Becoming The Muse

Possession Series Review

Possession is a British supernatural thriller limited series, written by Karla Crome and directed by Storm Saulter. The five-episode miniseries premiered on 6 August 2026 on Sky Atlantic, coinciding with Jamaica’s Independence Day from British rule.

The series follows Claudia McKenzie, a lawyer working on a disputed inheritance claim involving a £50 million estate, only to uncover haunting historical secrets that refuse to stay buried.

The Good

The title is a subtle play on words that foreshadows how a person enslaved, is treated like a possession with no agency of their own, something familiar in the horror genre trope, possession, where a person can become taken over by something other…

Fun Fact: Possession was originally titled Inheritance.

While it has all the classic horror aesthetics, creepy plantation house, unidentifiable noises, and secrets buried beneath the floorboards, it uses supernatural elements as a vehicle to explore colonial history, intergenerational trauma, and the complex argument for reparations.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Claudia McKenzie delivers a layered performance as a biracial lawyer, whose ambition places her between professional duty, scepticism and the lived experience of her ancestral heritage. Her internal conflict mirrors how modern society attempts to dismiss the past, till it no longer can.

Sheldon Shepherd as Cudjoe East brings in a compelling essence of charisma and mystery, as the enigmatic stranger who suddenly inherits a £ 50 million estate…

Then there is Jonny Lee Miller as Oliver Connaught, the British aristocrat disinherited from a family fortune built upon a colonial legacy, in favour of a local Jamaican. Oliver is an awkward combination of entitlement, confusion and guilt. He spends much of the series blundering around like a guest who accidentally crashed a party he didn’t want to attend.

Visually the film’s cinematography creates an eerie and authentic atmosphere, making use of local landscapes, Jamaican street celebrations, and folklore. The production was filmed in Bristol and Jamaica, with a Jamaican supporting cast for added authenticity.

The Bad

Watched almost halfway the first episode and then restarted with the subtitles on as the Patois accents are hard to follow along.

.The script packs a lot of elements into 5 episodes and there isn’t enough room for them all to breathe, from identity politics, to colonial legacy, reparations, spirituality and mysticism.

The plot unfolds between two timelines, a present-day one and flashbacks to 300 years ago with. The dots are only fully connected in a late-stage exposition dump that feels like too much, too late.

Possession could have been compelling as a horror series leaning into Caribbean spiritual dimensions, but occasionally crosses into humour, inadvertently undermining the gravity of its core subject matter.

The Ugly

The historical flashbacks feature graphic depictions of colonial cruelty, plantation life, and period-typical racist language, making for an uncomfortable watch.

Instead of delivering a potent historical reckoning, the series turns its carefully constructed tension into nothing more than a historical footnote without a satisfying conclusion. Billed as a limited series, there are no plans for a second season, so what we are left with is essentially it.

Final Thoughts

Possession is a bold, unsettling series that fuses gothic horror with heavy colonial history delivering powerful performances and haunting imagery. While its not perfect, its still a series that demands conversation.

Have you watched Possession? Does it sound like something you would watch?