Possession

"Inhuman ecstasy fulfilled."

1981 2h 4m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 1,455

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young woman left her family for an unspecified reason. The husband determines to find out the truth and starts following his wife. At first, he suspects that a man is involved. But gradually, he finds out more and more strange behaviors and bizarre incidents that indicate something more than a possessed love affair.

“Inhuman ecstasy fulfilled.”

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Cast

Isabelle Adjani
Anna / Helen
Sam Neill
Mark
Margit Carstensen
Margit Gluckmeister
Heinz Bennent
Heinrich
Johanna Hofer
Heinrich's Mother
Carl Duering
Private Detective
Shaun Lawton
Zimmermann
Michael Hogben
Bob

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andrzej Żuławski
Writers: Andrzej Żuławski
Languages: English, French, German
Countries: France, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 50% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andrzej Żuławski, shot by Bruno Nuytten. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Andrzej Korzyński. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marie-Sophie Dubus shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andrzej Żuławski directs. Bruno Nuytten behind the camera. Andrzej Korzyński scores. Marie-Sophie Dubus cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France, Germany. Dialogue in English, French, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 50% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
345 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.
5International production across 2 countries: France, Germany.
6Directed by Andrzej Żuławski, shot by Bruno Nuytten. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Andrzej Korzyński. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Marie-Sophie Dubus shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill and Margit Carstensen carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Inhuman ecstasy fulfilled.".
11IMDB entry: tt0082933 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 36 themes, including "adultery", "berlin, germany", "monster", "police".
13Released under 14 different titles around the world.