Time for a wedding and the devil in... COURTNEY GETS POSSESSED

I don’t care what the calendar dictates. Comedic horror should be enjoyed all year round. Especially when it’s a movie that is great to watch during wedding season and/or Halloween. Add in some neat 80’s neon aesthetic vibe and then it’s good to go for devil possession and weddings. Let’s dive into the movie called Courtney Get’s Possessed.

Dark Matter TV, the production company behind the movie provided a super cute synopsis card that pretty does a good job describing the film:

It’s Not What It Seems…

The trailer, poster art, and title name makes it seem like a silly little horror movie. Viewers may assume they’re in a for a goofy horror story where they watch the clumsy antics of q stereotypical blonde woman run around doing random things to survive. That is far from what occurs in the movie and the title is most guilty of misdirection. The bride to be, Courtney Harper (played by Lauren Buglioli) is indeed possessed by the Devil named Dave ( played Jon Pawlowski) but for a very brief moment of time. Dave does possess other characters in the house and those are way more entertaining. However, the possessions are really not the main focus of the movie. Sorry Dave.

The horror portion of the movie involves blood, tears, fear, and tense moments with Dave or what Dave started. He is the devil after all and is a bit unhinged and savage in his tactics. Hie chooses his victims at whims and the consequences are explosive. His mild manner approach to casual murder and mayhem does slightly amp up the horror level. He’s just so…nice though! Compared to the people in the house, he is the most normal one. It is understandable why Courtney dated Dave. It’s not understood why Dave dates her!

Possession is eclipsed by the real story of the movie: the bonds between family and loved ones. As “scary” as Dave can be, his sudden appearance on the night before the wedding is a mere mild disturbance to the already turbulent situation within the house. Instead of being the expected villainous character, Dave is the cathartic pin prick that helps release the long held resentment between the siblings and friends.

Weddings are so stressful….

Anyone who has been involved in a wedding from either planning or attending the ceremony can attest to the ridiculous levels of anxiety and stress involved in it. Bringing together people to enjoy a happy occasion can be anything but joyful.

The night before her wedding, Courtney invites her bridesmaids to her home for some bachelorette fun. Inserting personal opinion here but holding your bachelorette or bachelor party is an extremely horrible decision. Antics from these events can be so mentally draining with a high chance of doing something incredibly stupid. For this night, it the stupid decision was the sister inviting the Devil in.

This Family Needs Help…and not just from the Devil

In the center of the mess, there are three siblings. Courtney (the bride), her sister Caitlin (played by Madison Hatfield who is also the co-Director of the movie), and the brother Chuck (played by Steven Reddington). Courtney and Caitlin have a very strained relationship fueled by jealousy and petty nonsense. Chuck, in typical brother fashion, doesn’t really contribute anything to help defuse the situation. Despite the hostility between the two sisters, Caitlin is still made a bridesmaid.

Caitlin makes no secret of her unhappiness or attempts any stealth when flirting with men including her future brother in law. Her character is fueled by pure self-preservation and selfish fumes. Everyone in the party is on Caltlin to just be decent but as the night wears on, her light grasp of behaving wears super thing. In in a fit of a jealousy, she invites Dave to the house on the night of the bachelorette party. Which is so horrible and confusing in many ways. It’s pretty messed up to invite your sisters ex to your sisters house for some possible action. On a reality surface that’s just a shitty sister movie. In this horror plane of existence, the karmic repercussions boomerangs hard since Courtney failed to share Dave’s true nature to her sister.

Communication…Communication…Communication

Maintaining any relationship is hard. It should not take a devil to expose the holds made from miscommunication or omission of information. The back-and-forth volley of vitriol between the sisters could have eased with just a private deep conversation between the two. Instead, we have the devil forcing interventions as he plays the emotional weakness of the sisters against one another. Also, ultimately distracting them from committing a single ceremony correct. Misdirection again!

It’s really a movie about family. Especially between the bonds of siblings. Anyone with a sibling will carry loads of stories of how annoying/horrible/ disgusting their siblings are. They may even joke around that if given the chance, they will chuck that scumbag of a sibling into the devil’s arm. When the devil does come literally knocking on the door, that sentiment quickly fades and is replaced by protecting one another. It’s in the face of danger that the true strength of family bond will be tested. And boy were these bonds tested .

At the end, I truly hope they got some professional therapy sessions lined up. Each person is housing deeply rooted resentment and anger.

Award for best possession goes to….

Courtney’s groom, Glenn Moore (played by Zae Jordan). Hands down, his switch from awkwardly in love groom to suave scary groom was smooth and mesmerizing. Possessed Glen is oozing with devilish swagger and we completely understand why Caitlin wavers so much.

Should you watch it?

Courtney Gets Possessed may be a misleading title but it’s a pretty good reflection of what the movie is about. Many of the issues between them are stemming from focusing energy on the wrong thing. Instead of focusing on why Caitlin would rather sleep with her sister’s ex instead of being a supportive sister, Caitlin would rather just deal with the Devil. Instead of understanding the jitters of marrying someone, Courtney would rather just sacrifice it all to marry the Devil. How everyone works through their issues to survive the night is delicious fodder for any armchair psychiatrist.

The movie does contain several elements that make it a great date movie. There are enough relationship issues between lovers, friends, and siblings to provide talking points and invite open conversation. The horror elements are mild enough to eat dinner while watching it and contains enough jokes to warrant a couple of snorts. The love and loyalty between the bride and groom is pretty darn refreshingly cute.

It’s just delivers an overall atmosphere of just…almost. It ends on a questionably happy note but questionable if a devil possession was enough to crank start the characters into a better future. Hopefully there is some honest conversation and therapy involved. If not, their second hellish adventure may not end so well.

Courtney Gets Possessed does however make a good introduction to a wedding game. You never know when the devil may force you to play for your life.

Overall it’s a cute horror/comedy movie.