The Possession of Joel Delaney 1972 Norah Benson Shirley MacLaine, an affluent socialite living in Manhattans Upper East Side, seems to be living the perfect life as a divorced mother of two After her mothers suicide, she becomes a mother figure to her younger brother, Joel Delaney Perry King However, Joel begins to begin to act strangely He tries to attack a man and is taken to a mental asylum He loses his free spirited kindness in exchange for a turbulent personality After the twin shields of her affluence and naivete have been broken down, Norah seeks the help of a spiritualist to attempt to exorcise the spirit of a murderer they believe to be possessing Joel But Joel turns on Norah and threatens her life and those of her children