A Woman Possessed is a British film directed by Max Varnel and starring Margaretta Scott (Katherine Winthrop, the mom), Francis Matthews (John Winthrop, the young doctor), and Kay Callard (Ann, the fiancée).
The film tells the story of John, a young doctor who returns home from America with Ann his new fiancée. But bad news. Ann is met awith intense, chilly disapproval from the doctor's wealthy and extremely possessive mother. Mummy, you see, lost her husband in a car accident when the doctor was age 4, and sees the son as sort of a replacement. The mother does everything she can to break up the couple, including sabotaging the health of the fiancée who has a chronic heart condition and interfering in her son's plans for a medical practice.
The film is a classic example of the "evil mother-in-law" genre, and Margaretta Scott gives a soap-opera worthy performance as the cold, scheming Katharine Winthrop. Scott plays the role like Agnes Moorehead on Xanax.
The film is also notable for its twist ending, which is a tad out of the blue with not much set up, but was still satisfying nonetheless. I just wished that bit had been fleshed out a bit more.
Overall, A Woman Possessed is a workmanlike and moderately suspenseful film that is sure to entertain if you like the genre.
However, the film has its flaws. In a birthday scene, mom-in-law gives a surprise gift to the fiancé. Any dim-wit could see what the gift would be for 20 minutes. There's mention of a weak, near collapsed porch that needs to be avoided, but that plot point is oddly dropped. And Ann has to be the dumbest woman alive in 1958 Britain. Like. "Girl, get outta there!" Mom-in-law is a nightmare, the maid is creepy, and your beta-male potential hubby is utterly clueless, under his mother's spell. The film could also use about 10 minutes more run time; it's only 68 minutes. The ending seemed rushed, like, "Oh we are out of budget. Better wrap this up!"
Despite these flaws, A Woman Possessed is still an enjoyable film that is worth watching for its suspenseful plot and Margaretta Scott's performance.