Ava's Possessions

Finally someone made a movie, that is so obvious, you really wonder, how no one came up with that simple yet brilliant concept yet. All the exorcism/possession movies end, after the exorcism - whether it went right or wrong, there's not much we get after that. There have been sequels to exorcism movies of course and they show a sort of aftermath, but this is an "original", without any background as to what happened before.

Well until you watch the movie and it backtracks at certain points so we do see what has occurred. It's all done in a rather light (still vivid) fashion, that doesn't shy away from gross or graphic content. If you are into the idea, you will like what they did with it. The movie is worth it (the performances too).

Ava awakens to find a priest at her bedside; unbeknownst to her, she's been possessed by Naphula, a demon from hell, for the past month, but the priest has successfully exorcised the demon and she's herself again. When her family confirms this story, Ava's first question is whether anyone called in sick for her at her job. Unfortunately, the demon caused a great deal of injury, mayhem and property damage and, well, legally somebody has to pay for that and since it was all carried out by Ava's body, guess who's going to jail? Unless she agrees to join a self-help group, the SPA or Spirit Possession Anonymous, that is. Of course Ava does so, but it turns out that her possession was rather more than she, or almost anybody else, could have suspected....

This is a very funny horror spoof that is yet totally true to its internal logic; in a New York City (and, presumably, world) where demon possessions are real and well-known, what happens to the victim once the demon has been done away with? This film answers that question quite entertainingly. Louisa Krause as Ava and Wass Stevens as Tony, the SPA leader, are both very engaging and believable, and the behaviour of some of the other once-possessed people is pretty hilarious too, especially Whitney Able as Jillian, who longs to be possessed by her demon once again. Recommended!

Normally, a possession movie ends with the victim baths in sunlight or in some cases wanders into the dark. In "Ava's Possessions" it's just the beginning as the priest commences the procedure along with opening credit. There's quite the idea here, comically displays the aftereffect of the unfortunate event, but it becomes too busy with overload of subplots, colors and eventually too plodding for its own good.

It begins right after the exorcism, a young girl must face the consequences of her actions, even though she is not responsible for them. Soon she joins a support group filled with equally outlandish characters. This is a good quirky premise, it even includes actual collateral of damage to property as well as a couple of comical antics.

Mystery or horror aspect is not entirely prevalent as it dabbles more on world affairs. Most of the time is spend dealing with real life problem and threats, although it plays with the theme to make it as though there's more than what it seems. Nevertheless, it doesn't peak more than a few shock value.

The use of satire is sometimes decent, but it tries to make connection from possession to real life problems. These analogies might be appealing at first, yet it repeats itself too much. Furthermore, the design for costumes and setting is heavily colored, which can be distracting at times. Acting from the cast is not bad, but there are too many characters to distribute the focus evenly.

It's a nice twist on the genre, the mix of thriller and occasional satire might work as well, but it tries to fit too much into overwhelming and messy presentation.

A girl recovering from demonic possession is forced into therapy, but flashbacks make her doubt the origin of her troubles.

What if we did a coming to terms story, but instead of drug addiction it's ... demonic? I dunno, wouldn't that be kinda lame? No, think about it - we set up all the usual conflicts but make the heavy stuff literal without losing the METAPHOR.

This really rambles on. I do like the concept, and the performances are good. But the dialogue is sooo Brooklyn Jewish, the story doesn't take itself seriously enough to create drama or frights, the humour is "gentle", and enough already with the daughter-mother antagonism. Also too many characters, and the most interesting one - the empathetic girl friend - trails off.

Directed by the writer, and I guess he did the photography, editing, music and effects too. Just not enough contrasts for good story telling. Music is interesting, but it never lays off and leaves a taste of the elevator. There is one brilliant smash cut: punch lands on a ball break at a pool table.

Overall - pleasant viewing with some atmosphere, but no real spark. Reminded me of Life After Beth.

"Ava's Possessions" follows the titular character, a young woman who wakes up one day tied to her bed after an exorcism. Having wrought havoc on the public during her demonic spree, she is ordered by the court to a "spiritual possessions anonymous" group to reorient herself. But in making amends with the people she wronged, she uncovers a plot deeper than mere possession.

While it may sound like a substandard and silly representation of the possession horror genre, "Ava's Possessions" is really a morbidly funny, mysterious, and amusing post-millennial riff on a subgenre that has been drowned in terrible found-footage films and badly-scripted Z-grade movies.

This film presents the aftermath of demonic possession in a contemporary world, albeit a topsy-turvy one in which such things as group therapy for ex-possessees are a real thing, and friends are insouciant to the fact that you've been taken over by a demonic entity. It's these kinds of idiosyncrasies that make the film slightly humorous, but it never really at any point becomes a comedy. The film is nicely shot and makes use of an overt neon color palette, which is rather beautiful. The performances overall are very good as well, with Louisa Krause as the semi-cynical Ava. Carol Kane also has a cameo as a downtown New York witch/botánica proprietor.

Overall, "Ava's Possessions" is an amusing, slightly sardonic, and energetic horror movie. It is not profound by any means, but it is a self-aware rewriting of the conventional possession film that came to be defined in the wake of "The Exorcist." It's a playful twisting of conventions, is nicely shot, and considerably well-acted. Those expecting a B or Z-grade possession flick should be nicely surprised.