Repossessed

Linda Blair is certainly an example of how cruel Hollywood can be. Out of the blue as a young kid, she landed a part in one of the most shocking films of its time that really redefined the modern horror film. In 1973, hardly anyone had ever heard of exorcism and then it was on the cover of Newsweek. Maybe there have been more bloody and graphic horror films, but none that so grabbed people at the time. People fainting and getting sick in the theater was a common occurrence. The cruel fact is that this film was both a blessing and a curse for Linda Blair. Amazingly other then Airport 1975 and the TV films Born Innocent and Sarah T...Portrait Of A Teenage Alcoholic, Blair was never really offered another decent part in a film that would become someone who had been nominated for an Oscar in their first major role (for you trivia lovers she lost to another child actress Tatum O'Neil). Blair is a fine actress who can bring style and class to even the most mundane role. Wasn't it great when she was a hit on stage with Grease a few years back? Seventeen years later, she made this film with Leslie Nielsen spoofing The Exorcist (by the way Exorcist III was released the same year). Making this film must have been like therapy for Linda, she was able to spoof her most famous role that was a blessing and a curse for her. Besides, she must have had a ball working with Leslie Nielsen. This is one of those films that you really have to watch closely to catch all the gags. Nothing is sacred, everything from the Pope to Oliver North. They also spoof so many scenes from The Exorcist from the pea soup vomiting to her....well doing that thing with the cross. I also liked the way this film pokes fun at TV evangelists like the one Ned Beatty plays. I even noticed that Robert Fuller, Doctor Kelly Brackett from Emergency, has a part in this. Linda gets some really funny lines and have fun spoofing herself. She must be a great lady and a really good sport. Looking at the legacy of comedy, Leslie Nielsen has left us, it is hard to believe that for the first thirty years of his career he was exclusively a dramatic actor! Hard to believe isn't it?

I saw REPOSSESSED on Comedy Central one night and while many may disagree with me on this one, I think that it is Linda Blair's best work. Both Linda Blair and Leslie Nielson are at their comedic best. The premise could have used a little work, but the movie seems to serve one purpose and one purpose only: to spoof THE EXCORCIST. I like that idea since I didn't like THE EXCORCIST that much and the movie spoofs it very well yet there needs to be more to the movie. It would have worked better if the movie spoofed several movies and not just a few. Though as I said before, it is a very funny movie with the two leads giving their best performances. The music and special effects are also top-rate along with the writing. I hope that there is a REPOSSESSED 2 sometime soon.

Leslie Nielsen stars in another spoof, this time parodying The Exorcist. Linda Blair returns and spoofs her own character, as Nancy Aglet, and is again possessed by the demon. As a result, Nielsen's character, Father Jebedaiah Mayii, is called upon to help vanquish the demon - all the while the exorcism is being broadcast on live TV by a sensationalist show.

As with any Nielson spoofs, there are lots of gags from start to finish, along with some slapstick humor and endless parodies of various movies, from The Wizard of Oz to Rambo III. It was nice seeing the return of Linda Blair and she does a good job in recreating her role as the possessed girl, inserting tastefully done humor when necessary. However, the plot did lose steam by the time the movie focused on the TV show broadcasting the exorcism, which I thought made the film become more like a game-show than a comedy spoof. Therefore, it's not the best of Nielson's spoofs, but still laughable nonetheless.

Grade C+

Repossessed is funny, and some scenes are very funny, but there are a lot of silly gags instead of funny ones. But the funny gags out shine the silly ones. I give this movie **1/2 out of ****

• She has an ungodly voice, maniacal facial expressions...
• That doesn't prove a thing, she could be related to Joe Cocker.
• No.
• Could it be she had PMS?

A comedy made as a sequel to a famous horror "The Exorcist". In the original movie, in 1973 devil takes possession of a girl named Reagan, while in "Repossessed" he takes the same person 17 years later, but here she is named Nancy. Linda Blair plays both roles, Nancy and Reagan... Nancy Reagan :D For her role in "The Exorcist" she got Golden Globe and Oscar nomination, while in her later performances she was nominated for the worst actress six times. The movie is full of typical Leslie Nielsen humor, references and parodies to everything and anything. To me, it was very entertaining and definitely worth watching, maybe even more than the original.

7,5/10