The Possession of Joel Delaney
An upper-class Manhattan divorcee comes to believe that her brother is possessed by the spirit of a serial killer who beheaded young women in Spanish Harlem.
Why it matters
A moody dive into early ’70s possession horror that blends urbane dread with raw street terror.
- Early 1970s possession tale predating and influencing the exorcism craze, with a uniquely New York flavor.
- Shirley MacLaine delivers a quietly unsettling performance as the sister caught between rationality and horror.
- The film’s New York City setting skews away from gothic tropes, grounding supernatural terror in gritty urban reality.
- Fans of slow-burn psychological horror and occult paranoia will appreciate the film’s atmospheric tension despite its uneven pacing.
Director
Cast
Horror DNA
Gore
0
Slow Burn
100
Psychological
86
Supernatural
100
Creature
0
Disturbing
17
Fun Factor
17
Cerebral
100
Survival
0
OccultPossession
