*Hey! Leave your video suggests and requests below!* Also, I'm now on TWITCH playing and discussing games, etc. so come chat to us there: www.twitch.tv/horrorhollinger
I’d honestly love to hear your thoughts on The Wolf House if you don’t mind! Also, Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated is genuinely one of the best adaptations of the series that has so many horror elements.
@@otakusage123 Ooo! I haven't heard of Spooky Rice, thanks for the tip! I also like Cinema Summary. EDIT: Okay maybe not. Those movies Spooky Rice reviews seem a little too much even to hear about. He seems a little... intense.
Emptiness and detachment could become terrifying ... I love how they treated human feelings and how it becomes more complex with some futuristic machine
Look, look, this is about much more than just business. This is about the thrill of wearing another man's skin. Feeling his innermost wants and desires and being in control of his every single move. That's how you get off.
It’s wonderful to see the Cronenberg mantle carry on with Brandon. He’s really embracing the mindfuckery that made his father’s greatest films the best of body horror & many of science-fiction horror in particular
Ryan has only done 1 David Cronenberg movie & he admitted he’s not that familiar with the madness of those films. He does mention the familial connection a bit, but Ryan needs to do more of the older Cronenberg’s work
I love the way Girder's mannerisms and affectations reflect Vos's in some ways. Girder is very tactile. She relishes in little things like putting lotion on her hands or drinking a glass of water in the same way that Vos indulges in slowly running her hands through pools of blood. Its as if after having all emotion and identity stripped completely away, all that remains is the sensation of physical touch.
Some would argue that the immediate sensation is where the self really lies. I believe it was Camus that posited that we are both everything and nothing because we and our experience of the world are all we can ever truly experience of the world; that is, the world only exists on a subjective level.
I loved the film, and there's one absolutely minor thing I couldn't shake - seeing everyone vape. I'm not sure why, but that decision made me think that even though cigarettes are becoming obsolete, and are increasingly accepted as dangerous, it doesn't stop people from accessing nicotine another way. We've found a way to digitalise our addictions, and even though *how* we consume nicotine is changing, the core addiction remains. Progress isn't always actual progress.
This is obviously seen elsewhere, in that assassination remains, despite being digitalised. Spying remains, despite being digitalised. We think we're a species that is progressing - the rising ape, not the falling angel - but really we play the same games in ever fancier playgrounds.
I see your point, but I also saw it as very realistic. In first world countries, fewer and fewer people smoke, (and cigarettes are getting more and more expensive), and more and more people vape (and vaping products are constantly getting cheaper and better/safer). For movies supposed to be set in our current time period, it would be strange to see young people chain smoke like in the old days. Especially now that smoking inside is a big no-no in most first world countries.
It is kind of. Vape truly is less damaging and a good transition alternative to cigarettes. But, yes, the best case scenario is nobody smokes and get's addicted to nicotine.
The imagery of Collin crushing Voss' head in, which then turns into a mask of her own face, haunts me, and I didn't even watch the movie (IDK if I can stomach it). No wonder him putting on the mask is the cover image of the movie
@@thebatman4279 I hate watching people getting stabbed mercilessly. I get that physical empathy pain and I just can't imagine the nightmare of being completely maimed with no restraint by another human
It's odd because David has kind if moved away from that too, existenz had a body horror element but most of his recent work, a history if violence, cosmopolis, eastern promises and such may have hints of it but they're more drama thriller type films than the visceral nightmare of dead ringers or videodrome, they're great don't get me wrong, just not that same body horror feel. Now Brandon comes along and pumps out two films every bit as horrific as his father's at his best, he's kind of picked up the torch in my eyes in a way...
The loss of identity transforms from something that is being taken to something that we want to give away. The fear of losing the ability to distinguish between that difference because of how we want technology to further our own dissociation from ourselves. Such a cool horror take, hope we see something from Cronenberg Jr before too long
this film sort of reminds me of Jonathan Glazer's Under The Skin (easily one of my recent favourites) and Andrea Riseborough was so so good in Mandy, seems like a must watch this one !
The whole sean bean sequence *shudders* Thats how body horror works so well, and why the Cronenbergs are the masters, its cringe inducing but you can't peel your eyes away
To those who saw this and were really into the working corporate dystopia and body horror, I also recommend Brandon's first movie *Antiviral.* It's beautiful, repulsive, and also feels appropriate today with its commentary on obsession with celebrities in our age of internet celebrities and their obsessive fans idealizing them
wait till you see the amazing cinematography alongside the film score. it'll make you feel so uncomfortable in the best way possible and as if you are experiencing something you have never experienced before, almost as if you ate too much candy before going to bed so your dreams are just on another level of fucked up.
The thing about these videos is that you truly can sit back and watch, soaking it all in without having to challenge anything because damn Ryan always makes sure he know what the hell he’s talking about
PSA: This movie comes out on (American at least) Hulu tomorrow! So if you want go in fresh and then watch Ryan's video you don't have to wait too long!
The idea of another person entering and controlling your body...devouring your identity, is so damn scary. Even the scene where she is mimicking her target's voice patterns is unsettling. Everything that makes you YOU is being stolen and absorbed by a stranger
I saw this in the cinema with my friend and afterwards when we were walking back to the bus stop in absolutely miserable, freezing weather, we had to take a lap around the block because we just weren't ready to go our seperate ways and stop talking about it. Possessor is easily my favourite film of 2020 and I've been looking forward to this video since I walked out of that cinema.
His father is def in my top 10 for most interesting directors, it’s almost frightening and I wonder if it’s projects left over from his father that he is putting out, anti viral and possessor are truly original-in-depth-slowly-drawn-out-featured-sci-fi in a modern world of depth lacking, cgi, booms and explosions, sequels and remakes we have a uniqueness unrivaled by that of few other featured artists.
I believe that the ending with the son was actually planned. There had seemed to be a glitch that was showing up before the last job. Voss had that interaction with the tech and it was made to seem that it was something going on for a little bit. This last job was set up to make voss stay in the world. Down to the fact that her son was possessed. That takes a bit to set up. So it seems he got possessed around the same time voss was starting the job. It was all a manipulation to has voss choose the company over her family. No matter what she did, it was going to end that way. In a way, there is a lot of parallels to the military. How they control your life, how you become desensitized, how they dont want you to have a family outside of the military. Even the part about losing yourself and having to recalibrate when around other people is what military people have to deal with. I wounder if that parallel was on purpose or accidental due to the nature of what her job entails
Soldier, assassin, insurance salesman, factory worker, whatever. No matter who we are, or what we do, there are things in the modern world that we are compelled to ignore. Be it by force, by coercion, by tradition, or by influence. Under our current system we are tools. We are a means to an end. Many of us are set up to fail. And those of us who aren’t, spend our entire lives making sure that somebody else is.
@@HexManiac-nf1yg there is a saying in the military, "if they wanted you to have a spouse, you would be assigned one". They prefer single soldiers. You can be deployed longer if you are single, they dont have to pay for spouses and kids so it is cheaper, and you will be more "dedicated " to the military if you dont have a family as a priority. There is a reason (a couple actually) that they try to recruit soldiers right out of high school. Being single is one. It is something you see more of when you are in the military. They obviously will not tell you that you cant get married or deny you if you already are, but you see how things differ when you are.
Girder was the one who possessed Vos' son though, and we see her going around the facility and engaging with the rest of the team throughout Vos' job (not possessing anyone). That means her son could only have been possessed towards the end of the movie.
Easily the most affective horror/sci fi movie I’ve seen in 2020, some of the murder scenes are actually hard to watch which is rare with my desensitized ass.
I honestly thought the same thing when I saw hereditary. I thought i was so jaded and desensitized that no horror film could actually get to me. Then i watched hereditary. Then i proceeded to eat my words.
@@ArkaeaFCL3 completely agree, im sure some horror fans are sick of talking about Hereditary but I its 'overrated' for a reason, I didnt think a horror movie of the type that Hereditary is could be scary to me anymore and that I would only enjoy the interesting filmmaking, but it really brought the frightening back 😊
@Ryan Hollinger i think there is two things from your synopsis that you forgot to mention. 1. She doesn't want Voz to be the perfect assasin, she wants her to replace her position as delegater in the company. Voz is already the perfect assasin, when she is unable to kill herself in the beginning they hint at Voz has done to many journeys and i think that what they meant was that when you loose a part of yourself the host has easier to gain control, as in self preservation. My analysis is that the whole thing was orchestrated, even implant Ira, so that Voz would be the new delegater. 2. The last conversation with Colin suggest that Voz isn't actually killing the victims, the host's are. That she manipulates our underlining urge to kill others is what makes the deadly blow. And therefore i think the murders become so violent because of this. Which makes for a even more harrowing end. That Voz manipulates Colin to go after her family cause she deep down wants to get rid of them, or at least her husband. And with the stabbing from Ira she can finally do the killing blow she couldn't do. Therefore she looses the last of her guilt.
Videos like this are one of the reasons I like the channel so much - I'd never even heard of this film! So much of the media Ryan talks about is new to me, and it's great to learn about horror I never would have known about otherwise. I do have a couple of suggestions for videos! The first is a stop motion film called "The Wolf House," that's very artsy and open to interpretation, and I've like to hear Ryan's take on it. The second is more "normie," but it's something that I've been thinking about more often in light of the recently released Resident Evil 8 demo. In Resident Evil 7, Evelyn is treated as the big bad and not given much sympathy by the narrative. I've heard some people argue that as a lab creation, she couldn't have known better; that all she wanted was a family and she was simply pursuing that in the only way she knew how. Others say that she was aware of what she was doing, and just didn't care about her "family," treating them as her toys. There's a solid argument to be made both ways, I think, but it could be neat to see what Ryan has to say about it! Anyway, keep up the great content, Mr. Hollinger!
I think with Colin the kidnapping was to implant the possessor chip, but with Ira he was likely implanted long ago as a failsafe if Voz didn't let go of her familial attachments on her own
@@nii9466 I think he may have been implanted far later than that. Given that Colin gained access to Vos's memories it was inevitable that he would eventually zero in on her family. He would know that it was the last thing she had any emotional connection to and therefore they were a means to gain some leverage against her. I think the moment he was implanted with the chip was before he walked out of the side street and first spoke to Colin.
@@midnightmosesuk its possible! i really appreciate when things are left vague like that, everyone's different interpretations and theories are so interesting! :D
Great video. Thanks for clarifying the "pull me out" bits because I thought Taysa's killing her possessed subject would also kill herself...still doesn't make much sense to me because it'd probably mentally fuck her up by killing herself in someone else's body.
I like the symbolism of the butterfly too because it's represented the soul for a long time and her indifference to it at the end seems to indicate a loss of, or complete detachment from her soul, and/or the death of it represented in the blood pools. I don't really watch any of these movies but I enjoy your videos so I can still explore the stories they're trying to tell without enduring the trauma of watching them play out. This one was especially interesting to me in terms of concept.
The themes of this movie remind me a bit of Undertale, in that they both involve someone entering another the role of another person, where they can harm others yet receive no direct consequence themselves.
I didn’t find her resistant to the violence (hence the question posed to her regarding the use of the knife instead of the gun ), she has grown to it. This maybe more apparent in the uncut version
Great to see Irish creators discussing horror cinema in such depth. One of my favourite films of last year. Would love to see a video on Mandy (2018); Bliss (2019; or Climax (2018)
what stood out about this movie to me was the emphasis on intimacy between collin and vos. there’s something extremely and deeply intimate about the thought of living inside the mind of another person. every aspect of them, every desire, every quirk, every insecurity would be completely impossible to hide. they’re stuck together and are forced to learn everything about each other. i think this was to show that these people are brainwashed and numb and broken, but they’re still human beings that crave real companionship whether or not it takes form in a toxic relationship. especially for vos, i saw this “relationship” (its completely non consensual and fucked), as her desperate last grasp for human connection before she was inevitably completely disconnected from herself. that’s just what jumped out at me on my watch
I’ve studied so many things that many movies just bore me, your channel is amazing. I usually start your reviews to see what’s up and before spoilers I’m usually convinced that your perspective might be more valuable than going through some movies alone, bravo for that
I'm very thankful for this channel. I rarely find videos that discuss intelligent films, even more rarely do I find intelligent discussions about intelligent films
I love the concepts and tone of horror movies, but I HATE being scared. I love that this channel tells me about these terrifying movies so I can enjoy their meanings while being able to sleep at night :)
I watched this one with zero knowledge of its plot or anything. I had watched Brandon's first film, Antiviral, but even it didn't prepare me for this one. Really stays with you for a long time. Utterly effective and totally gutted me.
Grea vid as always. Also have to mention the fantastic use of practical effects that harkens back to his father's work and films like hellraiser--the reverse melt effects are amazing.
"by the end of this video I hope to convince you why it's my favourite movie of 2020." - I definitely don't need convincing haha, this movie is incredible
Love the video! I just watched this for the first time in order to prepare for this video and I was absolutely blown away. A truly masterful debut for Cronenberg Jr. Also it was really great that you announced the film that you were covering a couple days early. I really enjoyed being able to watch the video as soon as it came out rather than waiting until I can find time to watch the film myself. Absolutely love the channel. Keep up the good work
I know this video is three years old but man that ending. Hearing it today after a twelve hour shift, measuring hour by hour. Forced conversations and automatic responses. Maybe its cause its 4 am as I'm watching this but that hit hard.
So glad I'm not the only one who noticed the blood pool form at the end and what it resembled. Ryan is the only other person I've seen who pointed that out and I found it to be so powerful, it gave me chills.
Ryan is truly on another level in terms of his breakdowns. I watch a lot of guys who do Similar videos, and they’re great, but the faint music in the background matched with Ryan’s impressive yet understandable vocabulary and pin point breakdowns is just amazing. Keep it up my man.
I took her inability to kill herself as signs of her losing control of the mind, and the hosts consciousness pushing back. It’s hard to argue she’s having remorse when she revels in such brutal torture of her targets, ala slowly breaking off teeth, and taking out an eye. Anyone who would be struggling with empathy would not be getting hands on, and taking their time -enjoying it. The gun would be the preferred mode of killing as its a detached form of killing.
Just discovered your channel about 2 weeks ago. I've been missing out. You should cover more 2020 horror films like this one, Swallow, Relic, The Lodge, and the invisible man are all amazing.
I don't even watch horror movies but your breakdowns are the next best thing. Even though I can't stand being jumpscared, I can still appreciate them for their art and what they say about the human condition. When they're good at least.
00:01 yes! i watched this before christmas (im festive like that) i can’t wait to hear what you think of it. (i tweeted Ryan about this so i’m taking personal credit for this video existing 🤣)
I was lucky enough to see this when it ran the first limited release in a theatre here in Houston last year. It left me absolutely speechless and became my favorite film of 2020.
I remember watching the trailer for this and immediately thinking “This movie looks deeply disturbing and fascinating. And I don’t think I need that in my life right now.” This belief stands.
I get it. Normally, I would be all over this but now I don't feel like it's a good time. Don't feel like I want to submit myself to any disturbing films right now...
Throwing shade at Tenet aside (although I can see where you're coming from on it), I really dug this video. I watched Possessor Uncut a couple months back after seeing a trailer for it and hearing good word of mouth on it. And I was blown away. I really loved the performances of Riseborough and Abbott, and the film in parts reminds me of stuff like Altered States or Under the Skin. Hell, this feels like something that David Cronenberg would have made in the early to mid 80s (probably around the time of Videodrome). It'll probably be awhile before I revisit it because of just how goddamn bleak it is. I Great video, and I look forward to what you do for the rest of the year.
It's always such a joy to come across a highly budgeted western production with a non-standardised vision in both its visuals and its narrative. It happens so damn rarely in this era of studio controlled films that are laser-engineered to follow specific formulas that have been proven to get asses into cinemas that you really do have to be thankful for films like Possessor.
Yes! I'm finally ahead of one of these videos for once. Don't have to add this to the "Watch later" and come back in a week or two when I finally see it!
Hey Ryan, I recommend you cover The Lovely Bones when you get a chance. Though not explicitly horror, that film broke my heart more than most tragedies I've ever seen.
Thanks, Ryan! POSSESSOR was one of the few movies I got to see in cinemas in 2020 when there was a brief respite between shut-downs. But I'm so glad I saw this one, it spoke to me... deeply. I can't wait to introduce it to one of my nieces, who adores the genre.
The absolute and utter bleakness of this ending evokes that of Black Mirror's "Crocodile". I would be interested to get some insight into what draws Andrea Riseborough to these types of stories and protagonists. As always, a thoughtful and enjoyable review, thank you!
God I love this film, but I will say the chip in the brain thing really annoyed me and took me out of the film because the entire point is to leave absolutely no trace on the hits but there is nothing MORE conspicuous and easy to trace then there being a chip drilled into the brain of every person the cops find. Literally any autopsy would find this.
Wow. As someone struggling with BPD, and with aspects of myself that I'd really like to nullify, identity dysmorphia is meaningful to me. This film seems uncomfortable as well as comprehensive. No surprise, since that's exactly how I feel about this aspect of my personality. Definitely something I'll want to check out when I have the time!
*Hey! Leave your video suggests and requests below!*
Also, I'm now on TWITCH playing and discussing games, etc. so come chat to us there: www.twitch.tv/horrorhollinger
Salems Lot👍
P.s great channel mate
Hi Ryan, hope you're well.
Chasing sleep
The taking of Debrah Logan
Thanks!
The Void and the Ginger Snaps trilogy
I’d honestly love to hear your thoughts on The Wolf House if you don’t mind! Also, Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated is genuinely one of the best adaptations of the series that has so many horror elements.
The Sean Bean meme has gotten so out of hand that it can now be used deliberately to fool us
@Julia Erstgeist i thought it was supposed to symbolize the struggle with empathy because they showed him after the news said he survived.
No way did he survive without some permanent brain damage, though; he got his brain scrambled with an iron spike.
"In some respects our lives are controlled more by distractions than purpose"
god damm
Same. I had to pause the video there for a minute.
Yeah, I noticed it too.
@Cenestpasmapersonnalité yup. When the destination is meaningless and undesirable, what else is left but distractions?
Yeah that last bit fucked me up.
@Cenestpasmapersonnalité What happens when you run out of distractions?
Ryan, you are truly my gateway to horror films. I've discovered more films through your channel than anywhere else. Thank you.
You should look at foundflix
Dude that’s awesome! Please check out spooky rice, dead meat and foundflix! You won’t be disappointed!
@@otakusage123 Ooo! I haven't heard of Spooky Rice, thanks for the tip! I also like Cinema Summary.
EDIT: Okay maybe not. Those movies Spooky Rice reviews seem a little too much even to hear about. He seems a little... intense.
@@cgarcia3614 spooky himself is really funny but the movies he covers can be pretty fubar
@@otakusage123 ayeeee, I was gonna say the same thing :)
Emptiness and detachment could become terrifying ... I love how they treated human feelings and how it becomes more complex with some futuristic machine
Look, look, this is about much more than just business. This is about the thrill of wearing another man's skin. Feeling his innermost wants and desires and being in control of his every single move. That's how you get off.
Dont you wanna get off with me?
Let's get offffff together.
The dead finger got you off?!
Ominous church bell rings**
You’re NOT Brian Lafevre.
It’s wonderful to see the Cronenberg mantle carry on with Brandon. He’s really embracing the mindfuckery that made his father’s greatest films the best of body horror & many of science-fiction horror in particular
I'm surprised M. Hollinger didn't raise the subject.
Organic implant power!
Ryan has only done 1 David Cronenberg movie & he admitted he’s not that familiar with the madness of those films. He does mention the familial connection a bit, but Ryan needs to do more of the older Cronenberg’s work
Well said..love to hear him interview ed
I love the way Girder's mannerisms and affectations reflect Vos's in some ways. Girder is very tactile. She relishes in little things like putting lotion on her hands or drinking a glass of water in the same way that Vos indulges in slowly running her hands through pools of blood. Its as if after having all emotion and identity stripped completely away, all that remains is the sensation of physical touch.
great observation!
Some would argue that the immediate sensation is where the self really lies. I believe it was Camus that posited that we are both everything and nothing because we and our experience of the world are all we can ever truly experience of the world; that is, the world only exists on a subjective level.
So glad you covered this Ryan! It's an absolute mindfuck of a movie. Love that Sean Bean survived this one
yes! you expected that brutal scene to end in his obvious demise but...
I love how he specified that it was a horror film as if we thought he was gonna randomly talk about a romantic comedy one day
I loved the film, and there's one absolutely minor thing I couldn't shake - seeing everyone vape. I'm not sure why, but that decision made me think that even though cigarettes are becoming obsolete, and are increasingly accepted as dangerous, it doesn't stop people from accessing nicotine another way. We've found a way to digitalise our addictions, and even though *how* we consume nicotine is changing, the core addiction remains. Progress isn't always actual progress.
This is obviously seen elsewhere, in that assassination remains, despite being digitalised. Spying remains, despite being digitalised. We think we're a species that is progressing - the rising ape, not the falling angel - but really we play the same games in ever fancier playgrounds.
Damn that is really neat my dude
I see your point, but I also saw it as very realistic.
In first world countries, fewer and fewer people smoke, (and cigarettes are getting more and more expensive),
and more and more people vape (and vaping products are constantly getting cheaper and better/safer).
For movies supposed to be set in our current time period, it would be strange to see young people chain smoke like in the old days. Especially now that smoking inside is a big no-no in most first world countries.
It is kind of. Vape truly is less damaging and a good transition alternative to cigarettes. But, yes, the best case scenario is nobody smokes and get's addicted to nicotine.
Well the nicotine in Vapes is optional, so I dunno
The imagery of Collin crushing Voss' head in, which then turns into a mask of her own face, haunts me, and I didn't even watch the movie (IDK if I can stomach it). No wonder him putting on the mask is the cover image of the movie
I can’t do realistic gore movies
@@commandercat10 Same here, I physically shielded my face just before Sean Bean had his eyeball messed with. It just feels too real.
@@thebatman4279 I hate watching people getting stabbed mercilessly. I get that physical empathy pain and I just can't imagine the nightmare of being completely maimed with no restraint by another human
Its brutal but beautiful hell of a flick
Brandon Cronenberg is definitely following in his father's body horror footsteps.
It's odd because David has kind if moved away from that too, existenz had a body horror element but most of his recent work, a history if violence, cosmopolis, eastern promises and such may have hints of it but they're more drama thriller type films than the visceral nightmare of dead ringers or videodrome, they're great don't get me wrong, just not that same body horror feel.
Now Brandon comes along and pumps out two films every bit as horrific as his father's at his best, he's kind of picked up the torch in my eyes in a way...
@@andrewhussey4538 And then came Crimes of the Future.
The loss of identity transforms from something that is being taken to something that we want to give away. The fear of losing the ability to distinguish between that difference because of how we want technology to further our own dissociation from ourselves. Such a cool horror take, hope we see something from Cronenberg Jr before too long
The way Ryan explains things have helped me level up my essay writing
The psych test totally reminded me of the Voight-Kampff test from Blade Runner
Bang on 👍
this film sort of reminds me of Jonathan Glazer's Under The Skin (easily one of my recent favourites) and Andrea Riseborough was so so good in Mandy, seems like a must watch this one !
I highly recommend reading Under The Skin as well, it’s such a good book and it stuck with me for a long time
This movie resonated with me heavily.
I quit my soul sucking amazon job after watching it.
The whole sean bean sequence *shudders*
Thats how body horror works so well, and why the Cronenbergs are the masters, its cringe inducing but you can't peel your eyes away
That poster automatically makes me want to see it
To those who saw this and were really into the working corporate dystopia and body horror, I also recommend Brandon's first movie *Antiviral.* It's beautiful, repulsive, and also feels appropriate today with its commentary on obsession with celebrities in our age of internet celebrities and their obsessive fans idealizing them
Is it like a disease movie that is realistic
I didn't catch a lot of new films last year, but just on aesthetics alone I'm already sold. This film looks gorgeous
Even the scariest scenes are GORGEOUSLY shot
wait till you see the amazing cinematography alongside the film score. it'll make you feel so uncomfortable in the best way possible and as if you are experiencing something you have never experienced before, almost as if you ate too much candy before going to bed so your dreams are just on another level of fucked up.
2020 is literally the year i’ve seen the least new movies (for obvious reasons)
Yeah slime pickings you could say 😅
I’ve seen MUCH more films 🎥
@@RyanHollinger slime pickings? Lol
One movie I seen was wolf walkers that released a bit ago
Curious fact: The butterfly in eastern traditions and cultures are often a representation of one soul's and reincarnation.
I got MK ultra monarch butterfly vibes
I thought he was referencing his dad's movie, M. Butterfly
The thing about these videos is that you truly can sit back and watch, soaking it all in without having to challenge anything because damn Ryan always makes sure he know what the hell he’s talking about
PSA: This movie comes out on (American at least) Hulu tomorrow! So if you want go in fresh and then watch Ryan's video you don't have to wait too long!
Thx for the heads up
The idea of another person entering and controlling your body...devouring your identity, is so damn scary.
Even the scene where she is mimicking her target's voice patterns is unsettling.
Everything that makes you YOU is being stolen and absorbed by a stranger
Glad you discussed this one! The violence was, admittedly, a lot for me to stomach but the film overall was very well done and I enjoyed it.
His dad taught him well.
I'm your daddy
@@takkat5102 Why?
@@jwnj9716 what do you mean why? It's because I'm.
@@takkat5102 Why?
@@jwnj9716 it's because I'm, trust me on this. Look I'm gonna go get mom and I order you to help me.
Average person: for now
Ryan: for NOI
I saw this in the cinema with my friend and afterwards when we were walking back to the bus stop in absolutely miserable, freezing weather, we had to take a lap around the block because we just weren't ready to go our seperate ways and stop talking about it. Possessor is easily my favourite film of 2020 and I've been looking forward to this video since I walked out of that cinema.
I would assassinate someone to be able to watch this in a theater!
His father is def in my top 10 for most interesting directors, it’s almost frightening and I wonder if it’s projects left over from his father that he is putting out, anti viral and possessor are truly original-in-depth-slowly-drawn-out-featured-sci-fi in a modern world of depth lacking, cgi, booms and explosions, sequels and remakes we have a uniqueness unrivaled by that of few other featured artists.
I believe that the ending with the son was actually planned. There had seemed to be a glitch that was showing up before the last job. Voss had that interaction with the tech and it was made to seem that it was something going on for a little bit. This last job was set up to make voss stay in the world. Down to the fact that her son was possessed. That takes a bit to set up. So it seems he got possessed around the same time voss was starting the job. It was all a manipulation to has voss choose the company over her family. No matter what she did, it was going to end that way.
In a way, there is a lot of parallels to the military. How they control your life, how you become desensitized, how they dont want you to have a family outside of the military. Even the part about losing yourself and having to recalibrate when around other people is what military people have to deal with. I wounder if that parallel was on purpose or accidental due to the nature of what her job entails
Soldier, assassin, insurance salesman, factory worker, whatever.
No matter who we are, or what we do, there are things in the modern world that we are compelled to ignore. Be it by force, by coercion, by tradition, or by influence.
Under our current system we are tools. We are a means to an end. Many of us are set up to fail. And those of us who aren’t, spend our entire lives making sure that somebody else is.
Since when does the military not want you to have a family?
@@HexManiac-nf1yg there is a saying in the military, "if they wanted you to have a spouse, you would be assigned one". They prefer single soldiers. You can be deployed longer if you are single, they dont have to pay for spouses and kids so it is cheaper, and you will be more "dedicated " to the military if you dont have a family as a priority. There is a reason (a couple actually) that they try to recruit soldiers right out of high school. Being single is one. It is something you see more of when you are in the military. They obviously will not tell you that you cant get married or deny you if you already are, but you see how things differ when you are.
Girder was the one who possessed Vos' son though, and we see her going around the facility and engaging with the rest of the team throughout Vos' job (not possessing anyone). That means her son could only have been possessed towards the end of the movie.
Easily the most affective horror/sci fi movie I’ve seen in 2020, some of the murder scenes are actually hard to watch which is rare with my desensitized ass.
I honestly thought the same thing when I saw hereditary. I thought i was so jaded and desensitized that no horror film could actually get to me. Then i watched hereditary. Then i proceeded to eat my words.
@@ArkaeaFCL3 completely agree, im sure some horror fans are sick of talking about Hereditary but I its 'overrated' for a reason, I didnt think a horror movie of the type that Hereditary is could be scary to me anymore and that I would only enjoy the interesting filmmaking, but it really brought the frightening back 😊
@Ryan Hollinger i think there is two things from your synopsis that you forgot to mention. 1. She doesn't want Voz to be the perfect assasin, she wants her to replace her position as delegater in the company. Voz is already the perfect assasin, when she is unable to kill herself in the beginning they hint at Voz has done to many journeys and i think that what they meant was that when you loose a part of yourself the host has easier to gain control, as in self preservation. My analysis is that the whole thing was orchestrated, even implant Ira, so that Voz would be the new delegater.
2. The last conversation with Colin suggest that Voz isn't actually killing the victims, the host's are. That she manipulates our underlining urge to kill others is what makes the deadly blow. And therefore i think the murders become so violent because of this. Which makes for a even more harrowing end. That Voz manipulates Colin to go after her family cause she deep down wants to get rid of them, or at least her husband. And with the stabbing from Ira she can finally do the killing blow she couldn't do.
Therefore she looses the last of her guilt.
Between Brandon Cronenberg, Panos Cosmatos and Steven Kostanski, Canada is winning the horror movie fight against the rest of western countries!
Cosmatos is Canadian? Damn, learn something new every day lol, go us...loved his work so far
@@andrewhussey4538 for real, Mandy was fucking mind blowing.
Videos like this are one of the reasons I like the channel so much - I'd never even heard of this film! So much of the media Ryan talks about is new to me, and it's great to learn about horror I never would have known about otherwise.
I do have a couple of suggestions for videos! The first is a stop motion film called "The Wolf House," that's very artsy and open to interpretation, and I've like to hear Ryan's take on it. The second is more "normie," but it's something that I've been thinking about more often in light of the recently released Resident Evil 8 demo. In Resident Evil 7, Evelyn is treated as the big bad and not given much sympathy by the narrative. I've heard some people argue that as a lab creation, she couldn't have known better; that all she wanted was a family and she was simply pursuing that in the only way she knew how. Others say that she was aware of what she was doing, and just didn't care about her "family," treating them as her toys. There's a solid argument to be made both ways, I think, but it could be neat to see what Ryan has to say about it!
Anyway, keep up the great content, Mr. Hollinger!
Why did they kidnap Colin in the beginning if they can just hijack literally anyone in the end like with Ira?
I think with Colin the kidnapping was to implant the possessor chip, but with Ira he was likely implanted long ago as a failsafe if Voz didn't let go of her familial attachments on her own
Yeah, I think the implication was that they implanted the kid a long time before that
@@nii9466 Oh wow, didn't even cross my mind. I appreciate the answer!
@@nii9466 I think he may have been implanted far later than that. Given that Colin gained access to Vos's memories it was inevitable that he would eventually zero in on her family. He would know that it was the last thing she had any emotional connection to and therefore they were a means to gain some leverage against her. I think the moment he was implanted with the chip was before he walked out of the side street and first spoke to Colin.
@@midnightmosesuk its possible! i really appreciate when things are left vague like that, everyone's different interpretations and theories are so interesting! :D
Great video. Thanks for clarifying the "pull me out" bits because I thought Taysa's killing her possessed subject would also kill herself...still doesn't make much sense to me because it'd probably mentally fuck her up by killing herself in someone else's body.
I like the symbolism of the butterfly too because it's represented the soul for a long time and her indifference to it at the end seems to indicate a loss of, or complete detachment from her soul, and/or the death of it represented in the blood pools. I don't really watch any of these movies but I enjoy your videos so I can still explore the stories they're trying to tell without enduring the trauma of watching them play out. This one was especially interesting to me in terms of concept.
The themes of this movie remind me a bit of Undertale, in that they both involve someone entering another the role of another person, where they can harm others yet receive no direct consequence themselves.
I didn’t find her resistant to the violence (hence the question posed to her regarding the use of the knife instead of the gun ), she has grown to it. This maybe more apparent in the uncut version
Great to see Irish creators discussing horror cinema in such depth. One of my favourite films of last year. Would love to see a video on Mandy (2018); Bliss (2019; or Climax (2018)
what stood out about this movie to me was the emphasis on intimacy between collin and vos. there’s something extremely and deeply intimate about the thought of living inside the mind of another person. every aspect of them, every desire, every quirk, every insecurity would be completely impossible to hide. they’re stuck together and are forced to learn everything about each other. i think this was to show that these people are brainwashed and numb and broken, but they’re still human beings that crave real companionship whether or not it takes form in a toxic relationship. especially for vos, i saw this “relationship” (its completely non consensual and fucked), as her desperate last grasp for human connection before she was inevitably completely disconnected from herself. that’s just what jumped out at me on my watch
The major snowstorm passing through really helps the atmosphere while watching this vid. Impeccable timing, sir
This sounds like an incredibly interesting and sinister concept. Where can I watch this?
If you haven't already watched it yet it's on Hulu. It may be on others but I know that it's watchable on Hulu.
I’ve studied so many things that many movies just bore me, your channel is amazing. I usually start your reviews to see what’s up and before spoilers I’m usually convinced that your perspective might be more valuable than going through some movies alone, bravo for that
I'm very thankful for this channel.
I rarely find videos that discuss intelligent films, even more rarely do I find intelligent discussions about intelligent films
The fire poker assault was BRUTAL. I really wasn’t ready for that
Ikr.. “oh god right in the mouth?!? Man that was messed u-OH SHIT HIS EYE”
I love the concepts and tone of horror movies, but I HATE being scared. I love that this channel tells me about these terrifying movies so I can enjoy their meanings while being able to sleep at night :)
I watched this one with zero knowledge of its plot or anything. I had watched Brandon's first film, Antiviral, but even it didn't prepare me for this one. Really stays with you for a long time. Utterly effective and totally gutted me.
Grea vid as always. Also have to mention the fantastic use of practical effects that harkens back to his father's work and films like hellraiser--the reverse melt effects are amazing.
this movie is bonkers in the best way possible
"by the end of this video I hope to convince you why it's my favourite movie of 2020." - I definitely don't need convincing haha, this movie is incredible
Love the video! I just watched this for the first time in order to prepare for this video and I was absolutely blown away. A truly masterful debut for Cronenberg Jr. Also it was really great that you announced the film that you were covering a couple days early. I really enjoyed being able to watch the video as soon as it came out rather than waiting until I can find time to watch the film myself. Absolutely love the channel. Keep up the good work
it’s not his debut
I know this video is three years old but man that ending. Hearing it today after a twelve hour shift, measuring hour by hour. Forced conversations and automatic responses. Maybe its cause its 4 am as I'm watching this but that hit hard.
So glad I'm not the only one who noticed the blood pool form at the end and what it resembled. Ryan is the only other person I've seen who pointed that out and I found it to be so powerful, it gave me chills.
Ryan is truly on another level in terms of his breakdowns. I watch a lot of guys who do Similar videos, and they’re great, but the faint music in the background matched with Ryan’s impressive yet understandable vocabulary and pin point breakdowns is just amazing. Keep it up my man.
I don't know why I find this movie so disturbing. Brandon has his dad's talent for making some serious mind-fuck horror.
Welp that's horribly depressing. Thanks for watching it so I don't have to
That was a quick title change.
Yeah, what's up with that? Wasn't it "Why possessor is my favourite movie of 2020" or "best horror movie of 2020"?
@@cgm4379 I see this happen with a lot of UA-cam videos
Probably not performing well with the UA-cam algorithm with the old title
I took her inability to kill herself as signs of her losing control of the mind, and the hosts consciousness pushing back. It’s hard to argue she’s having remorse when she revels in such brutal torture of her targets, ala slowly breaking off teeth, and taking out an eye. Anyone who would be struggling with empathy would not be getting hands on, and taking their time -enjoying it. The gun would be the preferred mode of killing as its a detached form of killing.
There's that whole parasite theme going on too. There's a reason why gives the cat example at the end.... toxoplasmosis
Just discovered your channel about 2 weeks ago. I've been missing out.
You should cover more 2020 horror films like this one, Swallow, Relic, The Lodge, and the invisible man are all amazing.
He did one on The Invisible man actually!
@@Tina_95 omg!
Easily my favourite horror of the last year. Fucking intense.
Thank you for doing these reviews and really going into detail, I don’t see this very often and I’m so happy to see it.
not me reading the title as professor...maybe i'm projecting bc im avoiding my assignments
This is the fourth time I've seen someone read the title as Professor. I'm starting to wonder if the font is just plain bad.
I always really appreciate your videos. You've turned me on to so many new films that I never would've looked at before
any time i see those black and white lines over a video i have to click on it
I don't even watch horror movies but your breakdowns are the next best thing. Even though I can't stand being jumpscared, I can still appreciate them for their art and what they say about the human condition. When they're good at least.
00:01 yes! i watched this before christmas (im festive like that) i can’t wait to hear what you think of it. (i tweeted Ryan about this so i’m taking personal credit for this video existing 🤣)
the comparison with Tenet and John Wick is very well observed.
I was lucky enough to see this when it ran the first limited release in a theatre here in Houston last year. It left me absolutely speechless and became my favorite film of 2020.
I remember watching the trailer for this and immediately thinking “This movie looks deeply disturbing and fascinating. And I don’t think I need that in my life right now.”
This belief stands.
I get it. Normally, I would be all over this but now I don't feel like it's a good time. Don't feel like I want to submit myself to any disturbing films right now...
I’m with you guys
Makes sense. Same reason I've stepped away from true crime for a little while.
I felt the same and then proceeded to watch bone tomahawk 😳 because a friend recommended it.
@@Ghostinthemachine47 great movie... terrible thing to subject someone to if they don’t know what they’re getting into, but a great movie.
A bolder and more ambitious piece of sci-fi film making than Tenet. Great video as always.
Throwing shade at Tenet aside (although I can see where you're coming from on it), I really dug this video.
I watched Possessor Uncut a couple months back after seeing a trailer for it and hearing good word of mouth on it. And I was blown away. I really loved the performances of Riseborough and Abbott, and the film in parts reminds me of stuff like Altered States or Under the Skin. Hell, this feels like something that David Cronenberg would have made in the early to mid 80s (probably around the time of Videodrome). It'll probably be awhile before I revisit it because of just how goddamn bleak it is. I
Great video, and I look forward to what you do for the rest of the year.
Incredible movie, I'm happy you made a video about it! For a few days after watching it I was constantly thinking about it.
Glad you talked about this, it was my favorite from last year as well.
It's always such a joy to come across a highly budgeted western production with a non-standardised vision in both its visuals and its narrative. It happens so damn rarely in this era of studio controlled films that are laser-engineered to follow specific formulas that have been proven to get asses into cinemas that you really do have to be thankful for films like Possessor.
Great stuff, Ryan, keep it up!
Amazing analysis!
Side note: I've never heard someone fit that many vowels into the word "now" before.
Yes! I'm finally ahead of one of these videos for once. Don't have to add this to the "Watch later" and come back in a week or two when I finally see it!
Hey Ryan, I recommend you cover The Lovely Bones when you get a chance. Though not explicitly horror, that film broke my heart more than most tragedies I've ever seen.
Thanks, Ryan! POSSESSOR was one of the few movies I got to see in cinemas in 2020 when there was a brief respite between shut-downs. But I'm so glad I saw this one, it spoke to me... deeply. I can't wait to introduce it to one of my nieces, who adores the genre.
Always love you take on films. The way you wrapped this one up really hit home for me❤.
The absolute and utter bleakness of this ending evokes that of Black Mirror's "Crocodile". I would be interested to get some insight into what draws Andrea Riseborough to these types of stories and protagonists. As always, a thoughtful and enjoyable review, thank you!
God I love this film, but I will say the chip in the brain thing really annoyed me and took me out of the film because the entire point is to leave absolutely no trace on the hits but there is nothing MORE conspicuous and easy to trace then there being a chip drilled into the brain of every person the cops find. Literally any autopsy would find this.
The chip was said to destroy itself over the course of time, if i remember correctly. Though the hole in the head would be odd.
Your analysis is great, glad I found your channel! 🍿
Thanks to this movie I'm going to start to question all of my actions in Super Mario Odyssey. :p
bruh why you gotta do TENET like that smh
Tenet was a giant mess. It was fun and I liked it, but still a massive mess
ahem... no....
YOU're a giant mess ua-cam.com/video/xWDZYqhWeLI/v-deo.html
Tenet was awful.
@@timmythetimebomb4354 i genuinely have no idea what you intended me to get out of that video
@@Laizerdisk ua-cam.com/video/rwcjf644lg4/v-deo.html
Ryan is a cut above the rest, when it comes to film analysts. Cheers.
Bro your film recommendations are always good as hell
This was my favorite film of 2020 and it's great to see you do a video about it!
Struggled to watch this. Ended up walking out of the cinema, not because it was bad, but because I was not healthy enough headspace to cope with it
Oh that’s fine dude I did that with spec ops the line
I think I would've done the same if I'd have seen it at the cinema.
Man, this was such an amazing psychological sci-fi film. I'm a sucker for these things and this was damn near perfect.
Sunday funday with Ryan!
Excellent video and film choice, Ryan.
Tenet didn't overexplain. It didn't explain. I couldn't hear shit!
New movie to watch AND a new youtuber to follow. Nice
Wow. As someone struggling with BPD, and with aspects of myself that I'd really like to nullify, identity dysmorphia is meaningful to me. This film seems uncomfortable as well as comprehensive. No surprise, since that's exactly how I feel about this aspect of my personality. Definitely something I'll want to check out when I have the time!
Finally! A new video! 🤘🏼🤘🏼