Possession (1981)
Marriage breakdown. Cold War Berlin. Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill at full emotional extremity. And then things get much stranger.
Obscure Film and Fringe Flicks are joining forces for a Halloween-weekend screening of Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession (1981), at 81 Renshaw on Friday 30 October, as part of Scalarama Liverpool 2026.
What begins with the collapse of Mark and Anna’s marriage spirals into paranoia, obsession, body horror and something much harder to explain. Feverish, unsettling and frequently extraordinary, Possession is a film made to be experienced on the big screen.
We’re making a suitably strange night of it too. Anyone feeling brave can enter our Possession scene-recreation contest, inspired by one of the film’s most infamous sequences, with fabulous prizes to be won.
Taking part is completely optional. Sitting back and watching other people make highly questionable performance decisions is also acceptable.
Obscure Film are also creating an alternative Possession poster, based on the original illustration created for the event. It will be screen printed at Liverpool Community Print Station and available to buy on the night.
Doors open at 6:30pm, with the film beginning at approximately 7pm.
Following Sam Neill’s death earlier this year, we’ll also be marking one of his strangest performances with a small, affectionate tribute on the night.
Scalarama Liverpool 2026
This screening is part of Scalarama Liverpool 2026, a month-long DIY film festival presented by eight Liverpool DIY cinema clubs, with screenings taking place in venues across the city throughout October.
Explore the full Scalarama Liverpool programme: https://scalaramaliverpool.co.uk/
