The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver (1977 TV Movie) User Reviews

A prim and proper matron suddenly develops a second wild personality.

[Deusvolt · 7/10 · 26 February 2006]

Karen Black portrays a staid, schoolmarmish matron who inexplicably lives a double life as a wild party girl. Is it a case of possession or schizophrenic split personality? The horror content is mostly in a recurring dream where she sees herself lying in a coffin being accorded pre-burial rites at a funeral home. A haunting but strangely familiar tune is being played on the organ. You'll never guess what the tune is and I assure you that while it sounds appropriately funereal on a slow tempo on the organ, it was a very popular teeny bop song in the 50s. Spoiler ahead: You'll find out what the song is when the other personality takes over and dances to the tune at a pub/pick-up joint. I loved that song but it was never the same for me after seeing this TV movie as I began associating it with death.

A chill sense of terror fills you when Black is confronted by the mother of the dead girl she is allegedly impersonating.

It is both a horror and psycho thriller movie. Well done by fantasy and sci-fi screenplaywright Richard Matheson who has done a lot of work for Twillight Zone and Star Trek.

If you liked this movie you should also watch Ray Milland in A Premature Burial or Vincent Price in The Tomb of Lygeia.

Not really a horror movie - more like a mystery.

[OllieSuave-007 · 6/10 · 30 August 2018]

This movie starts off quite slow and stays that way for the first half of the movie. But then, it finally kicks into some suspense and mystery, where the female lead tries to find out why she suddenly starts to dress up and takes up the personality of a deceased woman.

The acting was subpar, with much of the characters showing no emotion whatsoever. But, at just over an hour's worth, it's not that bad of a movie to pass the time with. IMDb lists this as a "horror" genre movie, but I wouldn't label it as a horror - more like a "mystery."

Grade C+

Ok TV Movie

[benjithehunter · 6/10 · 30 October 2020]

Miriam (Karen Black) is a frumpy 26 year old housewife who's been suffering from nightmares involving her own funeral. She feels stifled in her marriage where she's being forced to procreate as soon as possible and gets inspired at the mall one day when she sees a fancy red blouse and a blonde wig. She purchases them and becomes a new woman, renting a house by the beach, and frequenting dive bars. What's even stranger is that everyone she meets comments about how much she looks like a woman named Sandy who they haven't seen for a while.

Like most TV movies from this era, Mrs. Oliver is a brisk 75 minutes, but there's not a whole lot of tension in the story and it's barely horror-related at all. It starts out as a somewhat engaging feminist manifesto before throwing that out altogether and becoming a strange metaphysical/psychological story about a damaged woman who's suffered tragedy in her past and reinvented herself. Karen Black is wonderful as always and she keeps you interested even when the story drifts off.

This movie is psychological rather than horror.

[townley-1 · 7 June 2004]

I last saw this movie in 1987. I don't know where they have hidden it since. Karen Black plays a woman married to a successful businessman played by George Hamilton. She is well dressed in a conservative way. As she begins to charge her dress and behavior, the viewer might suspect she is being possessed by a dead woman, The title also leads to that idea. Actually, she took the identity of a dead woman after trauma and is only now beginning to let her old identity surface. I liked it, I suppose, because they kept me in doubt about what was really happening. It is a psychological drama rather than horror. Both Black and Hamilton did their roles well although his was really only a supporting role.

Black is Blonde, I want my Karen back...

[Coventry · 6/10 · 11 April 2023]

Although not a great film, "The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver" does bring together many great (and personal favorite) people of the 70s horror scene. Karen Black was a marvelous leading lady of this decade ("Trilogy of Terror", "Day of the Locust", "The Pyx"), and she's surrounded by excellent supportive actors like George Hamilton ("Evel Knievel", "The Dead Don't Die") and Robert F. Lyons ("The Todd Killings"). Richard Matheson wrote many of the best episodes in "The Twilight Zone", as well as classics like "The Omega Man" and "The Devil Rides Out". Finally, director Gordon Hessler sadly always remained somewhat underrated, but he has great titles on his repertoire like "The Oblong Box", "Cry of the Banshee", and "A Cry in the Wilderness".

Despite the atmospheric and authentically frightening opening sequences, which unfold as a nightmare/hallucination set at a graveyard and uncanny funeral parlor, "The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver" isn't a horror movie. The plot starts out similar to "Diary of a Mad Housewife", but then gradually turns into a supernatural mystery. Black is the uptight and conservative Myriam Oliver, kept on a very short leash by her conservative lawyer husband Greg, whose dreams push her to become a blonde and lewdly dressed girl who hangs out in shabby coastal pubs. But is Myriam's subconsciousness only trying to alter her dull lifestyle, or has she been selected to resolve a 5-year-old murder case?

This certainly isn't the most compelling or exhilarating TV-movie the 70s decade brought forward, but the unusual plot and set-up keeps you curious and interested, and at least it differs from the overload of contemporary "The Exorcist" possession movies. The pacing is often slow, in sheer contrast with the abrupt ending, but a devoted Karen Black - whether prudish or looking like a femme fatale - makes it all worthwhile.

Karen Black

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 21 May 2024]

Look, I'm a very simple man and if you give me a movie where Karen Black decides to start exploring her wild side by wearing wigs and shopping for clothes, who am I to say no? I dare say that watching Karen Black freak out in a shopping mall is my very definition of a genre of movie that I want there to be more of.

Originally airing on NBC on February 28, 1977, this was directed by Gordon Hessler (Scream, Pretty Peggy) and written by Richard Matheson (more than I can say) and again, you're in the best of hands. Black plays Miriam Oliver, stuck in a controlling marriage with Greg (George Hamilton) until she goes shopping, finds a blonde wig and red top from Gloria LeRoy (Mildred "Boom Boom" Turner on All In the Family) and decides that she will become Sandy. Except that Sandy was a real person that other people knew and start thinking that Miriam is her back from going away. Or, as we learn, died five years ago.

Also: She dreams of her own death constantly.

Greg can't understand why she doesn't want him controlling her and having his babies and why she'd ever want a little house at Crystal Beach. Yet something supernatural is compelling Miriam to be Sandy and we're along for the ride. She doesn't need her glasses any more and it seems like she doesn't need Greg to hold her down, not when a low cut top can make men lose their minds over her instead of responding to her crying and saying, "I had a dream that I died" with "That's a nice dream. Honey."

Except that by the end, we learn that Miriam and Sandy were friends that could be confused with one another and there's no possession, like the end of a Scooby-Doo episode when I get let down again that there's no magic. And then Miriam goes back to her jerk of a husband and becomes repressed again and I have no idea what we're to learn from that.

Speaking of Scooby-Doo, Hessler would make Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park the next year.

NEARLY FORGOTTEN TV THRILLER FROM THE 70S.

[todd_maines · 4/10 · 28 April 2004]

*Extremely Light Spoilers*

The writer of this film, Richard Matheson, remains one of the most influential horror writers of the past fifty years. Many of his novels have been produced as feature films. They include `What Dreams May Come,' `Stir of Echoes,' `The Incredible Shrinking Man,' `The Omega Man,' `Somewhere in Time,' `The Legend of Hell House,' and more.

However (unusual as it may seem), it is in television, not feature films, that Matheson's screenwriting work really shines. Including the much lauded TV thriller `Duel' (directed by Steven Spielberg) and cult favorite `The Night Stalker;' which remain two of the greatest horror films ever produced for television. Other above average TV work includes the mini-series `The Martian Chronicles,' `Dracula' (with Jack Palance), `Dying Room Only,' `The Norliss Tapes,' `Scream of the Wolf,' and some of the best episodes of the original Twilight Zone and Night Gallery series.

However, even a writer as talented as Richard Matheson stumbles once in a while, and `The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver,' is a clear demonstration of that.

I have been hunting down this movie for 15 years, and thanks to the glory of Ebay, I finally tracked down a copy this week.

As a huge Richard Matheson fan, I am still very happy that I tracked down the film. As I've collected most of his work, it would've been a great regret to have never seen it. And as far as nostalgia goes, it doesn't disappoint.

However, when comparing this film to his total body of work, it simply pales in comparison.

I imagine that the film was inspired by the great success of the TV horror film `Trilogy of Terror,' as it reunited the talents of Karen Black and Richard Matheson (Trilogy of Terror was based on short stories by Matheson). As a matter of fact, in Trilogy of Terror, Karen Black plays two sisters who are nearly identical to two characters she portrays in The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver. Watching these two movies back to back, you get the impression that the Mrs. Oliver story is a direct descendent of the middle segment of Trilogy of Terror. Matheson simply took the same plot `twist' and re-imagined it for a feature length story.

Unfortunately, while the `twist' of Mrs. Oliver is certainly interesting, it's doesn't justify a feature length film. It would have made a pretty good Night Gallery episode, but as a full length feature it fails, due to lack of story. Most of the 74 minutes feels like empty filler.

On the positive side, Karen Black is very convincing in her duel roles, and she's clearly the best part of the movie (yes, she's a bit overwrought, but that's why we love Karen Black). While the script has its moments (Matheson on a bad day is better than most on a good day); the film is further undermined by Gordon Hessler's uninspired direction, and the lackluster co-stars, including George Hamilton, who barely registers a pulse.

I'm glad I saw this movie, however, because no Richard Matheson collection would be complete without it. And as a slice of 70s TV nostalgia, it's certainly harmless enough.

But, after watching it this afternoon, it became quite clear why `The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver' was never released on video or DVD.

For Matheson's sake, let's hope it stays that way.

Dull made for TV movie

[The_Void · 5/10 · 8 June 2008]

The seventies was definitely the decade with the best made for TV movies and there were plenty of goods ones; the best of which as far as I'm concerned being Gordon Hessler's Scream Pretty Peggy which he made in 1973. Fast forward four years and he's back to making TV movies, this time with prolific cult queen Karen Black, although the result is nowhere near as good as the earlier film. This film takes on ideas of reincarnation and split personalities and explores them through Miriam Oliver, a woman who starts to take on characteristics of another woman who died five years earlier. This sounds like a possible good premise for a decent mystery/psychological thriller, but unfortunately The Strange Possession of Mrs Oliver does not capitalise on its strong points, and the result is actually a really boring film. The premise is really stretched, even for a mere seventy minute running time and there's just not enough action and/or mystery to keep the audience entertained all the way through. Karen Black is good enough in the lead role as the woman at the centre of it all; but her performance is not enough to save the film unfortunately. Overall, this movie is rare and hard to come by; and I'm not surprised at that. Don't go out of your way for this one!

Strange indeed, and slow moving...but worthwhile if you have the patience

[moonspinner55 · 5/10 · 3 October 2015]

Mrs. Oliver, a modern-day lawyer's wife in her late 20s, suffering under the oppressive thumb of her husband--who seems to like her spinsterish, her hair in a tight bun, etc.--is having an identity crisis. She tries on a blonde wig with red lipstick and hoop earrings one afternoon while shopping and feels like a different woman; turns out this alter-ego bears a striking resemblance to a sexy woman named Sandy, who lived at the beach and but disappeared five years prior. Karen Black was on a horror movie roll in 1977, having had great successes with the TV-made "Trilogy of Terror" (written by this film's author, Richard Matheson) and the theatrical screamer, "Burnt Offerings". "Mrs. Oliver", also a TV-movie, has echoes of both, but is nearly weighed down by its red herrings (a curious dream, a flashback to a fire, a painting). Director Gordon Hessler sets a peculiar, almost surreal tone that initially grips the viewer, but Matheson overloads the plot; since Hessler's pacing is so methodical, there's too much going on at too slow a pace. Black is very good (if too old for her role), and George Hamilton does fine as her colorless husband (not the condescending sonuvabitch you may expect, but a workaholic with no interesting qualities). The finale wraps things up sufficiently, so "Mrs. Oliver" isn't a disappointment, exactly. But it's more spooky/romantic than suspenseful and scary, and perhaps that is why it has failed to acquire the type of following Black's other projects have.

The Strange Case Of A Bored Housewife

[Rainey-Dawn · 8/10 · 22 May 2016]

Take a bored housewife of a lawyer and a blonde wig and suddenly she's taking on the personality of a dead woman that lived in the house 5 years earlier. She started out as a very reserved, conservative woman with a tight bun and glasses but with the blonde wig she turns into a fairly wild flirt and party animal. And the film is as every bit as strange as it sounds.

This is a pretty good Karen Black film - one of her better films. I would watch this film along with Karen's Trilogy of Terror (TV Movie 1975) for a great night of Karen Black horror.

8/10

Why it's that guy we saw at the funeral pallor!

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 10 February 2015]

***SPOILERS*** Not what you would expect from a possession type movie with the music of the teeny popper hit song from the 1950's "Venus" being played all throughout film has the terribly confused Mariam Oliver, Karen Black, having nightmares about her past that's slowly driving her insane. It's when she goes shopping for clothes and decides to buy a tight red sweater and blond wig that her real personality comes to the surface: That as blond party girl Sandy Logan.

It's Mariam's lawyer husband Greg, played by the overly sun tanned "Handsome Geroge" Hamilton, who notices something strange about his wife who claims she's dead but doesn't quite know it. Thinking that Mariam needs a vacation or better yet a shrink, psychiatrist, he as well as her decides to spend a few weeks in a rented cottage by the beach to get her mixed up head straightened out. As it soon turns out the people that she meets there make her more psychotic then she already was. It turns out that everyone recognizes her, in her blond wig and tight red swather,as Sandy Logan who was the hottest chick there until she dropped out of sight some 5 years ago.

****MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS**** Trying to find herself and who she is Mariam goes to the house where Sandy was last living in and is told that it belonged to a Mrs. Dempsey, Jean Allison, who's out shopping. Later when Sandy or Marian finally meets Mrs. Dempsey all hell breaks loose in that she looks exactly like her late daughter who was killed in a car accident five years ago. Only that she isn't her late daughter, who also happens to be named Mariam, but is in fact the long missing Sandy Logan! It takes a while to sort out what exactly happening but it's Mariam, the live one, who later explains how all this started and just what her dreams of being dead was all about. To the total surprise and confusion of her husband, who if he wasn't confused enough already, Greg as well as those of us watching the movie!

See Karen Black stare into space...a lot.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 25 October 2016]

Since she died a few years ago, I feel that I can speak freely. Karen Black was NOT a particularly good actress in "The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver". During much of the film, she played a character who stared into space a lot and, at times, seemed a bit like a zombie. Sure, she was supposed to be a lady who was slowly turning into another woman...but she started out as a zombie...which is pretty odd as this was supposed to be the 'normal' lady! Additionally, many of her scenes just seemed difficult to believe...especially when she was required to show emotion. Considering she showed LOTS of emotion in "Trilogy of Terror" (another made for TV film), I can only assume the director was at least partially at fault here.

When the film begins, Miriam Oliver (Black) is having a super-creepy dream. Then, through the course of the film, she goes from a terribly quiet (zombie-like) lady to a wilder and much more interesting one. Sadly, the one you like is some sort of dead lady- -one who died five years ago. Could the ghost of the dead lady really be possessing Miriam?

I do agree with the review by Moonspinner55 that this film is slow moving. I think the lead-like pace especially made Black look bad as the film clearly lacked energy and life. But I thought the woodenness of the character through much of the film was just awful and I don't think that in the long run there is much in the way of payoff. And, I can almost guarantee that by the end of the film that the song "Venus" will practically make you scream as you hear it again...and again...and yet again.

By the way, at one point in the film, Miriam says she's 26...though actually she was about 38 at the time.

I guess you'd have to be fully nuts to understand it.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 27 April 2021]

Karen Black truly must have exhausted herself playing roles like this in the 1970's, women so emotionally damaged that you could write volumes on books on each of the characters and still not have enough to cover their psychosis. This is a truly demented view of two sides of one women which ends up being a view of more sides of another woman.

It is very difficult to try to describe outside of Black's performance, taken to a funeral in a very strange looking chapel in a nightmare only to see herself, then striving to become someone else by putting on a blonde bombshell wig and acting seductive. What exactly is wrong with her? You really have to stay with this one to get in any idea of what is going on, and when it comes to in the end, you think you've got it but can't possibly describe it.

I couldn't imagine original viewers of this movie discussing it at work the next day back in the 1970's because it is too psychologically bizarre, fascinatingly convoluted and just when you think you figured it out, you are proven to be wrong. George Hamilton co-stars as her husband, but he is pushed into the background as the story gets more bizarre. For fans of '70s psychological thrillers, it is fascinating because it is so bizarre, but I don't think I could revisit it again. One time removed quite a few brain cells.

"Miriam, What's Happening To You?!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 20 September 2022]

THE STRANGE POSSESSION OF MRS. OLIVER opens with a perfectly gloomy sequence, featuring a burning mansion, a fog-enveloped cemetery, and a creepy mausoleum. It's clear that we're in the icy hands of writer, Richard Matheson.

Wealthy, prim, and proper Miriam Oliver (Karen Black) is unhappy with her dull, stifling life. She feels trapped in her mammoth house all day, while her distant husband, Greg (George Hamilton) ignores her when he's not at work. He's too busy to notice much of anything. One day, Miriam decides to change her look. She ditches her Librarian motif for a more loose, fun style. Soon, her entire life follows suit. Greg is not amused.

Miriam just isn't herself these days. The question is, who is she?

Ms. Black plays Miriam as a repressed woman who shakes off the chains of her life. Hamilton plays her smug husband as only he can. Of course, this is a made-for-TV horror film, so, things aren't quite as they appear to be. Matheson's story is mysterious and creepy, with some nice twists / revelations toward the end.

An outstanding example of its sub-genre...