The Possessed (Anthology)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: D     Film: C

 

 

The Possessed (2004) is a super-low budget Horror anthology trilogy created especially for the DVD market, and each of the three tales clocks in at a little under a half-hour.  They might as well have made an attempt to combine these stories in an interesting way, rather than keep them separate.  They don’t have any obvious ties to one another, but they’re so bland and interchangeable - I don’t think it would have mattered.  But then again, that would have meant that the writers would actually have to work at something different and new - something you’ll rarely find in this or any genre these days.  I believed this to be the first production from a brand new company called Forbidden Worlds - oh, how I should have known better. In actuality, this is just another one of the many monikers Charles Band has come up with in order to unleash bad movies upon the world.  It’s gotten very hard to keep up with all the new names he dreams up for his companies, and his productions have greatly cheapened over the years since Full Moon Studios passed its prime.   This one isn’t worth holding onto at all - and his increasingly low standards are visible throughout.

 

The first story deals with a witch who seeks revenge upon the teen descendants of the people who brought her to justice hundreds of years ago.  It’s amazing to think that after so many generations, not only did these descendants remain in the same area - they also seem to be pretty good friends with one another, as they have all willingly gathered together in this house for a night.  This thing plods along quietly, and ends without climax or surprise - something that shouldn’t happen in an anthology story.

 

Next, there’s a tale that shows potential... even if that notion is quickly dashed away with bland acting and clumsy progression.  In it, a demon in the guise of an old woman goes collecting the souls of the other tenants in a boarding house she arrives at one night.  I’m not sure of the point of this whole ordeal, and they tease too much with only glimpses of the demon’s shadow, which is only annoying in this case, rather than suspenseful or frightening.

 

A flying hand and a bad attempt at a now-living Marilyn Monroe are both seen in the third story.  At some rare points in this tale, the production values seem to be highest; up until you see stuff like that to remind you just how pointless and dull this whole thing really is.  The story deals with a young man determined to resurrect his deceased father - but it’s all greatly cluttered and ham-fisted, so the background of the story doesn’t even matter.  By the end, you’ll wonder what the point behind this one was, as it isn’t made very clear at all.

 

The picture is presented in letterboxed 16 X 9/1.78 X 1 widescreen, with variable image quality seen throughout.  It depends a lot on the lighting conditions present at the time, suggesting that the cameramen are still fairly inexperienced and have used poor judgment in some instances.  The sound is just okay, and even though it is most likely in stereo, the packaging only states that it is in 2.0 Dolby Digital, which makes no distinction between stereo or mono.  On top of this, the bad music choices really highlight the overall incompetence of the filmmakers.

 

There are no extras to speak of, thus the very low rating in that department.  The only things given at all that could be considered extras are simply a few trailers attempting to boost interest and sales.  One of those included is for this movie, and the two more that represent some more recent Full Moon schlock.  One of which is Puppet Master: The Legacy, which I’ve reviewed elsewhere on the site.  To sum up my opinions on that one - avoid it like the plague.

 

My advice for those who take notice of this disc: stay far away from this trilogy of tales.  Anyone who sees this packaging and still expects a few spooks will probably find them, but they‘ll most likely be scared by anything that claims to be horror.  However, anyone even remotely familiar with the genre will take a quick look at it and know to stay away from this garbage.  I have seen worse than this in the past, but that was either due to more clever marketing strategies... or just overall bad judgment on my part.  In this instance, let me bear the weight of this bad movie so the rest of you don’t have to suffer.  I surely wouldn’t waste my time by watching it again, and you’d all probably be better off if you didn’t have a first run-through to begin with.

 

 

-   David Milchick