With the likes of The Blackening and Totally Killer, 2023 has been a pretty decent year for memorable horror comedies. Add Courtney Gets Possessed into the mix. The film’s creative premise feels refreshing. The feature also has some fun with possession tropes, though the beats never feel overdone and none of the characters feel all that one-note, especially the leads. The result is an entertaining 90 minutes that’s a rollercoaster ride of laughs, scares, and a devilish good time.

Written and directed by Madison Hatfield and Jono Mitchell, the film stars Lauren Buglioli as bride-to-be Courtney, who means to marry all-around good guy Glen (Zae Jordan). However, it turns out that Courtney once hooked up with the devil in the flesh, Dave, played by Jonathon Pawlowski. Shortly before Courtney and Glen are about to get hitched, Satan comes to collect his due. Courtney has his mark on her lower back, thus binding her to the fiendish one. He infests her and then Glen.

Other than the supernatural elements, there’s also some character tension and family dynamics at play. Courtney’s sister, Caitlin (Hatfield), isn’t too thrilled that she wasn’t chosen as Courtney’s maid of honor. Even their goofball brother Chuck (Steven Reddington) often leaves Caitlin out of everything. Other than the possession story, these strained family dynamics are generally well-scripted and add a moving layer to the film, which only deepens as the runtime continues. Meanwhile, Glen’s sister, Jasmine (Najah Bradley), doesn’t really think that Courtney is worthy of her brother. In fact, at one point, after the possession takes full swing and the devil prevents the group from leaving the house, Jasmine tells Courtney that the problem is her, that she’s the course. Ouch.

In terms of tone, too many horror comedies can’t quite handle the balancing act. Here, the comedy outweighs the horror, and during its best moments, this movie is really, really funny. The cast is simply great and gels together. The jokes land. Genre fans may pine for a little more bloodshed, but there are a few unsettling moments. For instance, the devil can kill people by simply snapping his fingers. That said, while this is technically a possession movie, it doesn’t aim for any of the over-the-top grotesqueness. There’s no real body horror here and certainly no pea soup vomiting. As a result, the feature avoids the redundancy of basically everything that followed The Exorcist but felt tame by comparison. In fact, in the first 30 minutes especially, this film jabs at the subgenre and has a grand old time doing it. These writers/directors were smart not to lean too heavily into possession horror, thus avoiding all of its cliches and trappings. This feels much more wholly original.

Courtney Gets Possessed is a great autumn watch. Bolstered by a clever script, competent directing, and a solid cast, this film continues 2023’s streak of high-quality horror comedies.

7.5 Out of 10