Spain’s Latest Animated Feature ‘Possessed’ is A Tale of Supernatural Horror

“Jumping from shorts to my first feature was an adventure,” Sam told Cartoon Brew. “The biggest challenge was my insecurity, not knowing if I could keep the public’s interest for 80 minutes. However, in a feature you have the opportunity to go in depth with themes and concepts in a way that’s impossible in shorts. It was a formative experience.”

Possessed draws on the inspiration of Spanish classical effects guru, Segundo de Chomón, and even references Star Wars, but Orti describes the film as mostly a remix of The Exorcist and The Omen. It tells the story of a flamenco dancer and bullfighter couple whose son, Damien, seemingly becomes possessed by a dark spirit.

The film was in production for four years, with a budget of around €1.5 million ($US1.7 million dollars). Sam says those four years were among the most difficult years of his life, but he’s satisfied with the final result. “Stop motion isn’t about patience; it’s about tenacity and persistence. Truth be told, my greater joy is to enjoy the movie in festival theaters and see how the public enjoys it.”