Crawford continued to ride the comeback wave after her successes in Mildred Pierce and Humoresque, with her appearance in yet another well-mounted film noir drama, Possessed. Crawford's increase in her abilities and strength as an actress seemed to coincide with the "star treatment" being lavished on her by Warners, at that time. Hitting the mark with a taught, well-crafted performance, her colleagues honored her with another Oscar nomination.





Crawford is taken to a local hospital after being found dazed on a street in downtown Los Angeles. Doctors use drug therapy get to the root of her distraught cries for "David." The film reveals in flashback, the events that have brought Crawford to this state. We find that Crawford worked as an in-house nurse for invalid Bryant, wife of the wealthy Raymond Massey. Crawford develops a rather obsessive attraction to an engineer played by Van Heflin.





However, Heflin doesn't feel as strongly about Crawford as she does about him and, put off by her possessiveness, he breaks off their relationship. Crawford threatens him, so he conveniently takes a job in Canada. Meanwhile, Bryant, who is less mentally stable than Crawford is, drowns herself due to her delusions that her husband Massey is having an affair with Crawford.





After the tragedy, Crawford remains in the house as governess and general housekeeper. Massey's oldest child, Brooks, is away at school, but Bryant had written of her suspicions concerning Crawford and Massey, and Brooks believes them. To add to all this drama, Heflin returns to accept a job with Massey, Crawford again pursues the engineer, and Heflin continues to fend her off.





In an interesting turn of events, Massey asks for Crawford's hand. Clearly this is the better, more stable choice for Crawford, and she accepts the proposal. She won't go through with the ceremony though, until Massey's daughter gives her consent. After the wedding, Heflin begins to court Brooks, who has no idea of Crawford's feelings for Heflin.





As a result of this development, the already strained relationship between Crawford and her step-daughter, is all but ruined by Crawford's seeming inability to get a grip on he situation. Her mind finally snaps and she begins seeing and hearing things and imagining that Bryant is still alive. Failing to break up Brooks and Heflin, Crawford goes to Heflin's apartment and shoots him dead.





At the this point the film flashes forward to the mental hospital, where the psychiatrist has listened to Crawford's tale and determined that the patient was not mentally responsible for her actions. It's clear that Crawford will need lots of therapy, but it also looks as if she may recover. Bernhardt's direction is moody and atmospheric and the switching between reality and Crawford's delusions is effective. Crawford handles her complex role like a pro, and seems to bask in the glow of comeback fever.