Possession – Second Sight Films Blu-ray Review
Some films challenge their audience. Others confront them outright. Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession doesn’t simply ask to be watched, it demands emotional surrender, pushing you into a state of unsettled weirdness as it burrows deep into your thoughts to nest long after the credits roll. It’s an emotionally raw descent into marital collapse that disguises itself as horror, only to reveal something far stranger and more disturbing beneath the surface.
Released in 1981 and starring Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani, Possession has long existed at the crossroads of arthouse cinema and horror, revered, debated, misunderstood, and frequently mislabelled. Second Sight Films’ new Blu-ray release finally gives the film a presentation that matches its reputation – thoughtful, uncompromising, and exhaustive.
At its most basic level, Possession chronicles the collapse of a marriage. Mark returns to West Berlin after an extended absence to discover that his wife Anna wants out — not just of the relationship, but seemingly of reality itself. What follows is a vicious spiral of emotional manipulation, jealousy, obsession and loss of identity.
Żuławski directs with a manic intensity, staging domestic conflict as something monstrous and contagious. The performances are pitched deliberately high: Sam Neill veers between cold detachment and unhinged fury, while Isabelle Adjani delivers a physically and emotionally exhausting turn that remains almost unmatched in modern cinema. Her Cannes Best Actress double win that year was no accident – this is a performance that feels endured more than acted.
Horror enters the film with less spectacle, more metaphor. When it finally becomes literal, it feels like a natural extension of the emotional carnage already inflicted. Berlin itself, divided, concrete, and claustrophobic, mirrors the characters’ internal fractures, reinforcing the sense that escape is impossible.
This is not a film that offers comfort or clarity. Its meanings are fluid, its symbolism confrontational, and its emotional violence relentless. Possession doesn’t need to be liked – it needs to be survived.
Second Sight’s Blu-ray transfer is strong and appropriately restrained. Grain is intact and consistent – if at times a little “digital” – preserving the abrasive texture of the original photography without artificial smoothing. Detail is strong across the board, particularly in closeups, where the intensity of the performances becomes almost unbearable.
Colours skew cold and muted, favouring greys, blues and sickly yellows that suit the film’s oppressive tone. Black levels are stable, shadow detail is well maintained, and the image retains a pleasingly filmic quality throughout. The North American re-edit’s psychedelic insanity almost boils your eyes.
Audio is clean and well balanced, handling the film’s frequent tonal extremes with confidence. Dialogue remains intelligible even during moments of emotional excess, while Andrzej Korzyński’s unsettling score is given proper space to resonate. Ambient noise and silence are used effectively, reinforcing the film’s sense of isolation and dread.
Special Features
● A new 4K restoration presented in HDR with Dolby Vision approved by the Producer
● Dual format three-disc edition including one UHD and two Blu-rays with main feature and
bonus features on both discs.
● Includes the North American Re-edit: newly restored from an archive print
● New Audio Commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Alison Taylor
● Audio Commentary by Director Andrzej Żuławski moderated by Daniel Bird
● Audio Commentary by Frederic Tuten moderated by Daniel Bird
● New Audio Commentary by Daniel Bird and Manuela Lazic (The North American Re-edit)
● The Horror of Normality: Guillermo del Toro on Possession
● The Shadow We Carry: Kat Ellinger on Possession
● Repossessed: The Film’s UK and US reception
● Andrzej Żuławski – Director: archive documentary
● A Divided City: The Berlin locations
● The Sounds of Possession: an interview with Composer Andrzej Korzynski
● Our Friend in the West: an interview with Producer Christian Ferry
● Basha: a featurette on poster artist Barbara ‘Basha’ Baranowska
● The Other Side of The Wall: The Making of Possession
● Archive interview with Andrzej Żuławski
● Deleted Scenes
● Theatrical Trailer
Limited Edition Contents
● Rigid slipcase with Basha’s original theatrical artwork
● 220-page hardback book with new essays by Daniel Bird, Elena Lazic and Alison Taylor, ‘The
Creature: Preliminary Sketches’, ‘Filming Possession’, ‘The Poster of Possession’, pressbook
feature, archive articles and interviews and Behind the Scenes gallery
● 211-page original shooting script with notes by Andrzej Żuławski and Frederic Tuten
● Six collectors’ art cards
Second Sight’s supplemental material is typically thoughtful and substantial. Interviews and analytical pieces explore the film’s production history, Żuławski’s confrontational working methods, and the psychological toll the film took on its cast. Importantly, the extras frame Possession as both a personal work and a product of political and emotional exile. The North American re-edit is half the length of the original and a completely different experience, its inclusion here is much appreciated and perhaps even wilder than the full version.
Commentaries and critical discussions offer multiple angles without attempting to “solve” the film, while the physical presentation reinforces Second Sight’s commitment to treating cult cinema with academic seriousness.
Possession is a punishing experience, emotionally draining, narratively unstable and deliberately abrasive. But it is also a singular work of personal cinema, one that transforms marital breakdown into something mythic, grotesque and truly unforgettable.
Second Sight Films’ Blu-ray release presents the film with the respect it demands, solidifying its status not merely as a cult horror title, but as one of the most uncompromising films of the early 1980s.
