Besessen

With a plot that seems to have been heavily inspired by productions such as Warlock (1989), Outbreak (1995) and "Riget" (1994), this movie uses the Danish medical community as exemplified by the National Hospital to build an instant atmosphere of impending doom.

Unlike "Riget", which featured a plot that ended up in a Twin Peaks-like parody of surrealism, the focus in this movie is not on the medical community itself, but on the investigation by a young doctor of the mystical spread of a strange new virus.

In parallel with this activity we have the police pursuing a man suspected of arson (impressingly performed by Udo Kier).

The two threads end up colliding in a way that will not be revealed here.

The movie contains some interesting scenes from Romania, where the young doctor tries to collect a marrow sample to analyse the virus. These scenes are quite important in building the atmosphere so important for a thriller, and they are executed nicely.

Basically, all horror movies reiterate the same old message of "how terrible it is, when you're powerless." The interesting new part is usually the way in which ingredients are mixed, conveying a story full of scares, to which the contemporary viewer can relate.

"Besat" is no exception from this rule: As a true child of it's time, the dominant themes used in this movie are the threat of a global epidemic, cultic prophecies of apocalypse, the horrible living conditions of the poor in Eastern Europe, and how a man's single-minded pursuit of his career can turn him into a monster.

All in all some good, well-executed entertainment, but don't expect to find anything new here.

This is another horror movie in the Danish tradition, as I like to put it: Good cast, good plot and in my opinion quite an original twist to the classic possessed-by-the-devil plot. Also a hint of drama, with well-written dialogue and interesting inter-character relations and intrigues.

If it runs on TV, see it by all means! Some chilly moments, that's for sure.

7 out of 10.

Well-made Danish horror/thriller, it had been doubted (myself included) that we were capable of thrillers of this caliber in little Denmark but "Besat" ("Possessed") proved us all wrong. "Besat" is better than most US productions in the same genre, cast, plot and special effects included. Check out talented director Rønnow-Klarlund's first movie "Den Attende" ("The 18th") as well!

A man shows up in airport, dead of symptoms distressingly similar to Ebola, or something much worse. What begins as a search for answers becomes a race to stop what could be a global plague. There are some very creepy scenes in Romanian morgues, and the ending is particularly suspenseful.

'Possessed' is a very strong Danish thriller with atmosphere and suspense galore. It begins like a medical thriller in the vein of 'The Andromeda Strain' with a mysterious death which could have been caused by a new and potentially devastating virus. A young and ambitious virologist (Ole Lemmeke) investigates the death which leads back to a similar one in Romania, with a bizarre case of arson involved. Meanwhile, police pursue a mysterious German "priest" (the legendary Udo Kier) who is a suspect in said arson. When the paths of these two men collide we find that things are not as the appear to be, and the film turns into an Apocalyptic horror movie.

'Possessed' is an entertaining and fairly original race against time story. While certain elements are familiar from previous genre movies it manages to add enough interesting twists to keep you involved and guessing. The acting by the largely Danish cast is excellent, and the icing on the cake is yet another strong performance from the wonderful Udo Kier. Kier's long and varied career has included many highlights - from 1970s cult classics 'Flesh For Frankenstein' and 'Blood For Dracula', 'The Story Of O' and Argento's 'Suspiria', to frequent collaborations with Lars von Trier, and appearances in everything from the sublime ('Shadow Of The Vampire') to the ridiculous ('Barb Wire', 'Johnny Mnemonic'). Kier is always compelling no matter what the standard of the material he is involved in. 'Possessed' is no exception, and in this case, the standards are very high. Watch it and enjoy.