Repossessed Blu-ray Review – Holy Satire or Hellish Misfire?

Sometimes the devil’s in the details, and sometimes the devil’s just having a laugh at Hollywood’s expense. Repossessed, Bob Logan‘s 1990 spoof of The Exorcist, hit theaters just a month after The Exorcist III—a release window that should have primed audiences for supernatural laughs. Instead, this Linda Blair vehicle became a cautionary tale about studio meddling, earning a Razzie for Worst Original Song and disappearing faster than holy water on hot pavement. Now Kino Lorber has given this possessed comedy a second chance with a Blu-ray that reveals Logan’s original intent—and the studio’s interference.

Seventeen years after Father Jedediah Mayii cast out demons from young Nancy Aglet’s body, the devil returns while she’s watching a prosperity gospel show. When Nancy (Blair, Summer of Fear) becomes possessed again, Father Luke Brophy (Anthony Starke) seeks help from the now-reluctant Mayii (Leslie Nielsen, Prom Night). That’s when televangelists Ernest and Fanny Weller (Ned Beatty and Lana Schwab) enter the picture. Thinly veiled Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker parodies, the duo convince a council to televise the exorcism as “Ernest and Fanny’s Exorcism Tonight.” What follows is a supernatural sitcom complete with wrestling commentary from Jesse “The Body” Ventura and “Mean Gene” Okerlund, religious figures wielding guitars, and a climactic battle scored to, what else?, “Devil with a Blue Dress On.”

Logan’s original vision gets muddled by studio interference that becomes painfully obvious during the film’s more desperate comedic moments. Blair gamely returns to her horror roots, fully embracing Steve LaPorte‘s ghoulish makeup effects and cackling through Logan’s topical one-liners with surprising commitment. When this was filmed in 1989, The Naked Gun hadn’t yet revitalized Nielsen’s career, leaving him grasping at comedic straws in hastily reshot scenes that feel disconnected from Logan’s more measured approach. The gym sequence, filled with cheap gags and dated gay panic humor, represents the worst of the studio’s so-called “improvements.”

Beatty and Schwab fare better as the scheming televangelists, working hard for their laughs while delivering recognizable caricatures of the era’s fallen preachers. Their chemistry provides some of the film’s most natural comedic moments, contrasting sharply with the inserted material that Logan audibly despises in his commentary track.

Michael D. Margulies‘ cinematography nails the tone, using hyperrealistic lighting that nods to Friedkin’s original while embracing the budget. Timothy D’Arcy‘s costume design feels authentically thrift-store appropriate, particularly Blair’s boxy blue dress that cleverly sets up the musical finale. Charles Fox‘s often-zany score incorporates the titular song (which did not deserve that Razzie…) with surprising sophistication, adding genuine energy to the proceedings.

Kino Lorber‘s transfer marks a significant improvement over the film’s VHS afterlife and limited theatrical run. The enhanced picture quality reveals details that were lost in previous home video iterations, making this the definitive version of Logan’s compromised vision. The included slipcover reproduces the original home video artwork, though a reversible cover featuring the theatrical poster’s Naked Gun parody would have been a welcome addition.

Logan’s audio commentary offers unfiltered insight into studio politics and creative compromise. He doesn’t hold back in describing how producers hijacked his film in post-production, inserting teenage-friendly material and tasteless jokes that undermined his more subtle approach to spoof comedy. Logan says Nielsen’s role began as a cameo, but reshoots forced him into a lead role spouting lame bad uncle quips that barely qualify as jokes. The director’s anguish is clear as he details the studio’s narrative errors and clunky voiceovers—making  this commentary essential listening for understanding the film’s troubled production history.

Your enjoyment of Repossessed depends entirely on your tolerance for compromised comedy and dated references. The film operates as a genuine guide to the past, filled with topical jokes that require cultural archaeology to decode. References that felt fresh in 1990 now play like hieroglyphics, making the film more anthropological than entertaining for younger viewers.

Within the lineage of horror spoofs, Repossessed occupies an interesting middle ground between inspired parody and desperate cash grab. While it lacks the precision of Young Frankenstein or the sustained energy of Scary Movie, Logan’s original instincts weren’t entirely misguided. His focus on spoofing a single source rather than scattershot references shows understanding of effective parody principles, even if the execution got mangled in the editing room.

Repossessed will never achieve classic status, but this Kino Lorber release allows the film to exist in its best possible form. For Nielsen completists and horror spoof enthusiasts, the improved transfer and Logan’s brutally honest commentary make this worth owning. Newcomers should approach with measured expectations—this isn’t a hell of a good time, but some of the comedy and that earworm opening credits song are kind of heavenly. Sometimes salvation comes in unexpected packages, even if the devil’s in the details of studio interference.

You can buy the film directly from KinoLorber here.