Possession/Shock

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Summary: "POSSESSION" & "SHOCK"....
Review: Double features from Anchor Bay on one disc (one on each side). Side A.) is 1981's "Possession" with Sam Neill as Mark who works for a mysterious agency employing him to track down a man "in pink socks." His marriage to Anna (Isabelle Adjani) is disintegrating. They've become emotionally estranged. They also have a small son. Mark wants to save the marriage, he suspects she's having an affair, so he has her followed after she moves out. Anna has become increasingly erratic and deranged and has moved into an old run down apartment where she harbors a hideous secret. And commits grisly murder. Their son's teacher (also Adjani) is a dead-ringer for Anna---only softer and more nurturing. But Anna's situation is something else again. "Possession" is a strange horror film with Neill and (especially) Adjani going all out. The "secret" is truly astonishingly gross. But the ending will leave your jaw dropping. Recommended for lovers of challenging films and Adjani fans. She's incredible. Side B.) is Mario Bava's "Shock" from 1979. (AKA "Beyond the Door II") "Shock" concerns a woman whose first husband (a junkie who supposedly committed suicide) seemingly comes back to haunt her through her small son. Daria Nicolodi is excellent as Dora, the devoted mother who has remarried and moved back into the house where the first husband died and soon regrets it. Bava flourishes abound in a beautifully directed shocker with good set pieces and a creepy score. Scary, bloody with some bizarre nightmare sequences and a chilling ending. Both "Possession" and "Shock" are presented in good prints and are worthwhile for horror lovers. But "Possession" is not for the squeamish. Enjoy...

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Summary: 2 Classic Weird Horror Flicks For The Price Of 1!
Review: I've always wanted to see POSSESSION in its Director's Cut, although I've never seen it before but saw the video box in the horror section. A favorite of Dario Argento's, POSSESSION is the greatest horror allegory on divorce since David Cronenberg's THE BROOD. Sam Neill and Isabele Adjani are excellent in portraying the emotional distress of growing apart. It's also a comment on the state of Germany when the Berlin Wall was still erect and the Cold War was in full effect. As an added bonus, it's also a bizarre monster movie, kind of a psychosexual Frankenstein story. Great camerawork, music and ending! Highly recommended for open minds and strong stomachs!
I remember watching SHOCK when I was a kid on television (as BEYOND THE DOOR 2). The last half-hour of the movie has stuck out in my mind ever since. Mario Bava's final film (aided by his son Lamberto, a great director in his own right) is about possession, repressed memory, and psychological torment, with an excellent performance by Argento veteran Daria Nicolodi as the woman who experiences all of the above. Terrific music score by I Libra, a side project of Goblin; wish the CD soundtrack to this film would come out because I really love that opening theme! SHOCK is scarier upon repeated viewings and a must for Bava buffs!