Possession of Joel Delaney (1972)

A wealthy socialite, named Norah Benson (Shirley MacLain) discovers her brother Joel (Perry King) is becoming mentally unhinged and is more irrational each day. Those around him believe he is possessed by a violent demon. She tries to help by calling on modern doctors and specialists. Because they are unable to cure him immediately, she desperately turns to magic, medicine men and voodoo healers. Despite their beads, rattles, chants and magical incantations, they too remain powerless to help. Finally, she is advised to leave the city and flee before her brother becomes a danger to her children…

The Possession of Joel Delaney is a dark horror film with much going for it. For one, it’s among the earliest horror films to deal with the theme of spiritual possession. Also, it’s one of those horror gems that doesn’t need to resort to special effects or overt gore and violence to be effectively unsettling. It’s a thoroughly well-written film as it blends eerie supernatural horror with a strong social commentary. The plot is compelling and quite off-beat as it builds to some chilling peaks and a finale that’s splendidly suspenseful. It’s a truly disturbing tale.

The direction, cinematography, and urban locations are all good but the true highlight is the stars. Veteran actress Shirley MacLaine is great as her bewildered, yet unsympathetic character. However the show is truly stolen by young Perry King who puts on an excellent dynamic performance as his potentially unhinged character. It’s easy to see why King went on to a notable career after this debut.

All around The Possession of Joel Delaney is one of the finer low-key horror films of the 70′s. It’s a film that wisely chooses the intelligent, non-camp approach to its subject matter and it comes off a solid effective chiller because of it.