The Possessed (1965) Blu-ray

The Possessed is a wonderfully atmospheric proto-giallo based on one of Italy s most notorious crimes, The Alleghe killings, and adapted from the book on that case by acclaimed literary figure Giovanni Comisso.

Peter Baldwin (The Ghost, The Weekend Murders) stars as Bernard, a depressed novelist who sets off in search of his old flame Tilde (Virna Lisi, La Reine Margot), a beautiful maid who works at a remote lakeside hotel. Bernard is warmly greeted by the hotel owner Enrico (Salvo Randone, Fellini's Satyricon) and his daughter Irma (Valentina Cortese, Thieves Highway, The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire), but Tilde has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Bernard undertakes an investigation and is soon plunged into a disturbing drama of familial secrets, perversion, madness and murder...

Co-written by Giulio Questi (Death Laid an Egg, Arcana) and co-directed by Luigi Bazzoni (The Fifth Cord, Footprints on the Moon), The Possessed masterfully combines film noir, mystery and giallo tropes, whilst also drawing on the formal innovations of 1960s art cinema (particularly the films of Michael Antonioni). A uniquely dreamlike take on true crime, The Possessed is presented here in a stunning new restoration.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative

High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation

Original Italian and English soundtracks, titles and credits

Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM audio

Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack

Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack

New audio commentary by writer and critic Tim Lucas

Richard Dyer on The Possessed, a newly filmed video appreciation by the cultural critic and academic

Cat s Eyes, an interview with the film's makeup artist Giannetto De Rossi

Two Days a Week, an interview with the film's award-winning assistant art director Dante Ferretti

The Legacy of the Bazzoni Brothers, an interview with actor/director Francesco Barilli, a close friend of Luigi and Camillo Bazzoni

Original trailers

Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Andreas Ehrenreich, Roberto Curti and original reviews