“Demons are a girl’s best friend.”
Jordan Galland brings a fresh taste to the demonic possession subgenre of horror in Ava’s Possessions as he begins his film where most of the others end: the exorcism. After she is freed from her demon, Ava (Louise Krause) is facing charges for property damage, assault, indecent exposure and two counts of possession. “Narcotics” the lawyer adds, just so Ava isn’t confused. After spending the past 28 days possessed by the havoc inducing demon Naphula, Ava can claim “I was possessed” as a legitimate not guilty plea, but she still has to either serve jail time or join the Spirit Possession Anonymous program lead by the charismatic Tony (Wass Stevens). As you may guess, she chooses the latter.
Much like Spirit Possession Anonymous may suggest, Ava’s Possessions uses demonic possession as a metaphor for addiction. Those who attend Spirit Possession Anonymous are trying to make amends with those they have hurt, prevent possession from happening again and get their lives back on track. Some of the best things about the film, apart from the original storyline, come from Galland’s use of humour. The film is set in a world where everyone believes demonic possession is a thing and as such many people tend to look down on it, even pointing blame at those who have been possessed. Yes, you can just be one of those types of people to get possessed and should probably lead the right lifestyle just in case (the addiction metaphor coming back in). Ava’s mother tells her that getting possessed should be a wake up call, whilst her father follows asking if she was still smoking marijuana. “Are you seriously blaming me for getting possessed?” Ava fires back, her father adding “marijuana is a gateway drug.”
Ava’s Possessions even sporadically unleashes puns as Ava is still coming to terms with what she did whilst she was possessed. “Haven’t you heard, I can handle my spirits” Ava tells her mother, jokingly. There are many more where that came from which help to pick up the few boring parts of the film. In addition to the humour, there is also a layer of horror; each work perfectly to compliment the other. The elements of horror fit perfectly with the story, offering light touches. Just because the demon has been exorcised doesn’t mean the fun is over yet. With Ava still trying to get back on track she is still susceptible to Naphula and is seeing crazy visions, hearing ghostly whispers and having waking nightmares. She also must find out what exactly happened during her possession, as she is now faced with her mother (Deborah Rush) suddenly wearing an eye patch, her father (William Sadler)’s neck decorated in red scratches and a messy apartment complete with a huge blood stain hidden under a rug.
Adrian Correia also did a wonderful job with the cinematography, creating a palette of pinks, purples, blues and green with neon coloured lighting which is a nice touch, warm for an indie horror comedy. In addition to the strong performance by Krause, the entire cast works wonders with Lou Taylor Pucci, Deborah Rush, William Sadler and John Ventimiglia. Moreover, Annabelle Dexter-Jones does a magnificent job in portraying Hazel, Ava’s misguided friend from Spirit Possession Anonymous who longs to be reunited with her demons.
The only negatives to the film are parts of the story are left too open, such as with Ben (Pucci) – a love interest – and the ending came across as abrupt but also made me want to see more. It’s an ending that made me feel like I was been cheated, but also made me feel like whoa in a good way. Ava’s Possessions often has that “so bad it’s good” feel, but that’s everything I like in a horror film. It’s worth a watch for its inventive storyline, aesthetically pleasing visuals and stunning soundtrack by Sean Lennon.
★★★
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