After moving to a new city due to work, a man and wife find that their lies are complicated more than just the move by her incidental purchase of an antique box containing the spirit of a Dybbuk, a demon of Jewish mythology, and must uncover the source of the spirits' creation to save his family.
Overall, this one has a lot to like about it. Among the main positives is the stellar mixing of Jewish faith and a supernatural genre film much like the original did. With the Jewish faith being an untapped and unexplored source for genre thrills not just in domestic but also foreign cinema, the way this plays with the confines of the religion for its scares is quite impressive. Tackling the source of possession through the rituals and tribulations featured in the funeral processions, burial rituals but also the social constructs of the relationship at the heart of the possession which all feature something intriguing to the final story. Given this nature of backstory building so that the impetus and motivation for the ensuing activities have a grounded starting point, the exploration that occurs leading into the grand twist about the target for the possession and the methods of containing the murderous spirit manage to feature some impressive work about it. When it comes to dealing with the more traditional genre elements, the film works quite well. Due to the first half presenting itself as a mystery, the initial encounters are filmed through shadow and suggestion which hides the protagonist effectively, resulting in scenes showing tragic accidents with their unnatural actions projected through shadow onto an opposite wall or crashing through walls from outside. The supernatural hauntings towards the wife take on a rather fun routine of her being suspicious of something in a room, receives a flash-vision of a ghost in the area, and darts away only to be startled by someone else coming upon her and help to bring about a generally enjoyable atmosphere before getting to the realization of the haunting taking place. Though by themselves brief in duration, the frequency of the incidents establishes a great tone leading into the central exorcism to be performed at the end, which is the expected extravagant, over-the-top display usually associated with the genre. Featuring full-on levitation, people and objects flying through the air with regular abandon, tons of screaming as well demonic voice-altered shouting and threats, it's a fun time and helps to end this one on a positive note. That said, there are some problems present here. The biggest issue is the somewhat unwieldy length that takes into account several side stories and subplots that aren't really necessary. The detective investigating the initial murders at the jewelry store is so clumsily written into the film that he disappears for extended lengths of time and isn't missed at all. Likewise, the constant cutaways to show him at work at the nuclear facility undergoing meetings to get briefed on his job or show what he goes through on a normal day aren't as interesting as the paranormal incidents happening at their home which feel like intrusions on the main plotline. The other factor, which won't be a universal drawback at all, is the twist involving the true identity of the possessed individual, coming across as a ploy to trick the audience for no purpose by including the body-hopping guise simply to pull it off. Some might not be that put-off by the trickery but some viewers might not enjoy this kind of surprise that doesn't fit in the rest of the film. Otherwise, there isn't much else to dislike.
Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.
Overall, this one has a lot to like about it. Among the main positives is the stellar mixing of Jewish faith and a supernatural genre film much like the original did. With the Jewish faith being an untapped and unexplored source for genre thrills not just in domestic but also foreign cinema, the way this plays with the confines of the religion for its scares is quite impressive. Tackling the source of possession through the rituals and tribulations featured in the funeral processions, burial rituals but also the social constructs of the relationship at the heart of the possession which all feature something intriguing to the final story. Given this nature of backstory building so that the impetus and motivation for the ensuing activities have a grounded starting point, the exploration that occurs leading into the grand twist about the target for the possession and the methods of containing the murderous spirit manage to feature some impressive work about it. When it comes to dealing with the more traditional genre elements, the film works quite well. Due to the first half presenting itself as a mystery, the initial encounters are filmed through shadow and suggestion which hides the protagonist effectively, resulting in scenes showing tragic accidents with their unnatural actions projected through shadow onto an opposite wall or crashing through walls from outside. The supernatural hauntings towards the wife take on a rather fun routine of her being suspicious of something in a room, receives a flash-vision of a ghost in the area, and darts away only to be startled by someone else coming upon her and help to bring about a generally enjoyable atmosphere before getting to the realization of the haunting taking place. Though by themselves brief in duration, the frequency of the incidents establishes a great tone leading into the central exorcism to be performed at the end, which is the expected extravagant, over-the-top display usually associated with the genre. Featuring full-on levitation, people and objects flying through the air with regular abandon, tons of screaming as well demonic voice-altered shouting and threats, it's a fun time and helps to end this one on a positive note. That said, there are some problems present here. The biggest issue is the somewhat unwieldy length that takes into account several side stories and subplots that aren't really necessary. The detective investigating the initial murders at the jewelry store is so clumsily written into the film that he disappears for extended lengths of time and isn't missed at all. Likewise, the constant cutaways to show him at work at the nuclear facility undergoing meetings to get briefed on his job or show what he goes through on a normal day aren't as interesting as the paranormal incidents happening at their home which feel like intrusions on the main plotline. The other factor, which won't be a universal drawback at all, is the twist involving the true identity of the possessed individual, coming across as a ploy to trick the audience for no purpose by including the body-hopping guise simply to pull it off. Some might not be that put-off by the trickery but some viewers might not enjoy this kind of surprise that doesn't fit in the rest of the film. Otherwise, there isn't much else to dislike.
Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.