Director Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 horror film Possession is so unique, it’s difficult to imagine anyone even attempting to remake it. The mind-bending creature feature was a reflection of the issues Żuławski was dealing with at the time; his marriage had ended in a devastating divorce, he was driven out of his home country of Poland because the Communist government didn’t approve of his filmmaking endeavors, and Possession was his way of purging dark emotions. It’s not something that can be replicated – but Parker Finn, the writer/director of Smile and the upcoming Smile 2, has an approach to the material that he wants to share with the world. His remake is set to star Margaret Qualley (The Substance) and Callum Turner (Masters of the Air) – and Isabelle Adjani, the star of the original film, has given Qualley her blessing.
What is Possession about?
Scripted by Żuławski and Frederic Tuten, the original Possession was set in West Berlin and starred Sam Neill as a spy who returns home from the field to his wife (Isabella Adjani) and son. All is not quiet on the marital front, as the wife asks for a divorce and the couple descends into a destructive cycle that not only includes infidelity and neglect, but spins into murder, a tentacled alien creature and doppelgangers.
The film premiered at the 34th Cannes Film Festival, where Adjani won the Best Actress award.
What did Isabelle Adjani say about the remake?
Speaking with Numéro at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Adjani said (with thanks to our friends at Bloody Disgusting for pointing it out), “When I met Margaret at a dinner party a few years ago, she told me she looked more like me than her mother, so it seems this family resemblance influenced the director’s choice of actress for the role in Possession. Besides, she’s incredibly talented! And yes, Possession, a film that dares to be mystical and horrific, and this talismanic role, has achieved cult status. Today, the new cinematic extremism that has become trendy has led to remakes of films like Possession, with a certain enlightened opportunism. Why not?“
Is a remake necessary?
Not everyone is enthusiastic about Żuławski’s film being remade. Our own Chris Bumbray, who wrote about the prospect before the remake news was confirmed, is steadfastly against it, writing, “There’s just one problem: it will never be as good.
The original Possession is inseparable from its context. It was shot in Cold War-era West Germany, on location near Berlin Wall. That setting isn’t background texture—it’s the film’s soul.
It’s a cinematic time capsule. And then there’s the ending. Possession is so provocative, so confrontational in its final act, that there’s no realistic way a modern studio-backed remake wouldn’t sand off its sharpest edges. If Finn gets to make it, you can be sure it’ll be forced into something more palatable—and more mainstream.“
Surprisingly, this isn’t the first Possession remake. The film recently received a loose Indonesian remake called Possession: Kerasukan, directed by Razka Robby Ertanto.
Are you interested in Parker Finn’s Possession remake, and are you glad to hear that Isabelle Adjani is cool with Margaret Qualley stepping into her shoes? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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