Margaret Qualley is trying to become the queen of body horror.
The Substance cast her as the youthful woman gruesomely sprung from the body of an aging star (Demi Moore) thanks to the effects of a mysterious elixir. Having earned rave reviews for her performance in that Oscar-nominated excursion to the very dark and disgusting side, Qualley is ready to double down on allegorical gross-out horror.
The star of 2026’s How to Make a Killing will next join Fantastic Beasts actor Callum Turner in a remake of 1981’s famously bizarre cult film Possession (via Vanity Fair).
SFX may play a relatively small role in Andrzej Żuławski’s original horror opus, the emphasis instead being placed on physical performance and visual tension, but there’s bound to be much more of an ick factor in the upcoming remake from Smile writer-director Parker Finn and producer Robert Pattinson.
Qualley steps into the role originally played with disturbing abandon by the legendary Isabelle Adjani, with Turner tackling the role originated by Sam Neill, in one of the beloved Jurassic Park actor’s creepiest performances. In the original film’s most famous scene, Adjani undergoes a wildly violent and horrifying series of contortions while having a miscarriage.
Adjani’s performance in Possession has indeed come to be regarded as one of the most harrowing ever given in a horror film, and is still influencing actors like Nosferatu star Lily-Rose Depp, who spoke in a 2025 interview about what she took from Adjani’s work (via IndieWire). “I thought a lot about Possession. Isabelle Adjani has an incredible and iconic performance in that. … She’s an actress that inspires me a lot.”
Smile filmmaker Finn revealed his own love of the original Possession while touting his remake in a 2024 interview (via SFX Magazine). “It’s early days, but we’re incredibly excited about this completely bonkers movie,” he said, adding, “Possession is one of my favorite films of all time, and so what was really important to me was that we were honoring the original and staying true to its absolute frenzied, manic ferocity.”
So extreme in its blend of physical and psychological horror was the 1981 film that it was banned in the UK and heavily edited in the US. ScreenRant in a 2024 article on the planned Possession remake spelled out some concerns about director Finn’s potential approach to re-interpreting Żuławski’s vision, saying the new film, “Needs to avoid toning down the [original’s] signature surrealness in an attempt to reach a wider audience.”
“If they’re committed to remaking Possession, then they need to really go for it and make a movie that’s just as out there and unabashedly weird as Żuławski’s original,” the article goes on to say.
Birthdate
October 23, 1994
Birthplace
Kalispell, Montana, USA