An intriguing, compelling script on mental illness keeps the audience guessing, with "Possessed", starring Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, and Raymond Massey....not exactly a cast made up of sublimely beautiful people. :)<br /><br />I thought this film more realistic compared to "The Snake Pit" and other similar films exploring this topic, since the story builds so slowly here, and Joan's character appears normal in the beginning. A brief love affair with Heflin's character, who unceremoniously drops her when he gets bored with her, is the catalyst that puts her obsessive schizophrenia in gear. Back and forth she goes between reality and fantasy, until a crime of murder is committed and she becomes catatonic. <br /><br />Joan Crawford stated she had to work harder on this film than on any other, but with what we know about her personal life today, we really have to wonder if she DID have to work that hard at all. She did seem to me to be an obsessive, jealous personality in real life, so how was this part a big stretch for her? <br /><br />A word on Heflin. What a cad he played in this film; Joan's character was almost justified in doing what she did to him, because it was obvious he was going to marry her step-daughter out of spite and greed. It doesn't matter that Heflin wasn't the best looking fellow in the world, but he played his part expertly here, and had some of the best lines in the picture.<br /><br />I am not a big fan of Joan Crawford, but found myself hooked watching this film after about 20 minutes. A multi-layered, memorable performance from the Queen of the Hangers.