''Repossessed'' is a 1990 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

that parodies the 1973 horror film, ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 The Exorcist (novel), novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, ...

''. It was written and directed by Bob Logan. The film features the original star of ''The Exorcist'',

Linda Blair Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. She played Regan MacNeil in the horror film ''The Exorcist'' (1973), for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for an Academy Award. The film ...

, as well as Leslie Nielsen and Anthony Starke. Many gags parodied events in ''The Exorcist'', such as the green-vomit and head-spinning scenes, and real-life events such as the

televangelist Televangelism ( tele- "distance" and "evangelism," meaning " ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are ministers, whether official or self-pr ...

scandals of the 1980s

Plot

In 1973, Father Jebediah Mayii casts out the

devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

from the body of young Nancy Aglet. In 1990, Nancy's body is possessed once again, while watching ''The Ernest and Fanny Miracle Hour'', a prosperity gospel broadcast by two hucksters. After a visit to the hospital, and a visit from Father Luke Brophy, Brophy concludes that Nancy is indeed possessed. Mayii, however, refuses to perform the

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...

, claiming he is too weak, and that both he and Nancy barely survived her previous exorcism. Brophy visits the Supreme Council for Exorcism Granting. Ernest and Fanny of ''The Ernest and Fanny Miracle Hour'' are also present. Ernest concludes that an exorcism is warranted, and convinces the council to televise Nancy's exorcism. They agree, believing it will convert millions, so Ernest presents ''Ernest and Fanny's Exorcism Tonight'' to the network. Feeling he may be needed, Mayii visits "Bods-R-Us", a gymnasium, to restore his physical strength. There, Brophy approaches him, informs him of the televised exorcism, and attempts once more to convince Mayii to conduct the exorcism. He refuses again. After a montage of attempts to free Nancy's body using phone donations, song, and insults, ''Ernest and Fanny's Exorcism Tonight'' is announced as having the largest audience in history. Upon hearing this, the devil, in Nancy's body, sets the studio on fire, causing the audience to flee. He reveals to Ernest and Fanny that he used them to get the largest audience, and turns them into a pantomime horse. Using the camera, the devil tries to claim the souls of the viewing audience, but is stopped by Brophy, who destroys the camera. The devil announces he knows another way to claim their souls, and runs away, heading for a satellite transmitter. He is pursued by religious figures from around the world, who have gathered at Brophy's command. Brophy teases the devil about his defeat by Mayii. Back in the studio, the devil uses the camera to lure Mayii to him for a rematch. The exorcism, with commentary by "Mean Gene" Okerlund and Jesse "The Body" Ventura, is ineffective until the devil mentions that he hates rock 'n roll. Turning the TV studio into a live concert, the song " Devil with a Blue Dress On" is played to the devil by the various religious figures, including

The Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

on guitars. The devil is tormented so that he is finally driven from Nancy's body.

Cast

as Nancy Aglet *

Ned Beatty Ned Thomas Beatty (July 6, 1937 – June 13, 2021) was an American actor and comedian. In a career that spanned five decades, he appeared in more than 160 films. Throughout his career, Beatty gained a reputation for being "the busiest actor in ...

as Ernest Weller * Leslie Nielsen as Father Jebedaiah Mayii * Anthony Starke as Father Luke Brophy *Lana Schwab as Fanny Ray Weller *Thom J. Sharp as Braydon Aglet * Robert Fuller as Dr. Hackett *

Jesse Ventura Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, actor, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2 ...

as Himself * Gene Okerlund as Himself * Bob Zany as Studio Tour Guest * Jake Steinfeld as Himself * Wally George as Himself * Jack LaLanne as Himself * Army Archerd as Himself

Release

The film received a

limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after ...

in September 1990. The film was released on VHS and

laserdisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diameter typical ...

by LIVE Home Video the same year. In 2003, Artisan Entertainment released the film on DVD. The film was re-released on DVD on April 14, 2009 by

Lions Gate Entertainment Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

, in a collection of forgotten films called the "Lost Collection". The corporation again released the film on DVD on January 4, 2011, in a "4-Film Collection" set along with '' My Best Friend Is a Vampire'', ''

Slaughter High ''Slaughter High'' is a 1986 slasher film written and directed by George Dugdale, Mark Ezra and Peter Litten, and starring Caroline Munro, Simon Scuddamore, Carmine Iannaconne, Donna Yeager, and Sally Cross. An international co-production betwe ...

'' and '' Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!''

Reception

One review came from Mick Martin and Marsha Porter's ''DVD and Video Guide'', where they called it an "uproarious parody" and praising Nielsen's performance.Martin, Mick and Porter, Marsha (2003), p. 915. ''DVD and Video Guide 2004''. .

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains p ...

. Accessed August 24, 2011. The film won a Razzie Award, the

Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song The Razzie Award for Worst Original Song was an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards for the worst song written for a film in the previous year. The following is a list of recipients and nominees of that award, along with the fi ...

, for the song "He's Comin' Back (The Devil!)".

Soundtrack

References

External links

* * * {{The Exorcist 1990 films 1990s comedy horror films American comedy horror films American parody films Carolco Pictures films 1990s English-language films Films about exorcism Films about religion Films scored by Charles Fox Films set in 1973 Films set in 1990 Parodies of horror Golden Raspberry Award winning films Religious comedy films The Devil in film American slapstick comedy films 1990 comedy films Films directed by Bob Logan 1990s American films