A Head Full of Ghosts

“Karen Brissette’s” second blog post delves into the first episode of The Possession. Her perspective is that the show’s introduction succeeds at indirectly citing the Barrett’s dire financial situation as the motivation behind their willingness to allow a “documentary” film crew access to their private anguish. “Karen” suggests that Father Wanderly was the intermediary who contacted the Discovery Channel, as his parish was also struggling and in need of funds. The show was structured around background dramatic recreations, with members of the Barrett family portrayed by actors, talking head interview footage, and raw footage of the actual Barrett family collected once the film crew arrived at their home.

“Karen” highlights the elements of the production which mimic the film The Exorcist. “Karen” delves into her own vast knowledge of popular horror to illustrate that the production crew of The Possession clearly shared the same frame of reference and deliberately integrated elements of The Exorcist into the final cutting of the show. “Karen” emphasizes the difference in age between 14-year-old Marjorie and 23-year-old Liz Jaffe, who portrayed Marjorie in The Possession’s dramatizations. She discusses how the actress was sexualized through the decision to dress her in minimal clothing and camera angles which highlighted her physical attributes.