Possessor
A corporate assassin who hijacks bodies through neural implants must fight to retain her identity when a mission turns her own weaponized consciousness against her.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- disturbing
- paranoid
- visceral
- late night horror marathon
- halloween viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Brandon Cronenberg’s formally sophisticated direction, striking visuals, performances, and provocative use of body horror, while recognizing its extreme violence as intentionally divisive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Brain-implant technology allows corporate assassins to inhabit and manipulate other bodies.
Tasya Vos loses control while trapped in Colin Tate’s mind and struggles to preserve a coherent self.
The film contrasts corporate technology and stark environments with blood-soaked murders and grotesque bodily imagery.
Tasya works for a company that uses neural possession to conduct killings for corporate benefit.
Films like Possessor, and why
Videodrome
shared body horror, identity dissolution, invasive technology, and psychologically disturbing science fiction
eXistenZ
shared cyberpunk paranoia, corporate control, surreal violence, and unstable identity
Upgrade
shared dystopian technology, bodily transformation, graphic imagery, and bleak psychological intensity
Infinity Pool
shared alienated protagonists, grim technological control, and visceral horror-thriller atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Brandon Cronenberg
- Release Date
- 2020-10-02
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (1111)
Cast
- Andrea Riseborough
- Christopher Abbott
- Jennifer Jason Leigh
- Sean Bean
- Tuppence Middleton
- Rossif Sutherland
- Kaniehtiio Horn
- Raoul Bhaneja
- Gage Graham-Arbuthnot
- Gabrielle Graham
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Possessor about?
- A corporate assassin who hijacks bodies through neural implants must fight to retain her identity when a mission turns her own weaponized consciousness against her.
- What is Possessor like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Possessor as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Possessor violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Possessor as graphic.
- What did critics think of Possessor?
- Critics broadly praised Brandon Cronenberg’s formally sophisticated direction, striking visuals, performances, and provocative use of body horror, while recognizing its extreme violence as intentionally divisive.
- Which films are like Possessor?
- Films with a similar feel include Videodrome, eXistenZ, Upgrade, and Infinity Pool.
- How long is Possessor?
- Possessor runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Possessor?
- In United States, Possessor is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
