There's going to be double, double toil and trouble when it comes to Days of our Lives' iconic Marlena possession storyline. The scary 90s story that starred Deidre Hall is getting a redo this fall, which will take viewers deep -- dare we say six feet deep -- into the NBC soap opera's past.
DAYS announced its exciting storyline plans today along with a chilling teaser trailer that plays tricks on the eyes as it warns, "something wicked this way comes."
As all Days of our Lives fans know (heck, as all TV fans know), DAYS made history in 1994 when it launched a storyline in which the devil began terrorizing Marlena. Though the creepy turn of events was fit for Halloween, it actually wasn't until Christmas Eve that Marlena went full-on Exorcist and started levitating in her bed.
DAYS' executive producer, Ken Corday, spoke to Today Extra about the Marlena possession tale and shared that his initial reaction to the story created by head writer James E. Reilly was actually quite gloom and doom. "The writer called me and said this is what we are going to do. And I said, 'You're mad; that will never work!'" he recalled.
Hall had a different take, however. During a chat last July with her co-star, Judi Evans (Bonnie Lockhart/Adrienne Kiriakis), the actress said that she immediately had "enormous faith" in Reilly as a creator and writer. "Because he was seriously religious, I thought we were in good hands."
As everyone now knows, the haunting possession tale, which went on for a large part of 1995, has gone down in history as one of the most memorable soap opera stories of all time. However, it wasn't without its issues. As Corday told EW, "It was supposed to last three months, starting somewhere around Halloween and ending with a Christmas miracle. And he dragged it into Easter, and he ended it literally with John Black [Drake Hogestyn] just standing over her saying one Our Father, and that story was over."
It's anyone's guess how DAYS' writers will tell the tale this time around because further details are being kept sealed tighter than most coffins. Will Marlena once again find herself possessed by the devil -- or will another Salemite fall into the hands of evil? However, we do know that the storyline kicks off this Friday, according to head writer Ron Carlivati. In the meantime, check out a classic clip from the soap's original mid-90s possession storyline below.
What do you think about DAYS retelling its legendary Marlena possession story? Do you think Marlena will once again be terrorized by the devil, or do you think another Salemite is headed for trouble this Halloween? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
