Movies
The Possession of David O’Reilly (V)
“The film does come with faults that some may find unforgivable, but for those of you seeking a psychological horror film with a unique twist and a climax that’ll leave you debating the film’s events then this should be good enough for you.”
I first heard of this film as a result of backlash over it being just another “low-budget ripoff” of the shockumentary films like REC and Paranormal Activity, but that is far from the truth. While most likely influenced by the previously mentioned films, The Possession of David O’Reilly deals little with possession, and heavily with psychological horror. Nonetheless, the hate for this flick did not reach me, as I found this low-budget English effort to consist of some pretty darn good horror at times, resulting in a borderline-positive watch in the end.
In the wee hours of the morning Alex and Cate are awakened when David, a friend of Alex, shows up at their door after recently discovering his long-time girlfriend has been cheating on him. David is distraught over the ordeal, but his pain worsens when he begins to notice ghastly creatures making their way into Alex’s home. Little does David know, this horror is not new to him, and he has involved his hospitable friends in a real-life nightmare.
I have a strong love for films focusing on the paranormal or possession, so naturally my interest in this flick was pretty high. You can imagine the look on my face when I realized that this film’s title was quite misleading, however how “misleading” is up to interpretation. Read on.
The storyline was an interesting one that had me pretty interested from the get-go, however early on it comes off as the usual psychological horror film in the vein of Repulsion, with David seeing things he believes to be there, but evidence to the contrary proves otherwise…or so it seems. It does not take long before the horror hits the screen, about 14 minutes or so, and from then on out things stay pretty steady as far as the horror goes. I was very glad to see that the horror David faces came in the form of creatures that barrage him in the home of his friends, which was a break from the usual psychological horror consisting of only time-warped murderous delusions, although we do get some of that in this story here and there. Numerous twists and turns abound in this piece, with some of the mystery elements not made clear until the film’s climax, which itself is a bit of a mystery. Why so? Well, because most of the film you are left wondering whether or not David is crazy or if he is actually seeing hideous creatures trying to make their way into the home. Alex and Cate don’t believe him at first, naturally, but when they see the horror that David is going through they give him some benefit of the doubt, which ultimately leads up to the harrowing climax that will leave it up to you to decide whether or not he was possessed, delusional, or seeing creatures. So, in a sense, the film’s title is not as misleading as it seems, but should not be taken literally.
The film’s two novice directors, Andrew Cull and Steve Isles, did a great job executing this film with what little budget they had to work with. The atmosphere is dark and results in incredible sets that consist of numerous dark corners for the creatures to wait and lurk in, providing good tension as you never know when one of them is going to pop out. The look and mannerisms of the creatures was great as well, and Cull/Isles do a great job of keeping them somewhat hidden but giving them enough screen-time to get the scares going. Their overall execution of the horror was great, and I especially loved their long, drawn-out, Argento-esque scenes making the most of the creepy sets and using creative camerawork to deliver the horror. So if the horror was good and the story was unique then why only a 6-rating? Well the story had its flaws, which came mostly regarding the usage of its characters and some pretty bad dialogue. Things can get confusing at times, which will turn some people off as this was not necessarily the “good” kind of confusing associated with quality horror flicks like Cemetery Man, Triangle, and Jacob’s Ladder, but one that should have written better.
Overall, The Possession of David O’Reilly is a moderate horror film that gives some good horror thanks to good direction, and its unique storyline provides some engaging material to keep things interesting. The film does come with faults that some may find unforgivable, but for those of you seeking a psychological horror film with a unique twist and a climax that’ll leave you debating the film’s events then this should be good enough for you.
Visit John of the Dead’s Blog for more!
The holiday weekend means a light week for new horror releases, but it does bring the return of Dark Castle Entertainment to select theaters. It’s being joined by 6 new horror movies.
Here’s all the new horror releasing June 29, 2026 – July 3, 2026!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
You wished for it. The highest-grossing horror movie of the year (so far), Curry Barker’s Obsession, arrived on Digital on June 30.
In Curry Barker’s theatrical debut Obsession, after breaking the mysterious One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Michael Johnston (“Teen Wolf”), Inde Navarette (“Superman & Lois”), Cooper Tomlinson (“That’s a Bad Idea,” Milk & Serial), Megan Lawless (The Death That Awaits), and Emmy Award-nominee Andy Richter (“Conan,” Elf) star.
Based on a story by director James Kondelik (Behind The Walls) and a screenplay by Canadian writer Victor Rose, survival thriller Pitfall headed home to Digital on June 30. Family is murder in this Cineverse release.
In Pitfall, a young man becomes separated from his friends in the woods and plunges into a ten-foot pit lined with spikes, impaling his leg and leaving him helpless. As reality sinks in and his situation grows dire, he realizes the fall wasn’t an accident.
The film stars Richard Harmon (Final Destination: Bloodlines), Alexandra Essoe (The Pope’s Exorcist), and UFC champion Randy Couture (The Expendables) as the ruthless killer who stalks his prey in the woods. Marshall Williams (The Ice Road), Jordan Claire Robbins (The Umbrella Academy), and Matt Hamilton (Murder for Sale) also star.
The Amityville IP leans into Jaws with Amityville Shark House, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday too, as it released on Digital June 30.
Will Collazo Jr. (Amityville Thanksgiving) and Shawn C. Phillips (Amityville Karen) co-direct from a script they wrote with Julie Anne Prescott.
In the movie, after discovering an ominous shark idol hidden beneath the decaying floorboards, Richard unknowingly awakens an ancient and savage force. As the entity begins to merge with him, a quiet coastal town descends into blood-soaked chaos.
With each victim claimed, the monstrous predator grows stronger, fueling a cult’s belief that their dark god has been reborn. Now, the race is on to stop the carnage before evil consumes everything in its path.
Phillips and Prescott also star alongside Tasha Tacosa, Maritza Brikisak, Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), Adam Marino, and Carl Solomon.
Available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD as of June 30 is Jacked, directed by John Fucile from a script he co-wrote with Simon Fraser.
The synopsis: “Set in the summer of 1987, JACKED follows two small-town teenagers whose day at the lake turns into a fight for survival after their car breaks down and they encounter a violent stalker.”
Marla Jean Robison, Tom Koch, Anthony Cipriani, Wynn Reichert, Kam Perez and Bella Marie star.
Get ready to work up a killer sweat and maybe spill some blood with Slashercise, a workout meets slasher hybrid that arrived exclusively on Bloodstream on July 1.
Written and directed by Ama Lea (Deathcember), the retro-styled feature follows “a masked killer known only as Meathead as he stalks the fitness clubs of Los Angeles, turning workout sessions into blood-soaked nightmares. As the city’s top trainers are picked off one by one, a group of determined fitness fanatics must fight back before they become the next bodies on the mat.”
Vanessa Decker (Stiletto), John Bloom (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills), Sarah French (Blind), Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet), Sarah Nicklin (V/H/S/Halloween), Diana Prince (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Jared Rivet (The Once and Future Smash), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley), and Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) star.
After a record-breaking box office run, A24 and director Kane Parsons’ feature debut is heading back to theaters with bonus footage. AMC Theatres is unleashing Backrooms: Everything Must Go Editiontoday, July 3.
In the film written by Will Soodik, the owner of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire discovers a strange doorway in the basement of the furniture showroom. He sets out to explore the mysterious, liminal space, walking headfirst into a creepypasta nightmare.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsvestar.
AMC describes this release as a “theatrically exclusive post-credit” with additional footage from Kane Parsons. Expect 16 minutes of bonus footage, with the new version clocking in at 2 hours and 6 minutes.
The Last Exorcism director Daniel Stamm and Dark Castle Entertainment are back with Lockbox, in select theaters July 3. It adapts Soren Narnia‘s Knifepoint Horror Podcast story “Winthrop” by Emmy-winning playwright Justin Yoffe.
In Lockbox, “Seeking peace after her mother’s death, Ellen retreats to a rural town and takes in her severely traumatized cousin Winthrop. Their fragile domestic balance shatters when an erratic neighbor warns that Winthrop is dangerous. As strange phenomena escalate, Ellen must put everything on the line to defend Winthrop from a dangerous otherworldly entity determined to track him down.”
Lou Taylor Pucci (Touch Me, Evil Dead), Carla Gugino (The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game, The Fall of the House of Usher) and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Backrooms) star.
This week’s new release roundups are presented by Lockbox.
Be careful who you let in. Carla Gugino and Lou Taylor Pucci star in Lockbox, only in select theaters this Friday. Get tickets.
You must be logged in to post a comment.