The Possessed (2009 film)
Encyclopedia
The Possessed is a 2009
documentary style
horror film
which was released to DVD
in May 2009 and had its television debut in October that same year on SyFy
.
'. Using period photographs, dramatic recreations, and interviews with subject experts, it addresses what is allegedly the first well-documented and recorded spirit possession story in America of 1877, and the subsequent recorded "possessions" suffered by Lurancy.
Beginning in 2006, and using the assistance of members of the Studio Nine class of Watseka Community High School, The Possessed was shot on locations in Watseka, Illinois
, in the actual homes of, and including interviews of, the remaining family members of Lurancy Vennum. The filmmakers included a repeat of an original 100-year-old séance, but were able to include modern measuring instruments. They also used footage of individuals themselves alleged to be possed.
was committed to an asylum in Peoria, Illinois
, and on July 5, 1865, she died. Twelve years later, a Watseka girl named Lurancy Vennum began exhibiting the same behavior as had Mary.
When Asa Roff heard of the incident, and believing that the spirit of his deceased daughter Mary has possessed Lurancy, he convinced the Vennum family to not commit their own daughter. Lurancy Vennum moved in with the Asa Roff family in 1878 and lived with them for several days. There she was examined by Dr. E. W. Stevens, who wrote about the case, and upon whose journals the film was based.
Re-enactment actors
Horror News made note that in earlier American history, those afflicted with what was then perceived as "Possession" were usually locked away from society in institutions in conditions considered brutal by modern standards.
2009 in film
The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...
documentary style
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
which was released to DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in May 2009 and had its television debut in October that same year on SyFy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
.
Background
The movie is based upon the events surrounding what became known as the 'Watseka WonderWatseka Wonder
Watseka Wonder is the name given to the alleged spiritual possession of fourteen-year-old Lurancy Vennum of Watseka, Illinois in the late 19th century.-Lurancy Vennum:...
'. Using period photographs, dramatic recreations, and interviews with subject experts, it addresses what is allegedly the first well-documented and recorded spirit possession story in America of 1877, and the subsequent recorded "possessions" suffered by Lurancy.
Beginning in 2006, and using the assistance of members of the Studio Nine class of Watseka Community High School, The Possessed was shot on locations in Watseka, Illinois
Watseka, Illinois
Watseka is a city in and the county seat of Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. It is located approximately west of the Illinois-Indiana state line on U.S...
, in the actual homes of, and including interviews of, the remaining family members of Lurancy Vennum. The filmmakers included a repeat of an original 100-year-old séance, but were able to include modern measuring instruments. They also used footage of individuals themselves alleged to be possed.
Synopsis
After years of violent and self-destructive behavior, a young Mary Roff from Watseka, IllinoisWatseka, Illinois
Watseka is a city in and the county seat of Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. It is located approximately west of the Illinois-Indiana state line on U.S...
was committed to an asylum in Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
, and on July 5, 1865, she died. Twelve years later, a Watseka girl named Lurancy Vennum began exhibiting the same behavior as had Mary.
When Asa Roff heard of the incident, and believing that the spirit of his deceased daughter Mary has possessed Lurancy, he convinced the Vennum family to not commit their own daughter. Lurancy Vennum moved in with the Asa Roff family in 1878 and lived with them for several days. There she was examined by Dr. E. W. Stevens, who wrote about the case, and upon whose journals the film was based.
Cast
Interviewees- Christopher Saint Booth, Filmmaker
- Philip Adrian Booth, Filmmaker
- John ZaffisJohn ZaffisJohn Zaffis is a paranormal researcher born and based in Connecticut, United States. He runs the Paranormal and Demonology Research Society of New England, which he founded in 1998.-Personal life:...
, Demonologist - Troy Taylor, Ghost Writer
- Keith Age, Ghost Hunter
- Rosemary Ellen Guiley Ph.D, ParanormalParanormalParanormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
Author - Bill Chappell, Inventor
- Denice Jones, author, The Other Side
- Steven LaChanceSteven A. LaChanceSteven A. LaChance is an author. His book, The Uninvited: The True Story of the Union Screaming House, was published by Llewellyn Publications on 1 September 2008.-Biography:...
, author, The Uninvited - James LongJames LongJames Long may refer to:* James Long , filibuster in Spanish and Mexican Texas* James E. Long, current North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance* James Long , Australian Senator...
, Bishop - Rob Johnson, Manteno HistorianHistorianA historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
- Dewi Morgaine, herself as possessed girl
- Scott Anderson, Vennum House owner
- Anita Tall Bull, Herself
- Marcus Tall Bull, Possessed
- John Whitman, Roff House owner
- Rick Hayes, Himself
- Janet Pierce, Grandmother
- Michael Jones, "The Sixth Sense" Boy
- Kathy Reno, Glore Psychiatric Museum
Re-enactment actors
- Ava Belew as Lurancy Vennum
- Reenie Varga as Mrs. Roff
- Christina Molina as Mary Roff
- Matthew Udall as Dr. Stevens
- Gabriel Saint Booth as Young Michael
Critical response
Dread Central noted that the writers covered the entire story of Mary Roff and Lurancy Vellum within their documentary, with their having traveled to Illinois to interview topic experts, historians, and surviving family members. The reviewer wrote "I was fascinated by the documentary – the Booth Brothers have a wonderful knack for filming things in as creepy a way as possible and for recreating the historic events with period-correct actors." But he noted his "biggest beef" with the film was "the interjection of modern-day people, mostly teenagers, who claimed they had been possessed," in that these latter day claimants to being possessed did not seem believable, and that "the documentary was fascinating without them". Finding that whether one believes in ghosts or not, the directors "do a terrific job researching the hauntings and finding people who can explain (or not) what happened."Horror News made note that in earlier American history, those afflicted with what was then perceived as "Possession" were usually locked away from society in institutions in conditions considered brutal by modern standards.