‘Repossessed’ Blu-ray Review
Stars: Leslie Nielsen, Linda Blair, Ned Beatty | Written and Directed by Bob Logan
When you say the name Leslie Nielsen you think of all the hilarious spoof comedies. But before he became the spoof icon of films like The Naked Gun, Airplane!, Dracula: Dead and Loving it, Mr. Magoo, Spy Hard and many more, he was in some classic films like Forbidden Planet, The Poseidon Adventure and Dark Intruder.
A couple of years after he starred in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, Leslie Nielsen joined Linda Blair for a hilarious spoof of one of the most terrifying horror films in cinema history, The Exorcist, entitled Repossessed. Now this film is celebrating its 35th Anniversary, and Kino Lorber is giving us, the physical media fans, a chance to own this film on Blu-ray.
Ready for a devil of a good time? Linda Blair will scare you silly when she’s Repossessed! Blair stars in this uproariously spooky spoof with Leslie Nielsen, the deadpan comedy hero who provided loop-de-loops of laughter in Airplane! and rapid-fire hilarity in The Naked Gun. The fun begins when grown-up Blair starts spewing curses and pea soup. This is a job for ex-exorcist Nielsen! So he gears up to battle the spirit world—and finds he must also outwit a pair of phony TV evangelists (including Ned Beatty), trying to cash in on the exorcism biz. Get Repossessed. The supernatural hijinks will have your head spinning with laughter!
Bob Logan wrote and directed this film, and what a genius idea to get Linda Blair to co-star. With the title Repossessed, it gives audiences the idea that this could be a spoof sequel. But Linda doesn’t play Reagan in this movie, but Nancy. But don’t worry, all the crazy yucky stuff seen in The Exorcist is found in this movie, just played for huge laughs.
Linda Blair plays her role seriously, and it works really well, while Leslie Nielsen is, well, Leslie Nielsen. One extremely cool part of the film is when the devil and Father Jedediah Mayii face off in a rematch from their previous exorcism, which is commented on by wrestling legends ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund and Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura! Too much fun.
Kino Lorber has transferred Repossessed to Blu-ray in 1080p, and it is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The audio track is English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. There is also the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. This transfer from Kino Lorber comes from a new 4K restoration, which means the picture is crisp and clean, the colours are strong, and there is just the right amount of film grain. In addition to a wonderful looking restoration, there are some bonus features included on this disc.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary by Writer/Director Bob Logan
- Theatrical Trailer
- Slipcover
Repossessed is rated PG-13, but really it should have been rated R. Like so many of Leslie Nielsen’s spoof films, there is a good chunk of sexual innuendos, nudity and some profanity. So, to rate the film PG-13 is a mislabeling. This is just a side warning that parents should be aware of if you are thinking of letting your family watch this. Repossessed is not Leslie Nielsen’s strongest spoof film, but there is no denying the entertainment value of this film. Leslie Nielsen, in my opinion, is the king of spoofs, so any film he was in is an entertaining time.
Kino Lorber made sure to get the best possible print and put that on this disc with a really insightful audio commentary. This makes for a nice little release. I wish there could have been a bit more bonus features. That would have taken this release of Repossessed from good to great.
***½ 3.5/5
Repossessed is set for release in the US by Kino Lorber, as part of their Kino Lorber Classics line, on August 19th.
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