Skonflix Overview & Editorial Review
When an ordinary man named Jacob discovers that he possesses a rare, supernatural gift to sense and extract dark, demonic entities from human hosts, he dedicates his life to operating a underground, freelance exorcism business alongside his loyal nephew Liam. Working out of a mobile wellness clinic and making dangerous house calls across rural Australia, Jacob performs intense cleansing rituals to free innocent people suffering from terrifying spiritual afflictions, using his own physical body as a temporary conduit to trap and banish the malicious spirits. However, their routine exorcisms take a sinister turn when a rising tide of demonic activity begins spreading across the region, bringing Jacob into contact with a powerful, ancient demon named Akumana who seeks to tear open a permanent portal between hell and Earth. As dark omens manifest, nightmarish hallucinations torment Liam's girlfriend Atalie, and possessed hosts turn brutally violent, Jacob and his team find themselves trapped inside a remote, barricaded estate during an overwhelming siege of demonic forces, forcing Jacob to risk his own life and soul in a high stakes, apocalyptic battle against the underworld.
Written and directed by acclaimed Australian genre filmmaker Chris Sun (Charlie's Farm, Boar), The Possessed (2021) is an energetic supernatural horror feature film produced by Slaughterhouse Pictures. Loosely inspired by the real life claims of self proclaimed exorcist Mark Gardener, the creative production team took a distinct, action oriented approach to the traditional possession subgenre, replacing quiet religious rites with high energy, physical confrontations, visceral practical gore, and eye catching creature designs. Cinematographer Ross W. Clarkson utilized dynamic handheld camera movements, vivid lighting contrasts, and eerie practical smoke effects to heighten the claustrophobic dread during intense cleansing sequences, while the visual effects team created menacing, winged demonic entities that gave the film a distinct comic book visual style.
Releasing theatrically across Australia before launching internationally on home media and digital streaming services including Tubi, Shudder, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google TV, and Vudu, the demonic thriller stars iconic horror veteran John Jarratt (Wolf Creek) as Jacob, alongside Lincoln Lewis as Liam, Lauren Grimson as Atalie, Simone Buchanan, and Angie Kent. Genre fans and indie horror critics appreciated the film for its fun, campy blend of classic Australian splatter cinema, unique exorcism lore, impressive practical creature work, and entertaining lead performance by John Jarratt. Delivering a fast paced, blood soaked alternative to traditional religious exorcism movies, the Australian creature feature established itself as an entertaining cult favorite for supernatural horror enthusiasts.