The Possession of Joel Delaney

I thought "The Possession of Joel Delaney" was an excellent movie. The performances are superb and the last fifteen minutes of the film are sooo incredibly scary. The plot deals with a troubled man named Joel who shows signs of demonic possession. His rich older sister Norah is sure he is either going crazy or on LSD, but when she realizes her brother led a quite different life and had a strange friend named Tonio Perez (who, as it happens, was a dangerous decapitation murderer), she is led to believe that Joel is possessed by Tonio's vengeful spirit and an exorcism must be performed. The mood is dark and there are scenes that stick in your mind for days...the haunting voice Joel speaks in when possessed by Tonio, the scary and quite sick finally where he torments Norah and her two kids. I love this movie and think it is a must-watch for any horror fan. It is definitely not, "The Exorcist", but more subtle. Incredibly scary.

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.

The Possession of Joel Delaney is a dark horror film with much going for it. For one, it's among the earliest horror films to deal with the theme of spiritual possession. Also, it's one of those horror gems that doesn't need to resort to special effects or overt gore and violence to be effectively unsettling. It's a thoroughly well-written film as it blends eerie supernatural horror with a strong social commentary. The plot is compelling and quite off-beat as it builds to some chilling peaks and a finale that's splendidly suspenseful. It's a truly disturbing tale.

The direction, cinematography, and urban locations are all good but the true highlight is the stars. Veteran actress Shirley MacLaine is great as her bewildered, yet unsympathetic character. However the show is truly stolen by young Perry King who puts on an excellent dynamic performance as his potentially unhinged character. It's easy to see why King went on to a notable career after this debut.

All around The Possession of Joel Delaney is one of the finer low-key horror films of the 70's. It's a film that wisely chooses the intelligent, non-camp approach to its subject matter and it comes off a solid effective chiller because of it.

*** 1/2 out of ****

The Possession of Joel Delaney has a strangeness to it from the opening scene where Nora (MacLaine) and Joel (King) attend a party together, seeming like lovers though they are brother and sister (to the point where other party goers who don't know her well comment on her young boyfriend). This sets the stage for a sort of incestuous undercurrent running through the movie, which is never fully explained or explored. Nora seems unnaturally possessive/protective as Joel and really doesn't know how to accept the changes which begin in him. At first it seems that she thinks he has been hanging around Spanish Harlem for kicks, which she is disapproving of...feeling that the influence is changing his personality when it is actually possession...as other reviewers have mentioned there is the contrast of rich/poor, especially her disdain for the poorer class/Hispanics (though her maid is Puerto Rican). Although slow moving at parts, it does have its shocking moments, which eventually lead up to the very disturbing ending where Nora and her children are trapped in a beach house with Joel/Tonio who terrorizes and humiliates them.... particularly, the children. I must echo the other reviewer with regards to what the 10 year old actor playing her son had to go through. I can't imagine ever happening in a movie today without some serious backlash...without going into detail, I just couldn't believe my eyes! All in all, this is a movie that has stuck with me for a long time...certain scenes replay themselves in my mind, and I would have to say that, despite some flaws, I do recommend it.

"The Possession of Joel Delaney" (1972) is a story of demonic possession, much on the order of "The Exorcist," but in many ways more believable. A young man, played by Perry King, has his body taken over by the soul of a serial killer. His sister, Shirley McLaine in one of her better performances, tries to find out why his behavior has so drastically changed, and her quest takes her into the Voodoo underground of Manhattan's Spanish Harlem. The plot develops slowly but builds to a powerful, unexpected finish in which McLaine and her two young children are lured to a secluded beach house and threatened by a knife wielding Perry. This includes one of the most shocking scenes involving a minor in American movies. I will not disclose the details of what the actor, ten year old David Elliot, is subjected to but it probably could not be filmed today in our more uptight, politically correct times, at least not with the same directness.

"The Possession of Joel Delaney" is not a better film than "The "Exorcist," but it is well worth watching and does manage to scare us without the use of gimmicks such as pea soup and revolving heads.

I recently just heard of this 70's cult-classic, and some were trying to compare it to or put it in the same realm as the 1973 masterpiece "The Exorcist." Let's be honest here...the ONLY thing that "The Possession of Joel Delaney" and "The Exorcist" have in common is that both do deal with the subject of possession. Other than that "Possession of Joel" does not even come close to an ink-ling of being in the same realm as "The Exorcist."

However, this 70's horror flick is pretty good for low-budget and the topic it deals with. There are plenty of bizarre and freaky moments, and the slow mental collapse/possession of 'Joel' was amazingly portrayed by a very young Perry King! Shirley MacLaine also gives a very excellent performance as the somewhat weird and mentally troubled 'Norah'.

But, the actor I had the most respect for, and thought truly had to go through a humiliating/horrifying experience, and handled it professionally (especially at his young age at the time) was David Elliot. He was the young 13 year old son of MacLaine and had to strip naked (exposing himself entirely) after the possessed Joel forced him to dance naked around the house to terrify him. That had to be embarrassing and I'm surprised they allowed it...but he handled the situation and that scene like a pro. This scene is also somewhat shocking and makes this film remembered among horror movie fans.

Overall...again don't expect "The Exorcist", but it is frightening and the character development, filming locations, etc... are excellent! This is a must have for horror fans/collectors!