The Possession of Joel Delaney

"If you believe, no explanation is necessary. If you don't believe, no explanation is possible."

May 24 1972 R 1h 45m
Drama, Horror, Thriller

Manhattan socialite begins to fear for her troubled younger brother when he starts behaving bizarrely and he seems to have been friends with a backstreet murderer.

Plot

Norah Benson (Shirley MacLaine), an affluent socialite living in Manhattan's Upper East Side, seems to be living the perfect life as a divorced mother of two. After her mother's suicide, she becomes a mother figure to her younger brother, Joel Delaney (Perry King). However, Joel begins to begin to act strangely. He tries to attack a man and is taken to a mental asylum. He loses his free-spirited kindness in exchange for a turbulent personality. After the twin shields of her affluence and naiveté have been broken down, Norah seeks the help of a spiritualist to attempt to exorcise the spirit of a murderer they believe to be possessing Joel. But Joel turns on Norah and threatens her life and those of her children.

Written by

Matt Robinson, Irene Kamp, Ramona Stewart

Directed by

Waris Hussein

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Paramount, ITC, Haworth Productions

Languages

English

Awards

1 nomination

Scores
# of Votes
1,500
Average Rating
5.8 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA