The Damned is a pretty decent little possession flick. It's got a little international flavor (the characters are mostly English-speaking, but it takes place in Columbia) and strays far enough from the standard demon/Satan-possession genre to be interesting. Instead of a demon, the possessing entity here is an ancient bruja (witch) who can leap from one body to another. In the rules of The Damned, if you try to kill the bruja, it can jump into from the dead body to the body of the person who killed it. So trying to take it out is no good - the best you can really do is trap it. The possessed person is pretty much the same as you'd expect from any possession film - crazy eyes, scary voice, super strength, knowing your secrets - but here you get all of that goodness without having to deal with the lame religious angles and poorly done exorcisms. Plus, here the possessed isn't tied to a bed or anything - it can wander around causing havoc while trying to jump to the strongest possible body, so The Damned has sort of monster movie feel as well.
The setup? A man and his fiancee are in Columbia to retrieve his adult daughter. The girl's mom passed away some years ago, so you've got a little family drama to deal with that isn't worth getting into here. (To be fair, The Damned doesn't feel like getting into it either - it's presented and then quickly dropped.) Anyways, dad, fiancee, daughter, daughter's boyfriend, and daughter's reporter friend are traveling through the countryside to get to the airport (or something) when they are caught in a crazy storm/flash-flood. The ensuing accident is really well done from a technical standpoint (it's the biggest set-piece in the film), but it totals the car and injures the fiancee. They run to the only nearby building for shelter and help, which happens to be an old decrepit hotel. The old man at the door refuses to let them in, but when the dad begs for help for his "family," the man gives in. He offers to get them towels but insists that they do not leave the living room.
Daughter ignores this request and sneaks out to find a bathroom. While she's in there, she hears a strange crying sound through the pipes. She explores a little bit and is shocked by what she finds: The creepy old man has a young girl locked up in a small room in the basement! They assume it's because he's a creepy old perv, but what if he had a better reason - like, say... a witch was possessing the little girl's body, for instance. But of course, the family doesn't realize this, and in an effort to Do the Right Thing, they release the evil witch. Shenanigans ensue.
In hindsight, a lot about The Damned feels pretty small - simple story, not a lot of characters, pretty much one main location once things get moving. But it doesn't feel that way when you're watching it. It's a very well-made film - the set design is quite good (I dug the crusty old hotel), and director Victor Garcia does a good job mixing dread and tension with the occasional jolting scare. It's the type of horror film that looks pretty grim and isn't fun in the traditional sense - there isn't any humor or any "oh, snap!" kills. But it's not overwhelmingly bleak or a downer - it's just a pretty solid thriller.
The downside: I wasn't a big fan of the casting. Aside from Gustavo Angarita as the old man Felipe and the little possessed girl, I just didn't buy anyone in their roles. The dad looks way too young to have an adult daughter - I guess in "actual age" it would make sense - he's 19 years older than her. But as far as "hollywood age" goes, it's a little distracting. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of romantic interests in films that are farther apart than that.
Horror-wise? There is some gore, but certainly nothing extravagant. What's there is well done though. The bruja has pretty standard demonic powers, but they never go overboard into cartoonish unbelievability. The film relies a bit too much on the CGI for this stuff, but it's easy to cut it some slack - you get all the fun of a possession flick without the faith-based gobbledygook.
Overall, I rather liked The Damned. Other than some casting choices that just didn't work for me, it delivers the goods. It may not blow you away, but sometimes there's joy to be found in a straightforward, simple story that's competently told.
I would recommend this film.
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