necessary. If you don't believe, no explanation is possible."
The Possession of Joel Delaney
5.7| 1h45m| R| en| More Info
Released: 24 May 1972 Released
Producted By: Paramount
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Manhattan socialite begins to fear for her troubled younger brother when he starts behaving bizarrely and he seems to have been friends with a backstreet murderer.

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jonkennethdear Https://viewsfromahill.com/2018/02/22/foreign-countries-16-the-possession-of-joel-delaney-1972/
hotrodps3 it is 2.30am now. before watching his i thought that "this movie is like the exorcist! COOL" well I ended up. "i wish i saw the room instead". this is a very very VERY boring movie with no redeeming quality. the story is so bad that a 10 year old can make up a much better one. just put some racism and pedophilia in a blender and thats it. I wonder how the guy who gave it a ten said "it is like the exorcist predecessor". this is not even a hack and slash movie. the exorcist is a million times better. this is plain ZERo.well not even close. it is also not "so bad it is awesome" movies. it is simply plain boring. there isn't even one cheap jump scare. this should not be classified in horror movies categories. even if you want to watch it like the room or troll 2 you won't find any enjoyment. the movie is about 90 minutes. until the last minutes there is NOTHING. just a worried women going here and there for more than 70 minutes!. this is not like those detective movies. also there is not even 1 single special effect. at least troll 2 HAD special effects. non here.it is just a 5 minute story stretched into 90 minutes. Warning. just skip this movie and watch anything else.
Woodyanders Spoiled and pampered wealthy Manhattan socialite Norah Benson (a fine portrayal by Shirley MacLaine) discovers that her younger brother Joel (an excellent and convincing performance by Perry King) is possessed by the vengeful and malevolent spirit of a deceased Puerto Rican serial killer. Worried about her sibling's well being, Norah delves deep into the mysterious and frightening world of the religion Santeria to find a way to save Joel's soul before it's too late. Director Waris Hussein, working from an absorbing and incisive script by Matt Robinson and Irene Kamp, firmly grounds the fantastic premise in a thoroughly plausible everyday urban reality, with authentically gritty New York City locations, a clear delineation between the haves and the have nots, and a fascinating exploration of the basic theme of believers versus nonbelievers as well as a provocative examination of the pertinent issues of bigotry and ignorance. The scenes with the snobby Norah being forced to leave her fancy sheltered upper-crust surroundings and deal with various low class ethnic types that she would usually avoid having anything to do with give this picture a bitterly pungent sense of harsh socioeconomic realism. Moreover, a bold incest subplot and the genuinely alarming climax with Joel terrorizing Norah and her two children with a switchblade provide an additional jolting edginess, with the single most shocking and disturbing moment occurring when Joel makes his nephew Peter (extremely brave work by David Elliott) strip and dance nude on a table. The sound acting from the able cast keeps the movie on track, with especially praiseworthy contributions from Lovelady Powell as pragmatic psychiatrist Erika, Barbara Trentham as Joel's swinging hipster girlfriend Sherry, Miriam Cohen as helpful housekeeper Veronica, and Edmundo Rivera Alvarez as sage Santeria priest Don Pedro. Arthur J. Orwitz's sharp cinematography and Joe Raposo's syncopated shivery score are both up to speed. Recommended viewing for those seeking more unusual and adventurous fright fare.
sabre_pg What a pile of junk! I never thought I would be sickened by a movie, and I've seen some garbage in my time. The exorcist is supposed to be the king of the possession movies, shocking, frightening, disturbing, but even the exorcist with its gore and profanity doesn't stoop to paedophilia. I saw this movie on TV some years back and was totally disgusted with the scenes which show a 13 year old child forced to strip naked and dance!! this movie was surely intended for paedophiles and the sick scum that delight in the abuse of children. The makers of this filth should be imprisoned at least, and made to pay for their terrible crime against common decency! Shirley Mclain should be ashamed to have any connection with this film! Avoid this filth at all costs!!!