A woman starts exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior after asking her husband for a divorce. Suspicions of infidelity soon give way to something much more sinister.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- 5 wins & 4 nominations.
- See more »
Reviews:
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Isabelle Adjani | ... |
Anna / Helen
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| Sam Neill | ... |
Mark
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| Margit Carstensen | ... |
Margit Gluckmeister
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| Heinz Bennent | ... |
Heinrich
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Johanna Hofer | ... |
Heinrich's Mother
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| Carl Duering | ... |
Detective
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Shaun Lawton | ... |
Zimmermann
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Michael Hogben | ... |
Bob
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Maximilian Rüthlein | ... |
Man with Pink Socks
(as Maximilian Ruethlein)
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Thomas Frey | ... |
Pink Sock's Acolyte
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Leslie Malton | ... |
Sara
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Gerd Neubert | ... |
Subway Drunk
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Kerstin Wohlfahrt |
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Ilse Bahrs |
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Karin Mumm |
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Herbert Chwoika |
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Barbara Stanek |
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Ilse Trautschold |
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Harry Riebauer | ... |
Man at the Conference (uncredited)
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Dragomir Stanojevic | ... |
Taxi Driver (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Andrzej Zulawski | ... | (a film by) |
Written by
| Andrzej Zulawski | ... | (original screenplay) |
| Andrzej Zulawski | ... | (adaptation) & |
| Frederic Tuten | ... | (adaptation) |
| Andrzej Zulawski | ... | (dialogue) & |
| Frederic Tuten | ... | (dialogue) |
Produced by
| Marie-Laure Reyre | ... | producer (produced by) |
Music by
| Andrzej Korzynski | ... | (music) |
Cinematography by
| Bruno Nuytten | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Marie-Sophie Dubus | ... | (editing) |
| Suzanne Lang-Willar | ... | (editing) |
Editorial Department
| Jutta Omura | ... | assistant editor |
| Sabine Prenczina | ... | assistant editor (as Sabine Marang) |
Art Direction by
| Holger Gross | ||
Costume Design by
| Ingrid Zoré | ... | (costumes) (as Ingrid Zore) |
Makeup Department
| Ronaldo Abreu | ... | makeup |
| Laurence Azouvy | ... | makeup |
Production Management
| Axel Behr | ... | unit manager |
| Klaus-Michael Kuehn | ... | production manager: Germany |
| Harald Muchametow | ... | unit manager (as Harald Muchametov) |
| Jean-José Richer | ... | production manager (as Jean-Jose Richer) |
| Heinz-Jürgen Schmidt | ... | unit manager (as Jurgen Schmidt) |
| Knut Winkler | ... | unit manager |
Art Department
| Peter Alteneder | ... | props |
| Wolfgang Kallnischkies | ... | props |
| Barbara Kloth | ... | assistant art director |
| Mario Stock | ... | props |
Sound Department
| Norman Engel | ... | sound |
| Karl-Heinz Laabs | ... | sound |
| Jacques Maumont | ... | mixing |
Special Effects by
| Charles-Henri Assola | ... | special effects |
| Daniel Braunschweig | ... | special effects |
| Carlo Rambaldi | ... | special effects: the creature |
Stunts
| Willi Neuner | ... | stuntman |
| Miomir Radevic-Pigi | ... | stuntman (as Radevic Miorier) |
| Dragomir Stanojevic | ... | stuntman |
| Herbert Wiczorek | ... | stuntman |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Dieter Ahlich | ... | electrician |
| Manfred Bogdahn | ... | electrician |
| Ulrich Clauss | ... | still photographer (as Ullrich Clauss) |
| Dieter Dentzer | ... | electrician |
| Andrzej J. Jaroszewicz | ... | camera operator (as Andrzej Jaroszewicz) |
| Peter Kalisch | ... | assistant camera (as Peter Kalisch) |
| Idislawe Kielar | ... | assistant camera |
| Pascal Marti | ... | assistant camera |
| Pat Miller | ... | electrician |
| Ernst Simoneit | ... | grip |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Barbara Lutz | ... | wardrobe |
| Helmut Preuss | ... | wardrobe |
Script and Continuity Department
| Christiane Helle | ... | continuity |
Additional Crew
| Henry Dutrannoy | ... | accountant (as Henri Dutrannoy) |
| Aline Engelsen | ... | secretary |
| Jürgen Holzheider | ... | accountant (as Jurgen Holzheider) |
| Ernestine Kahn | ... | dialogue coach |
| Agnes Leonard | ... | secretary |
| Heike Rudolph | ... | secretary |
| Eva-Maria Schönecker | ... | assistant to the director |
Production Companies
- Gaumont
- Oliane Productions (co-production)
- Marianne Productions (co-production)
- Soma Film Produktion (co-production: Berlin)
Distributors
- Gaumont (1981) (France) (theatrical)
- NV Meteor Film (1981) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- New Realm Entertainments (1981) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Limelight International (1983) (United States) (theatrical) (cut version)
- Elsevier Select Video (1984) (Netherlands) (VHS)
- Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF) (1984) (Belgium) (tv) (RTBF2) (French speaking region)
- Thorn EMI Video Australia (1984) (Australia) (video)
- Reid & Puskar (1985) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Rugged Films (1985) (United States) (theatrical) (as "The Night the Screaming Stops") (cut version) (retitled re-release)
- Canal+ (1986) (France) (tv)
- Vestron Video (1986) (United States) (VHS) (cut version)
- Daiei Eiga (1988) (Japan) (theatrical) (cut) (censored)
- AV Hits Home Video (Brazil) (VHS)
- Une Vidéo (1999) (France) (VHS)
- Anchor Bay Entertainment (2000) (United States) (DVD) (PAL speed-up master)
- Anchor Bay Entertainment (2000) (United States) (VHS) (PAL speed-up master)
- Studio S Entertainment (2000) (Sweden) (DVD)
- Works Editora (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
- Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD) (PAL speed-up master)
- Bildstörung (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
- TF1 Vidéo (2009) (France) (DVD) (PAL speed-up master)
- Stingray (2010) (Japan) (DVD) (PAL speed-up master)
- Bleeding Light Film Group (2011) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release) (35mm) (uncut version)
- Excesso Entertainment (2012) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Mondo Vision (2014) (World-wide) (Blu-ray)
- Metrograph Pictures (2021) (United States) (theatrical) (4K restoration)
- Tamasa Distribution (2021) (France) (theatrical) (4K restoration)
- Tamasa Distribution (2021) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Umbrella Entertainment (2021) (Australia)
- Emiliano Piedra, P.C. (1981) (Spain) (theatrical)
- Umbrella Entertainment (2023) (Australia)
- VTC (United Kingdom) (VHS) (as VTC Entertainment)
- Wynmore Video (Canada) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Oliane Productions (music publishing)
- Wigs Studios (wig by: Miss Adjani)
- Laboratoire Dencott (green eyes by: Miss Adjani)
- Arnold & Richter Cine Technik (ARRI) (cameras)
- Les Films Michel François (titles)
- Motion Picture Association (MPA)
- Pyral (magnetic tape)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
During a secretive business trip away, Mark learns that his wife Anna is growing restless in what he believed was their happy marriage. Upon his return home, he learns from her that she wants a divorce. They both go through a series of different emotions related to their situation, Mark's which is generally obsessive about learning why Anna, who he still loves, wants the divorce, and Anna's which is generally increasingly histrionic in getting away from Mark. Caught in the middle is their infant son Bob, who Mark uses as a gage to Anna's mental state. Anna states that her want for the divorce is not because of another man, but Mark finds out that Anna has a lover named Heinrich. In the meantime, Mark also meets Bob's teacher Helen, who looks exactly like Anna, but is her polar opposite in temperament. Starting a relationship with Helen lessens his obsession with Anna. But as Mark and Anna's encounters together reach more emotional and violent levels, Mark, with help of a private investigative firm, learns that Anna's love life is not all that it appears. Anna's true obsession has a somewhat gruesome process and nothing will stop her from reaching her end goal. Written by Huggo |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | ...You'll Never Go Out Alone at Night Again. ("The Night the Screaming Stopped" release) See more » |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Isabelle Adjani is reported as saying: "Possession is only the type of film you can do when you are young. He [Zulawski] is a director that makes you sink into his world of darkness and his demons. It is okay when you are young, because you are excited to go there. His movies are very special, but they totally focus on women, as if they are lilies. It was quite an amazing film to do, but I got bruised, inside out. It was exciting to do. It was no bones broken, but it was like, 'How or why did I do that?' I don't think any other actress ever did two films with him." See more » |
| Goofs | (at around 54 mins) In the kitchen scene where Anna cuts herself with an electric knife, Mark picks it up and starts slicing his left arm multiple times. The next day, he is in the kitchen again with his sleeves rolled up, but there are no cuts on his arm. Given the surreal nature of this film, this could have been planned. The camera focuses on the supposedly sliced arm. One can only speculate what message was intended, if in fact the "gaff" was intentional. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited into Possession (1981) - Sexuality and Family Structure (2018). See more » |
| Quotes |
Anna:
I can't exist by myself because I'm afraid of myself, because I'm the maker of my own evil. See more » |