In the Showtime original movie POSSESSED, based on actual events that took place in St. Louis in 1949, Timothy Dalton stars as Father William Bowdern, a seminary priest who takes to his flask because of his war nightmares. Desperate to do what's right, he fights the police to defend black people and battles the system every chance he gets. But when bizarre events start to occur around 11-year-old Robbie Mannheim, Father Bowdern must reexamine his own faith while trying to save the boy.

A real-life version of THE EXORCIST, POSSESSED includes all the requisite ghost-story elements--flying objects, blood messages burned into flesh, screaming Latin phrases and obscenities, and church skeptics. While Father Bowdern sees saving the boy as a "moral imperative," the archbishop (Christopher Plummer) is more concerned about the church's public reputation. Dalton is excellent in a complex, well-written role, helping make POSSESSED more than a few cuts above standard horror fare--and all the more terrifying because it's true.