The 1981 cult horror Possession is in the process of being remade by Smile director Parker Finn. Robert Pattinson will star, and the whole project has sparked a bidding war.
Here’s an odd bit of news. Parker Finn, the writer-director who scored a huge hit with the 2022 horror Smile, is embarking on a remake of the 1981 cult film, Possession. He’s roped in Robert Pattinson to star, and the whole package seems to have sparked some sort of frenzy in Hollywood’s air-conditioned offices.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Finn’s Possession pitch has attracted the interest of A24, Netflix, Paramount and Warner Bros, with executives saying that the filmmaker’s “batshit” yet commercial idea for the remake is so enticing that yet more studios may join the bidding war.
Written and directed by Polish filmmaker Andrzej Żuławski, Possession is so unusual that it almost defies categorisation. It stars Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani as a husband and wife who go through a particularly torrid break-up which takes in infidelity, madness, copious amounts of gore and bodily fluids, plus a dash of cosmic horror. Its dialogue is glaringly stilted, which only adds to the surreal air, and Adjani in particular puts in one of the most committed, unsettling performances imaginable.
A critical failure in 1981, Żuławski’s film is so individual that it’s a wonder what would possibly remain of it in a remake – especially given Hollywood executives have talked about its commercial appeal. Then again, Possession was blatantly referenced in last year’s The First Omen, so maybe the world’s caught up with Żuławski and his still-shocking strain of body horror.
Parker Finn is currently putting the finishing touches on his horror sequel Smile Deluxe, due for release this October. Given the excitement surrounding the Possession remake, it sounds likely that Finn will embark on that one next.
More as we get it.
