The Possession of Joel Delaney is a 1972 supernatural horror film directed by Waris Hussein and starring Shirley MacLaine and Perry King.

The plot follows a wealthy New York City divorcee whose brother becomes possessed by a deceased serial killer who committed a series of gruesome murders in Spanish Harlem.

The Possession of Joel Delaney was released theatrically in the United States by Paramount Pictures in May 1972, and subsequently entered competition at the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival.

One night, Norah, accompanied by her younger brother, Joel Delaney, attends a party held by her psychologist friend, Erika Lorenz.

Unable to recall the events that landed him in the hospital, Joel is convinced by Norah to lie to the doctors and claim he was under the influence of hallucinogens.

Police interview Norah, and remark that Sherry's murder resembles serial killings that occurred the summer before in Spanish Harlem, which received little publicity because the victims were all Hispanic females.

Frightened for the children's safety, she brings them to the family's beachfront vacation home in Long Island, while Erika promises to help Joel.

The next morning, after returning from a walk on the beach, Norah finds Erika's severed head in the kitchen, and Joel standing nearby with his switchblade.

"[9] Williams notes that the film's opening sequence at an upperclass party affirms this thematic exploration, observing that "intercut shots juxtapose affluent white guests with primitive voodoo masks placed in the demeaning position of trendy artifacts.

"[9] Williams notes a similar social-racial suggestiveness through the film's cinematography, particularly "subtle, non-rhetorical camera movements" that occur during sequences between Norah and her maid, Veronica, which reveal the "oppressive nature of white power.

[11] Throughout the film, several peripheral characters observe that Norah and Joel have an unusual brother-sister relationship, with some commenting that the two appear to be a couple.

[5] Shortly after principal photography began, producer Martin Poll left the project due to creative disputes with actress Shirley MacLaine.

[5] In addition to its standard cut, which consists primarily of spoken English with some Spanish, an exclusively Spanish-language version of the film was released concurrently in New York.

[18] Eleven-year-old actor David Elliott was made to strip and dance naked on a table during a sequence in which his character is humiliated by the possessed Joel Delaney.

He said that the scene was not part of the original script when he accepted the role, but was added by Hussein during the final two weeks of its filming in a remote location in fire island.

Noted film critic Roger Ebert wrote:[The] final scenes in the beach house are in nauseatingly bad taste.

But Warris Hussein, who directed this film, is so bankrupt of imagination that he actually descends to a scene where the little boy is forced to disrobe and eat dog food.

[24] In her biography of Shirley MacLaine, writer Patricia Erens noted that The Possession of Joel Delaney was a box-office disappointment for Paramount Pictures.

[25] The Possession of Joel Delaney received mixed reviews from film critics, with many noting its social commentary on class issues and MacLaine's performance as strengths, though some felt it portrayed negative stereotypes of Puerto Rican Americans.

[26] Candice Russell of the Miami Herald felt the screenplay was underdeveloped, despite the film's "keen performances, Hussein's crisp direction, and clean, often-eerie photography.

But stir in some mumbo-jumbo in which shrieking Puerto Ricans try to exorcise the devil, and a climax in which MacLaine and her children are tortured at knife-point by the spirit of racial vengeance, and what you come away with is an alarmist message saying 'Keep New York White'.