Possessed (1983) User Reviews

More Weird HK Pre-CATIII Strangeness...

[EVOL666 · 7/10 · 26 March 2006]

Before Hong Kong really hit it's stride in the exploit film market with the advent of the "notorious" CATIII films in the mid-90's, they were churning out tons of quirky horror films that all revolved around the same themes - possession, revenge, ghosts and demons, and sorcery and black magic. There are numerous examples of such films from this era in HK horror film history - such as DEVIL FETUS, SEEDING OF A GHOST, CENTIPEDE HORROR, etc...and in my opinion, most of them pretty much blow. I can't say that POSSESSED is too much better - but it better done and more entertaining than most of the stuff to come from this time frame in HK horror...

A cop is terrorized by strange happenings after killing a machete-wielding weirdo. Things fly around his crib, his girlfriend is raped by an invisible force, he has a "vision" of pulling his face off in the bathroom mirror, etc...which leads him to get help from a local sorceress to end the curse.

The story-line can pretty much be cut-and-pasted from any of these films to the next with very little loss of coherency. I don't know why all of the films from the early 80's in HK dealt with pretty much the EXACT same subjects...all I can say is I bet the horror audience of the day got pretty bored watching the same film over and over. Not only this - but certain scenes from POSSESSED were lifted directly from other films such as POLTERGEIST, THE ENTITY, and THE EXORCIST. But I will say that POSSESSED is a little more entertaining than some of the others of the genre - the FX and production values are a little better which make the film a little more enjoyable. Recommended to the hardcore horror-junkie that has to see everything or those specifically into early 80's HK horror. 7/10

I love these special effects.

[ElijahCSkuggs · 7/10 · 15 January 2009]

Possessed begins when we witness a police situation turn bizarre as hell. A guy is running around with a knife trying to kill this lady who's his relative or something. The cops see this from a distance and try to stop this madness. A ridiculous struggle occurs but eventually the madman is subdued. But not for long as he's cuffed to a stationary object swinging that knife he's blown away by the lesser of the two cops. Instead of dying his face swells and turns blue. Another round of gunfire puts him down for good. But after this crazy event the luck of these two coppers goes from bad, to flat out awful. More crazy make-up effects, poltergeist ripoffs, and just a whole lot of wild stuff goes down.

Possessed is a cool possession flick that delivers a couple chills because of it's weirdo make-up, solidly spooky atmosphere and loud sound effects. The film's only problem is that it tends to drag a little bit. It seems it was trying to take itself too seriously, when instead it should have just went for more insane possession scares. But when it does shine it shines pretty bright. The awesome invisible rape and titillating nudity come to mind.

Definitely a recommendable film if you enjoy weirdo Asian cinema and or possession flicks. And it's got a sequel which is even better than the first!

Pure hokum

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 7 April 2016]

POSSESSED is another slice of pure '80s madness from Hong Kong, in other words one of their many black magic type horror movies. This doesn't have the budget or finesse of one of the Shaw Brothers entries in the genre, but nevertheless it still packs a punch in terms of visceral, intense horror.

The film is noticeably low budget and lacking in big name stars, but that doesn't spoil things too much. We start out with a couple of cops who intervene in a domestic dispute and kill the psychotic husband. Before long, one of them begins to find himself haunted by an evil apparition that takes pleasure in tormenting the people he shares a home with.

Despite the title, POSSESSED is more of a traditional haunting type movie, and the amusing thing is the way in which it rips off plenty of contemporary Hollywood horror flicks. There's a face-tearing-in-the-mirror scene straight out of POLTERGEIST and a ghost rape from THE ENTITY. A violent car accident brings to mind BUTCHER, BAKER, NIGHTMARE MAKER. Then, at the end, we get one of the traditional religious exorcisms with all of the offbeat stuff you'd expect. The '80s-style special effects in this are great and gooey, and overall it's a violent, shocking film. Maybe not the best of its ilk, as it's a little too derivative in places, but fans of Asian weirdness will lap it up.

Tedious cheapo possession flick

[fertilecelluloid · 3/10 · 24 November 2006]

David Lai's cheapo possession flick is a little too tedious for my tastes with too few thrills. Skin is ripped off a face by the owner (a decent enough effect) and there is an inventive sequence in which a falling woman manages to hang herself. There is a mild rape sequence, too, some gratuitous nudity (breasts of a Korean woman), and endless ghostly transformations and assorted nonsense. But none of these pluses paper over the fact that "Possessed" is ineptly directed and written, and thirty minutes too long. The film could be seen as a precursor to Japanese bore-fests such as "The Ring" and "The Grudge" because there is an emphasis on pasty-faced figures lurking in familiar locations who are not one bit scary (unless you're seven years old). Ultimately, it's quite boring, repetitive and uneventful.

An enjoyable early 80's HK possession flick.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 8/10 · 18 November 2006]

An insane man is shot dead by two cops,Kung and Hsiao,after he refused to listen to them and tried to kill a woman. After that,the two cops have to deal with the ghosts and Hsiao's girlfriend is haunted as well..."Possessed" by David Lai is an enjoyable HK possession flick.The film is not as intense and gruesome as "Flesh and the Bloody Terror" or "Calamity of Snakes",but the skinning sequence is quite nasty and memorable.Throw in also some unwarranted sex scenes,ghostly rape and a requisite battling back against the spirits and you got yourself a fairly good time despite."Possessed" is available separately or bundled together with the sequel,unfortunately the regarded "Possessed II" is quite heavily cut compared to other Hong Kong video versions.8 out of 10.

Awesome! Overlooked Hong Kong flick!

[cinedude · 10/10 · 5 January 2006]

I saw it about eight times in my city's Chinatown.

It has everything one expects from 80s HK movies... I can't figure out why it is so forgotten. the one thing better than this movie was its sequel which is absolutely freaking brilliant...

Make no mistake, these films are pure HK cinema... which means they borrow left, right and center from anything and everything of the era... these movies have bits copied from the Schrader version of "Cat People", "Poltergeist" and 80s werewolf movies, amongst others... add a liberal amount of hilarious subtitling and you've got the perfect beer, bong and pizza movie.

I cannot recommend these movies, especially the sequel, more highly.

Wish I could find a decent copy.

***UPDATED*** January 15th 2006 -- it's out now on DVD -- Region 3 via Fortune Star: a 2 disc set that contains its sequel! Picture is good considering the negative was probably stored in a rubbish bin. No remixed sound or anything. Just a stills gallery and trailer as extras. Sadly, the subtitling is new and better... I do miss the English subtitling from the theatrical prints as it was so hilarious.

After twenty years, this holds up as entertainment, but don't don't ask me what it was about! Go with the flow and enjoy the crazy set-pieces! Bear in mind, the sequel is far more entertaining and contains the no-holds barred borrowing of ideas from other movies.