10 Intense Horror Movies You (Probably) Haven't Seen

Our literal son of David, Brandon Cronenberg, has apparently been sent to pick up where his father left off in the '90s. And no film feels truer to that mission statement than Possessor.

An indie sci-fi mind-and-body horror quite unlike any other, Possessor stars Andrea Riseborough as Tasya Vos, an elite assassin, whose consciousness is implanted in other people's bodies, allowing her to execute high-profile targets without arousing suspicion. However, things go awry, as science-fiction forays into other minds so often do, and she finds herself spliced into the body of one of her victims, where their psyches battle for control, folding Tasya in on herself.

Riseborough's career has always been unpredictable and pleasantly surprising, but a run of artistically-driven psychological horrors and thrillers, including Nocturnal Animals (2016) and Mandy (2018), seem to have been destined to lead her to a work like Possessor. Her performance conspires with the piercing score, psychedelic sequences and full-body shocks to disorient and antagonise viewers from the start, providing a bleak reflection of the inner workings of a fractured mind.

Though the film's release would not have been widespread (or at least not mainstream) in the best of cases, its collision with the beginning of the global pandemic means Possessor has had even less attention over the last few years than it might have otherwise – and certainly ought to – have enjoyed.