The Exorcistis one of the scariest - if notthescariest- films of all time, one of the few horror movies to be nominated for aBest Picture Oscar. Its impact on cinema is far-reaching, and it is just as impactful today as it was then.Films of such esteem are often targets of parodies, andThe Exorcistis no exception, with 1990’sRepossessedtaking aim, with the added benefit of havingLinda Blairin it. Blair, of course, played Regan MacNeil, the young ladypossessed by “Captain Howdy”(Pazuzu) who became nightmare fuel thanks to pea soup and ahead that spun around. She plays a similar role inRepossessed, a young woman who is possessed by the Devil.The Exorcistparody also starsAnthony Starkeand the king of the spoofs,Leslie Nielsen, whose iconic role as Detective Frank Drebin isbeing filled byLiam Neesonin a reboot ofThe Naked Gun. But whereThe Exorcistis the mountain top of the horror genre, the same can’t be said forRepossessedin the parody genre. Heck, it may not have even startedclimbingthe mountain.
Repossessed
Twenty years after her initial ordeal with a demonic presence, a woman again finds herself the victim of possession. This time, her fight against the supernatural is turned into a television spectacle, with an eccentric televangelist and two priests, one veteran and one novice, attempting to save her soul in a comedic battle of good versus evil.
It’s Leslie Nielsen vs The Devil in ‘Repossessed’
It’s 1973, and the Devil has taken hold of young Nancy Aglet. Father Jedediah Mayii (Leslie Nielsen) is tasked with performing an exorcism on Aglet, and after an ordeal that pushes both Mayii and Aglet to their physical limits, the Devil is successfully cast out by Mayii. Flash forward to 1990, and the Devil repossesses (ergo the film’s title) Aglet (Linda Blair) through her television as she watchesThe Ernest and Fanny Miracle Hour, a televangelist program in the vein ofThe PTL ClubwithJim andTammy Faye Bakker.Aglet goes to the hospital where she is visited by Father Luke Brophy (Anthony Starke), who confirms that Aglet has been possessed yet again.
Brophy reaches out to Mayii, but Mayii says that he is too weakto perform an exorcism, and refuses. It’s up to Brophy, then, and he approaches the Supreme Council for Exorcism Granting. Televangelists Ernest (Ned Beatty) and Fanny Weller (Lana Schwab) are there as well, and the exorcism is allowed to proceed, but with a catch.Ernest suggests that they televise Aglet’s exorcism, with the aim of converting millions. With the council in agreement, Ernest brings his proposal to the network, and next thing you know,Ernest and Fanny’s Exorcism Tonightis given the green light.
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Leslie Nielsen Brings In his Friends for Round 2 Against the Devil
Mayiihits the “Bods-R-Us” gym to gain strength, feeling that he may be needed. But when Brophy asks for his assistance again, telling him about the plan to televise the event, Mayii can’t bring himself to commit and refuses again. When the program goes to air, the attempts to exorcise the Devil from Nancy come hard and fast - phone donations, songs, insults and more - but to no avail.But it’s great television, and soonErnest and Fanny’s Exorcism Tonightis host to the largest audience in television history… just as the Devil planned it. From Aglet’s body, he sets the studio on fire and forces the studio audience to flee, then reveals to Ernest and Fanny that he played them like a fiddle.
The Devil makes his way to the camera in an effort to claim the souls of the viewers at home, but is thwarted by Brophy. But there’s a Plan B, and the Devil runs towards a satellite transmitter to claim the souls from there. Brophy is prepared, though, and has assembled religious figures from across the world, who are in hot pursuit. The Devil heads back to the studio, where he prepares for a rematch with Mayii, who is, at last, ready. But the Devil won’t let go easily, and the exorcism, with live commentary by"Mean Gene" OkerlundandJesse “The Body” Ventura, is ineffective.Only the Devil lets slip that he hates rock and roll, which Mayii seizes on, fronting a band consisting of religious figures (with the Pope on guitar)in a rendition of “Devil With a Blue Dress On.“It’s too much for the Devil to hear, and he leaves Aglet’s body, once and for all.
‘Repossessed’ Could Have Been So Much More
Repossessedis the first ofa series of spoof films that Nielsen appearedin during the success ofThe Naked Gun. Whileit’s certainly noNaked Gun,Repossessed’sposters did acknowledge the success of the franchise by mimickingThe Naked Gun’sposter, only with Nielsen riding atop a flying cross. The cleverest joke in the film is its punny title, playing on Blair’s appearance in it, and the rest is fart jokes, slapstick, cheap laughs and milking the pea soup vomit gag to death. Nielsen has been better, as has Starke, who played the lead inthe criminally underratedReturn of the Killer Tomatoes.Blair, however, is having a blast revisiting her most famous role, honoring it while delivering the film’s best comic lines. It’s a rare instance where an actor sends up their own work for a full film, as most, likeJohn Hurt’s shot at his infamousAliendeath inSpaceballs,do so in cameos.
Overall,Repossessedfeels like a film that could have been much, much more.The Exorcistparody angle works fine, but it’s the other elements that are wasted. Televangelism has always been great fodder for comedy, likeThe Righteous Gemstones, but a straight-up spoof that takes the sheen off its false righteousness and its message of forgiveness for money would have been perfect, particularly at the time. The creative team behindRepossessedwere on to something with the Devil using the huckster televangelists in the show to further his own agenda, but simply didn’t take it far enough, or, perhaps, weren’t up to the challenge of deliveringsomething deeper than physical comedy.
Even without using the televangelist angle, there was still the means of making a clever dig at the power of television to craft the will of the viewer, had they opted to do so. Oran incisive, witty statement on religion itself, which certainly deserved better than Nielsen’s Catholic priest decked out likeElton John, with the Pope shredding a guitar, belting out a pop tune. Perhaps it wasn’t “Devil With a Blue Dress On” that made the Devil flee. Maybe he watchedRepossessed.
Repossessedis currently streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.
Watch on Prime Video
