Thehibikiew Not even bad in a good way

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

BogieandBacallfan I recently just heard of this 70's cult-classic, and some were trying to compare it to or put it in the same realm as the 1973 masterpiece "The Exorcist." Let's be honest here...the ONLY thing that "The Possession of Joel Delaney" and "The Exorcist" have in common is that both do deal with the subject of possession. Other than that "Possession of Joel" does not even come close to an ink-ling of being in the same realm as "The Exorcist." However, this 70's horror flick is pretty good for low-budget and the topic it deals with. There are plenty of bizarre and freaky moments, and the slow mental collapse/possession of 'Joel' was amazingly portrayed by a very young Perry King! Shirley MacLaine also gives a very excellent performance as the somewhat weird and mentally troubled 'Norah'.But, the actor I had the most respect for, and thought truly had to go through a humiliating/horrifying experience, and handled it professionally (especially at his young age at the time) was David Elliot. He was the young 13 year old son of MacLaine and had to strip naked (exposing himself entirely) after the possessed Joel forced him to dance naked around the house to terrify him. That had to be embarrassing and I'm surprised they allowed it...but he handled the situation and that scene like a pro. This scene is also somewhat shocking and makes this film remembered among horror movie fans.Overall...again don't expect "The Exorcist", but it is frightening and the character development, filming locations, etc... are excellent! This is a must have for horror fans/collectors!

fertilecelluloid Films dealing with the subject of voodoo usually leave me cold. This left me lukewarm. Set in New York, the story focuses on Joel Delaney (Perry King), the brother of Shirley MacLaine. Delaney has been picked up by the police for beating a man. Later, he is accused of murder. As the title states, Delaney is possessed by the spirit of a killer. There's no originality here, but there is some courage in the writing. The climax pushes the envelope -- the 70's envelope, anyway -- and is satisfying enough. There is a lot of slow moving mumbo-jumbo and the obligatory scene -- where psychics attempt to get in touch with the bad spirit -- is predictable. Shirley MacLaine is very good in the lead role, as is Perry King. The film edges towards an incest subplot and features a scene you wouldn't see in a studio film today -- a little boy dancing nude on a table. Director Waris Hussein came from TV, and it shows. The film is not big on cinematic compositions, looking more like a TV movie than one meant for the big screen. Lower your expectations and you might enjoy this relatively obscure item from the 70's.

Mr_Ectoplasma Wealthy, upper class New Yorker Nora Benson (Shirley MacLaine) lives in a brownstone with her two children. One evening, after inviting her younger brother Joel (Perry King) over for dinner, she has a disturbing phone call, and when she arrives to check on him, finds him chanting and screaming, being escorted by the police. Her concern grows as his behavior becomes stranger and stranger - she takes him into her home, hoping to help him. But suspicions arise when Nora stumbles upon his girlfriend's decapitated body, and he speaks of his Puerto Rican friend, "Tonio", a suspected serial killer who decapitated city women the year before, and apparently vanished. Desperate for answers, Nora herself enters a completely different world - Spanish Harlem - in hopes of finding out what is wrong with her brother.A little-known possession tale from the early 1970s, based on Ramona Stewart's novel, "The Possession of Joel Delaney" is a pretty interesting supernatural thriller that emerged a year before the possession classic "The Exorcist". While "Joel Delaney" isn't nearly as graphic, it is still a fairly chilling, suspenseful, and well-made movie. I read the book, which was very scary, and this film adaptation is done nicely. The beginning sets the stage for the eerie things that are to come, and it just progresses from there to the disturbing (and quite controversial) last ten minutes of the film. What I liked most about this movie was the sense of discomfort that it gave off, even during the most simple of scenes. There's an overall air to the movie of things not being right, and the paranoia and fear translates from the characters to the audience very well.It also takes advantage of the New York city setting, somewhat a reminiscent of "Rosemary's Baby", and later used in "The Eyes of Laura Mars" in a similar fashion. Thematically, this is also quite a unique horror picture, because of its depiction of the clashing of cultures, as our prim & proper, upper class protagonist is whirled into different surroundings, beliefs, and an overall way of life, while trying to uncover the mystery behind her brother's odd behavior. The displacement of Nora in Spanish Harlem makes for some interesting scenes in this movie. It's a fairly light film gore-wise, albeit a couple of severed heads (which I must admit, that first discovery of the body is damn chilling), but the suspense throughout holds the film together. Shirley MacLaine is excellent and extremely believable here, playing a naive, somewhat close-minded Manhattan socialite. Her performance is very real and she does a solid job throughout. Perry King plays her brother, a man who willingly "seeks out poverty" (living in a seedy apartment in Spanish Harlem), as his sister puts it, and is the center of all the supernatural events. Both MacLaine and King have good chemistry and carry the movie quite well. As for the ending, which has sparked controversy over the years due to some brief depiction of child nudity (in a non-sexual manner of course), it's pretty disturbing, but I don't really see the huge fuss about it. Anyway, the final frame of the movie leaves the viewer questioning, but also hints at one of the main possibilities, which I liked a lot.Overall, "The Possession of Joel Delaney" is a neat little horror movie that is worth seeking out if you are interested by the subject matter. The acting is top-notch (especially considering it's a '70s horror flick), there are a couple of good scares and some efficient atmosphere, and the suspense is well-plotted. I liked this film, it's not perfect, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Recommended for fans of supernatural horror movies, especially all those that emerged from the 1970s. 8/10.

moonspinner55 Potent, occasionally disturbing, but ultimately uncomfortable thriller concerns an upper-crust New Yorker (Shirley MacLaine) who reunites with her vivacious brother, but soon begins to suspect he's either on drugs, insane, or worse...it's worse. Unapologetic film dives in where most movies would fear to tread, and that's both pro and con. Turns out Joel Delaney has become involved in a voodoo cult and is now possessed by the soul of a vicious killer. Final moments with MacLaine and kids at the beach, cornered by Perry King's dangerous Delaney, are quite nasty...but you have to admire that final plot-twist, handled with unashamed bravado. I would recommend the picture to connoisseurs of the offbeat, even if the film is actually rather pointless, never dealing in depth with its own subject matter. ** from ****