The Possession (I) (2012) User Reviews

The cream puff version of The Exorcist

[IheartCali5882 · 6/10 · 31 August 2012]

The parallels between this film and The Exorcist are obvious even from the trailers, so I won't go too far into that. Just suffice it to say that The Possession contains none of the impact or shock value that The Exorcist has. In short, it's just not as good of a film.

However, in its own right, it's a pretty competent horror movie. The story of the central characters is kind of cliché. Husband and wife have divorced, they share custody of the children, there's a new boyfriend/girlfriend in the picture, etc. This type of set up is always convenient when dealing with a "messed up kid" film. That way whatever is wrong with the child can inevitably be blamed on the fact that the child is just not dealing well with the break up of his or her parents. And that's exactly what happens in The Possession; except there is actually something VERY wrong with the youngest daughter and it has absolutely nothing to do with her parents. Without giving away too much, the plot centers around an ancient wooden box the youngest daughter finds at a yard sale. Of course she wants it, and so she gets it. And there begins to occur some rather strange phenomena; most of them downright spooky, a couple kind of hokey.

All in all, I was pleased. This film has got good pacing, decent acting, and exceptional cinematography. There's not much I can find as a fault here. If I had to name my major complaint about this and similar movies it would be this: I'm not thrilled about the influx of PG-13 horror films. I've a suspicion this is due to a need to bring in a wider audience (younger viewers/teenagers), and make more money on ticket sales. Because of this the final product tends to be a little too watered down for my tastes. The Possession shows a lot of promise, but I can't help but wish the writers/director would have pushed the envelope a bit more; fleshed out the story. Then it would have been great. As it stands now, I'll just say it's a "good" little horror film. Nothing that will be talked about this time next year, but I consider my money well spent.

My rating: 6.5/10

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Delivers A Super Performance!

[namashi_1 · 7/10 · 2 September 2012]

Based on the allegedly haunted Dybbuk box, 'The Possession' is a fairly interesting watch, that works in parts & Jeffrey Dean Morgan Delivers A Super Performance! He's in Complete Form this time around!

'The Possession' Synopsis: A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl's father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child.

'The Possession' works in parts. The second-hour is pretty good, but the First-Hour is slow & not very engaging. The Climax stands out, its spooky & nicely done. Juliet Snowden & Stiles White's Screenplay works in parts. Ole Bornedal's Direction is a plus-point. Cinematography & Editing are good.

Performance-Wise: Jeffrey Dean Morgan is up for top honors. He's in Complete Form this time around! Kyra Sedgwick is decent. Natasha Calis delivers aptly. Madison Davenport & Matisyahu support well.

On the whole, 'The Possession' is a fairly interesting watch.

A Familiar Subgenre Given Great Life

[Michael_Elliott · 31 August 2012]

The Possession (2012)

*** (out of 4)

Extremely well-made and well-acted horror film about a recently divorced father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) who buys his youngest daughter (Natasha Calis) a seemingly innocent box at a yard sale but soon the girl's behavior starts to change. The title pretty much tells you what happens to the little girl and I'm sure many of you are out there wondering if we really needed another possession movie. The answer is yes and especially since this one here turned out so well. I think you have to give the filmmakers a lot of credit for tackling a familiar sub-genre and being able to make it work without resorting to cheap, loud noise scares that seem to be attached to all horror movies today. I thought there were a lot of reasons why this film worked but one is the fact that you care about the father and feel his pain for losing someone close to him. The personal drama is something that THE EXORCIST used so well and the filmmakers here borrow from that and make sure the viewer can care about what's going on. Another strong point are the performances with Jeffrey Dean Morgan doing a fantastic job in the role of the father. It's rare to see horror films with such strong performances but Kyra Sedgwick is also strong as the mother. Calis is terrific in her bit as the young girl who finds herself falling apart. The limited special effects are good for what they are but we also get an incredibly effective music score. I didn't care for some of the style given to the film including the fast cuts to a black screen but this was just a minor issue. Still, THE POSSESSION gives a shot of energy to a genre that has so far in 2012 delivered one bomb after another.

Has touches that had to be influenced by producer Sam Raimi.

[Hellmant · 7/10 · 21 September 2012]

'THE POSSESSION': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A Jewish exorcism film for a change! This one revolves around Jewish folklore of the Dybbuk Box (which began in the 1920s), a box used to contain an evil Jewish demon. A father and his two daughters buy the box at a garage sale and one of the young girls becomes possessed by the demon inside it. The film was produced by Sam Raimi (and released through his horror studio 'Ghost House Pictures') and directed by Ole Bornedal. It was written by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White (who also co-wrote the Sam Raimi produced horror film 'BOOGEYMAN' and the Nicolas Cage thriller 'KNOWING') and stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick. The movie plays out like a pretty routine possession movie but it does have some pretty nice scares in it and the dybbuk storyline is interesting.

The film is based on an article by LA Times reporter Leslie Gornstein, called 'Jinx in A Box', about the history of the Dybbuk Box which was brought to America by a Holocaust survivor and passed around to various people who all reported horrific experiences from it. In the film a young girl named Em (Natasha Calis) finds the box at a garage sale and asks her dad, Clyde (Morgan), to buy it for her. Clyde was recently divorced from his wife, Stephanie (Sedgwick), and has his two daughters, Em and Hannah (Madison Davenport), for the weekend. Em takes the box home and opens it and soon strange occurrences begin happening. This causes further conflict between Clyde and Stephanie as Clyde is blamed for his daughter's strange behavior. Clyde soon discovers Em's possessed and learns the history of the box. He then travels to a local Hasidic community for help and enlists the assistance of a young jew named Tzadok (Matisyahu), who is able to perform exorcisms.

Bornedal also directed (as well as wrote) the Danish thriller 'NIGHTWATCH' and it's 1997 American remake of the same name (although Steven Soderbergh rewrote that screenplay) starring Ewan McGregor. He also directed and co-wrote the 2007 Danish horror film 'THE SUBSTITUTE' (also released by Ghost House Pictures, in America). I'm not familiar with his work but I really liked his directing on this film. It has that classic campy horror feel to it, with touches that had to be influenced by Sam Raimi (as it often feels like one of his films). The movie is often funny, in seemingly unintentional ways, but it's never too over the top. The comedy never takes you out of the creepy mood of the film and although the script is routine the film is always intriguing, thanks to the excellent filmmaking. Morgan is good in the lead and Natasha Calis is also impressive in the pivotal creepy role. To many it might just seem like a bad horror film but if you're a fan of the genre you'll probably get a big kick out of it's style and the enormous fun it has with the material.

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Conventional Movie of Possession and Exorcism

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 18 February 2013]

The basketball coach Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his wife Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick) divorced a couple of months ago and their teenage daughter Hannah (Madison Davenport) and the girl Emily 'Em' (Natasha Calis) live with their mother and spend the weekends with their father.

One day, Clyde stops his car in a yard sale and Em buys an antique carved box and becomes obsessed with it. Em finds the hidden lock and releases an evil spirit that possesses her. Soon Clyde discovers that Em has a problem, but his annoying ex-wife and her boyfriend Brett (Grant Show) do not pay attention to him and get a restraining order against Clyde.

Clyde seeks out Professor McMannis (Jay Brazeau) and when he sees the box, he explains that it is a Dibbuk Box, where a fiend is trapped inside. He also explains that the box should not be open; otherwise the person will be possessed by the spirit. Now Clyde travels to a Jewish community in New York and the rabbi's son Tzadok (Matisyahu) returns with him expecting to exorcise Em to save the girl.

"The Possession" is a conventional movie of possession and exorcism but is not a bad movie, with good performances. However, the story is totally predictable and does not show anything new in the genre. Last but not the least, Brett simply vanishes from the story without any further explanation. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Possessão" ("Possession")

Dull, but inoffensive exorcism movie!

[cmoore5-20-797765 · 4/10 · 1 September 2012]

Let me start of by saying that The Possession is far from a horrible film. It's well put together, reasonably well acted, etc., but there's nothing to really recommend rushing out to see it.

Any true horror fan will tell you that 2012 has been slim pickings for theatrical horror films. The ones we've gotten have ranged from decent (The Woman in Black) to extremely divisive (The Cabin in the Woods). Sadly, The Possession is not going to be our saving grace this year.

I will give The Possession props for attempting to give its characters some sort of backstory and dramatic through line, especially since that's something horror filmmakers have been forgetting to put in for years. It seems they forget that it helps if we get to know the people who are about to be terrorized if they expect us to feel any sympathy for them. The family unit is quite likable thanks to some game performances, but something about it feels manufactured and unrealistic as if the writers are trying too hard.

Once the real action of the film starts and little Emily starts acting strange, the film pulls a lot of punches and never does anything interesting or original with the material. It's Exorcist-lite. It would be as if the Disney Channel tried turning The Exorcist into a TV movie for their network. It takes a lot of the dread and danger out of the last act of the film.

Also, forget about scares. No one in my audience even jumped at the film's many attempts at "boo" scares. There's a good effort to build up the dread for the first 30/45 minutes of the film, but it plateaus there and never pays off.

Like I said, The Possession is not a terrible film (nowhere near as abysmal as this year's The Devil Inside), just a dull one with nothing new to offer and no surprises to make it worth seeing. I really don't even think it's rental material. Skip it!

A Nutshell Review: The Possession

[DICK STEEL · 6/10 · 22 September 2012]

I'm a little bit wary when a horror film touts itself as based on a true story, because one can only take that with a pinch of salt, given that it's a film after all, and there's a need to dress it up for the silver screen and for dramatic purposes. Moreover, having to state the events took place in less than a month, seemed a little bit far fetched, given how the screenplay played things out, which made it look like months instead. Still, for the curious, you may want to look up an article called Jinx in a Box written by Leslie Gornstein, which the events in this film is purportedly based on.

So is it any good, given that the trailer essentially told the entire story from beginning to end? It got better as it moved along, and really tested your patience in the first half of the film since it really took a long time before a turn of events leading to the first boo. It introduced the characters of a dysfunctional family, where Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) has already divorced from wife Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick), with the former getting only the weekends to spend time with daughters Hannah (Madison Davenport) and Em (Natasha Calis). The arrangements seem pretty well oiled, with Clyde having moved to another house of his own conveniently located in a new neighbourhood. As part of moving in, they pick up extra dishes at someone's backyard jumble sale, and Em gets attracted to a mysterious box, which gets bought and brought home.

Warning lights are probably flashing now, since stories of old have already warned never to pick up strange looking objects from anywhere and bringing them home. Opening Pandora's Box is also something nobody should do, and when done, welcomes a whole lot of trouble. Em becomes possessed and Natasha Calis almost got a chance to be the next Linda Blair in The Exorcist, except that The Possession minus all the kinky moves that would make parents frown and grown ups blush. Make up also helped to make her look her zombie best, coupled with fans borrowed from a Bollywood studio to let her hair fly around when the air around is still. And for those who object her bout of violent behaviour, especially when becoming possessive and protective of the mysterious box, even stranger things happen, and her unusual behaviour soon triggers Clyde to do some sleuthing of his own.

Credit must be given when credit is due, so Danish director Ole Bornedal did what he could in avoiding the usual clichés of slamming doors and jump scares. Instead, the focus was on building atmospherics through the use of creepy crawlies, and he succeeded to an extent in doing that. It took a while to build up a story, which could have done a lot more with its context of dismissing the change of the child's behaviour because of the psychological pressures in dealing with her parents' divorce, but this never really quite took off.

Instead, the last half hour floored the pedal to the metal, moving at breakneck speed and allowed a battle of good and evil, and dealing with a parent's undying love for his child, complete with self-sacrificing gesture to try and lure the evil that is inside. While there are a whole host of exorcist type films of late, to varying degrees of success and presentation, this one probably was one of the first that I've seen that was a Jewish exorcism, not involving a priest but a rabbi (Matisyahu) instead, with certain rites performed I'm sure didn't had much of an authentic ring to it (I may be wrong). And to make things a little laughable, there was a scene where Clyde thought he could do it alone through the learning of the rites on Vimeo (wonder how much they had to pay to displace YouTube), before seeking professional help.

But the unforgivable element in the film, is the editing. For all the good work that was done in the film, with the actors trying their best to flesh out a relatively flimsy storyline, everything got let down by the poor, poor editing. This probably came from having 2 editors in Eric Beason and Anders Villadsen handle the film, so one can only speculate on the clash of ideas. Ultimately it really reflected their weak editing skills and the limited scope of their abilities, making almost every transition here a fade to black, probably the only technique they can both agree on. This irritates since it's so frequently used, especially at the beginning of the film, and made it all worst when it was used so carelessly in the gripping finale, totally spoiling the mood and threw a spanner in the works. It's really choppy work, got in the way and drew attention to itself, so it was bewildering why the filmmakers had let this pass, rather than to fire them both and get someone else instead.

Do not let the slow pace fool you.

[deadly_twilight · 9/10 · 1 January 2013]

So this movie was not for everyone, I personally thought this movie was great.

An exorcism movie that does not involve the devil is refreshing to see, and the experience of the movie is played out quite well in the pacing and how events unfold. The fact it features the Jewish religion over Christianity is a very nice touch, one you rarely see in a movie of this style as most people hear exorcism and assume the Catholic church. While many may complain it is too slow, and other such things let me ask you this question.

What were you expecting from a movie that was purely plot driven?

Personally the acting was also great, I could empathize with the characters and understand them. The father was just worried about his daughter, who hid her signs of the problem well until things got bad. I mean when it really showed and she was hitting the kid at school, that looked like something that night happen in school over even something small like a favorite pencil or item. There was in my opinion no weak performances in the acting, coupled with a solid and strong story makes for quite a good movie.

Lastly the execution was some of the best I had seen this far, it flowed and was not jumpy like say the bourne movies. Nothing was out of place and the movie felt creepy and eerie throughout with all of the silence that you could almost hear in many parts of it. If your looking for a truly good movie that will have you walking away satisfied this is one of them.

It is a well written, acted, and executed movie that while it may seem slow moving is well worth the watch. Think of it what you will, but I recommend this movie as one of my top ten movies of 2012.

Oozes Blandness and Filled with Unintentional Hilarity

[Simon_Says_Movies · 3/10 · 12 September 2012]

Oozing blandness and spattered with unintentional hilarity, The Possession is an amorphous blob of been-there-done-that genre tropes, even with its limp attempt at uniqueness by putting a Jewish spin on the exorcism thriller. As it turns out, a religious figure dressed in goofy clothing muttering gibberish over a twitching young girl is an equally flaccid horror approach across all religious denominations.

If heaps of clichés ranging from the clueless parents to a little girl muttering hateful things in demon tongue weren't enough, The Possession forgets to even be scary, failing to even provide cheap jump scares let alone moments of extended tension. If a room filled with moths or flicking lights is your idea of chilling cinema then I supposed you could find something to admire amidst all the clutter, but for everyone else, this is strictly bargain-bin quality. Likewise, all of the potentially creepy imagery has been bastardized by the marketing material (et tu, poster?).

Even the setting chosen by director Ole Borendal lacks any imagination. Instead of some creepy, dilapidated homestead, he's chosen to stage the paranormal events at a brand new, immaculate home. Just because the characters in this film are too idiotic to ever turn on a light (a recurring decision that had me yelling at the screen towards the end) does not a haunted house make.

The quartet of principle actors who make up the main cast of The Possession include Jeffrey Dean Morgan (wasted here) as the rather clueless divorcée father, Kyra "The Closer" Sedgwick as the bitch-of-a- mother who has to be all "oh I'm so sorry I doubted you, our daughter is actually possessed by the demon Abizu" and their two daughters played by newcomers Natasha Calis and Madison Davenport. Thankfully, these two are quite good, at least saving the film from the oft-seen death sentence that are awful child actors. All of these characters essentially serve as demon fodder, existing to a.) be possessed, b.) be beat up by the possessed, c.) be scared by the possessed or d.) save the possessed. You won't care one iota about the lot of them.

As is always the way, our darling little princess becomes possessed after opening an old wooden box she finds at a yard sale (recycling — it never helps anyone). This is no jewellery box, but rather a religious tool known as a Dybbuk box, used to contain a broken spirit. The aforementioned demon Abizu has now latched onto young Em Brenek intent on doing ... something or another. It seems content to eat a lot of pancakes, spit bugs out of its mouth and talk'smack about peoples' loved ones.

As Em starts acting bizarre and stoic, so leads us into the Google searches for possession cures (I'm sure Web M.D. can clear that stuff right up), wild accusations across the board as to what is going on and the eventual exorcism, which apparently in Jewish cultures looks like Weird Al Yankovic rapping and head-bopping while screeching the demon's name like he's tripping balls on ecstasy. As I iterated before, exorcism in film has become an utterly eye-rolling procedure after decades of dilution and overexposure. The sequence in The Possession is particularly laughable.

There have certainly been far worse horror efforts this year both on the indie circuit and for main Hollywood releases, but The Possession is easily the most lifeless – content on existing without identity. If you have never seen an exorcism movie before, there are certainly (sadly) worse places you could start. But considering that the dated special effects and sometimes hammy performances from The Exorcist haven't degraded that classic from still being the greatest of its type, speaks volumes to the complacency of today's horror industry to churn out the mediocre and falsely brand it as cutting-edge.

playeraffinity.com

horrible.

[petit76 · 11 September 2012]

I don't feel like I have to convince people of not watching this movie at all. As a horror movie avid person I am I loath to say it was downright one of the worst exorcism movies ever. The story is woven around a little girl's possession of a little box purchased at a yard sale. It's carrying the demonic spirit inside reminded me of the original Exorcist movie that people found the old relic in an excavation in North Africa. I just wonder why the screenplay of this movie is pretty much the holder of the key elements of the original Exorcist movie. The entire movie is another form of cliché movie genre which fell short of every single cinematography elements. The main substance is missing but a lot of branch-offs from the original Exorcist movie. People who have not had the opportunity to have watched the original Exorcist by Blatty's might like this movie but those of who have seen Exorcist will see what I am referring to. I am just tired of seeing allegedly horror movies in the movie theaters. I am very sad to have seen this movie was viewed by many. I rate this poor movie 1 out of 10. Save your hardly earned money by not seeing this terrible movie. Horrid acting, poor screenplay..

Grade F Cinematic Muck

[rivertam26 · 6/10 · 31 August 2012]

There's been a slew of truly great horror films this year exiled to VOD debuts The Tall Man, Rec Genesis, Rites of Spring, Lovely Molly amongst many others hell even Piranha 3DD had it's moments. So why is that we've been tortured the last two weekends with The Apparition and now The Possession. A generic youth targeted horror yarn that fits it's lame over used title.The film centers on a young girl, a child of divorce of course who cons her dad into buying her some crap from a yard sale one item being an old wooden box with carvings in hebrew on it.Eventually she gets it open and the force within it begins to take hold of her. At first it's slight things before moving onto aggressive behavior. Soon after her father discovers it's a Dibuk box that holds an evil spirit. That spirit has of course inhabited his daughter so he entails the help of religious Rabi played by rap/reggae maestro Matsyuah to help him exorcise his daughter. Yes the film is a Jewish sort of play on the exorcist but the results are mostly unintentionally funny. The screenplay has moments of inspiration but is too clichéd to be throughly engaging, the direction is amateur at best there are pacing issues as well as odd cuts that make the overall effect confused and silly. The spfx are all pretty standard with some inspired gags mostly seen in the trailers, the score is absurdly dramatic and unfitting and as for the performances. Natasha Gal in the lead as Em is pretty bad. Her performance is uneven, annoying and overly dramatic which I'm sure has a lot to do with the atrocious direction. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is runner up in the bad performance department especially in his supposed tear inducing emotional scenes. Kyra Sedgwick is pretty much the only ray of light and even she's only solid 80 percent of the time and actually Matsyuah is not too bad either even though his character feels like he's plugged in as an afterthought. And I just loved how the sold out idiotic audience laughed at the way in which he performed the religious ceremony and chuckled whenever he appeared on screen in his religious garb. Enforcing the type of audience this is geared towards.The film is just grade F cinematic muck it's insulting and pretty embarrassing on almost every level. I mean after last week's cinematic genre dud The Apparition I didn't think it could get much worse but it does but at least that film was a lot shorter at 75 mins. this one clocks in at an unforgivable 105 mins. and you can feel every moment of it. If Sam Raimi keeps producing crap like this no one is gonna turn out for his unnecessary Evil Dead remake. Also I really don't have anything against PG-13 horror films I enjoyed both Ring films, The first Grudge, Haunting in Connecticut, When a stranger calls and so many others it's just that I have a thing against bad movies with little to no redeemable qualities. And judged by the characters actions in these films it's obvious they are living on a different line of reality than we are, maybe in that dimension this garbage passes as a movie. The scariest thing about this whole production is that the filmmakers have left it open for a sequel. Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! 1.5/5

Daughter turns Demon!

[AmericanFilmFan · 7/10 · 31 August 2012]

As soon as I sat down in the theater I was hoping this wouldn't be the copy of the 1973's "The Exorcist". The movie began and within the first MINUTE I was already saying "Its gonna be really difficult to sleep tonight!" There are moments in this movie where you want to grab onto the edge of your seat and scream at the movie screen! Our lead character "Em" (the little girl) deserves an award, It is really really difficult to be a sweet little loving girl and then in a second turn into an evil spirit. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes satanic/demon/ possession movies. Also kinda why its called "The POSSESSION". Horror fans go check this one out, it definitely had me scared to look at the screen at times!

P.S. Don't buy a box with an unknown language on the side at a yard sale!

It may not be all that new, but the premise is still very creepy

[mdnobles19 · 6/10 · 19 January 2013]

The Possession possesses many similar qualities of great demonic possession films of the past, such as The Exorcist, as it focuses more on mood, atmosphere and character development than CGI and gore. The Jewish angle of the film was an interesting take, but just didn't work for me and kind have brought the effectiveness down a notch. The problem with the movie is that it doesn't do much to distinguish itself from other horror films of its kind, just follows them. That being said, the film offers several white-knuckle moments that will make you squirm in your seat and is well filmed and acted that it kind of makes up for its unoriginality.

The acting was all around solid, the characters were genuine and the story though overly familiar works in the beginning, creating some very creepy moments. Natasha Calis plays Em, a young girl who is dealing with the divorce of her parents and soon gets possessed by a mysterious entity from a box she got at a garage sale. She gives a chilling and captivating performance, even though it's too similar to Linda Blair's performance in The Exorcist. Natasha is the star of this movie and pretty much overshadows everyone else. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick play Clyde and Stephanie, the typical parents trying to save their possessed daughter from destruction, but you mostly felt their pain and terror and were relatable, making their ordeal all the more harrowing. Madison Davenport was the spunky one of the group, she gave her most to the role, but there was not much to her part and reminded me of some reason of the older sister in Poltergeist.

Director, Ole Bornedal definitely has some knowledge about this genre and is a skilled director, but coming from the guy that directed the superior film Nightwatch, I expected more originality from him. He borrowed the right ingredients but did nothing fresh with them and in the end perishable. The film was too routine and much like countless other possession films, it suffers from the same flaws of standing out.

Overall, The Possession is a whole lot better than critics make it out to be and uses moths more effectively than the recent horror film Mama did. The movie is more creepy and disturbing than flat out scary, but I did jump once or twice. The performances and solid filming style drive this film horror film from being a complete waste of time. The fact that it's based on a true story makes it chillingly fascinating, even though there were some plot holes that never got filled. The film has an intriguing premise, but ended up falling back on horror clichés and unoriginality, which is its downfall. It kind of leaves the door wide open for a sequel and I wouldn't mind, because if The Haunting In Connecticut gets one than this one should too. Rental at best, a decent one at that.

Great Horror film

[abdelgulabkhan · 8/10 · 5 September 2012]

This movie is very good for a horror film

It starts off well and you have very good characters, the father in the film is a very good actor.

Overall the directing of the movie is excellent, all the pieces fit together well and you understand the story. A lot of horror films fail in the directing as things are mismatched and no one knows what is is going on.

It is a very well told story that develops into lots of thrills and scares

It is not a gory film which is very good but it keeps you entertained all the way through

The characters are excellent and interesting, the acting is good so this keeps you gripped all the way through

Overall an enjoyable film and does the job of a good horror film

Devil and its different ways

[blogurious · 6/10 · 14 September 2012]

Evil spirits are around us everywhere but when it comes to Hollywood, they usually come in a supernatural package, reviving the idea that what cannot be seen is harder to be fought.

"The Possession" is not as bad as it may seem. When I saw the original "The Exorcist" I still remember being unable to sleep for quite some time. However, things have changed quite a bit and the definition of true events took a different turn, distorting many attempts that messed up the effects created by such stories. However, "The Possession" refrains from throwing the ghost in front of you unexpectedly and instead focuses more on the relationship between the parents and the children involved. Yes, it is sometimes creepy, but not the type that you recommend to people looking for silly scares.

Good Movie for $5 Movie Day at Regal Cinemas

[jmk12095 · 7/10 · 1 September 2012]

Today, I decided to give this movie a shot, whilst coming into the theater with low expectations (and I mean low). Lately, horror movies have been following this "lost footage" trend where it was widely successful in the original Paranormal Activity. But this movie comes out strong and authentic with the classic "Exorcism-type theme".

What's interesting about this movie is it bares off into Judaism setting it apart from all the other possession movies which are mainly based on Christianity.

The movie really brings out new things I haven't seen before. The acting was well done, and the characters were very persuasive (especially with the young girls). The special effects and CGI was anything but cheesy and many scenes had made the entire audience jump!

Great for a $5 movie day at your local Regal Cinema theater as for I wouldn't recommend seeing it for full price. Of course, for me to actually recommend a movie at full price is very demanding as it must be an "over-the-top-astonishing" movie (Ex. The Avengers, Dark Night Rises).

Summary: -Overall: 4/5 -Scary: 3.5/5 -Acting: 4/5 -CUFC (Content Unadvisable for Children) 1/5 Recommendation: GO! OVERALL SCORE/100: 73%

Nice movie

[Natasha1987 · 6/10 · 9 October 2012]

As Israeli who reads Hebrew I am a little bit disappointed since the Hebrew letters on the box were mirrored which didn't make sense. I think the director should have consulted with someone that reads Hebrew before he made the movie to make sure he is doing the right thing. It's the same thing as trying to write in Chinese without knowing Chinese. I was very excited to hear about a movie that involves orthodox Jewish people, however if you can't make it right, either don't do it or ask Jewish people how to make it right. Moreover, I was expecting Matisyahu as previously Hebrew school student and actor in this movie to realize that something is wrong. Nevertheless, the concept was good. I think the movie was well-made and I enjoyed watching it.

It had it's moments, but it just failed to make it to the finish line...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 30 December 2012]

Based on a true story? Mmm-hmmm, sure...

This movie was somewhat of an anti-climatic experience. The movie did quite well in building up suspense and leading up to something. However, that something just never came, and the movie ended abruptly and in a way that just left the audience hanging with a sense of 'was that really it?' and disappointment.

The story, in itself, was actually interesting enough, and director Ole Bornedal actually did a great enough job with the story and the execution of it, but the movie just suffered from a lack of proper peaking and from not having an ending that was satisfactory in any way.

What worked best in "The Possession" was the mood of the story and the acting performances put on by Natasha Calis (playing Em) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (playing Clyde). There were a good number of interesting moments in the movie that were nicely shot and even better planned. Great moments in shock value and thrills.

However, what made me laugh the most was ironically enough the best scene in the movie. It was the scene with the scanning in the hospital. It was a really beautiful and interesting scene, and the CGI on the scanned images was really good. However, the way that the doctor's didn't behave or respond to the power surges that caused moments of power outage and the disturbing image of a demonic face on the scan, that was just priceless. Never seen that much disinterest and lack of attention by doctors ever.

"The Possession" ends just right when the story starts to get to the good stuff, and it just seems like they had to quickly wrap it up and call it quits. The ending was laughable and predictable to the point where it was starting to be physically painful. And the dybbuk itself was nowhere near being scary when you finally got to see it.

All in all, the movie does have its moments, unfortunately, it just didn't fully deliver the impact that it had the potential to. "The Possession" is a movie experience just under average, and there are far better demonic possession movies out there, both of older and more recent date.

Possession 101

[Just-A-Girl-14 · 6/10 · 20 July 2022]

This movie is a possession horror for beginners. I'd recommend it for teens and beginners only because it would only be scary or interesting for them. For those of us who enjoy and are familiar with the horror genre I'd say it's a little boring. It has everything you'd expect to see in a possession horror movie but it was way too slow for my liking. There's nothing exciting, original or special here. The acting is fine but not great. JDK is doing a good job but this movie is really missing a more dominant female character. Kyra Sedgwick is not good at all. Doesn't feel like she's even trying and her character is almost redundant. The kids are fine although the possessed one is at times a little annoying. Also, just fyi, if you're going to do a "dybbuk" movie based on Jewish mythology you may want to do some more research. Even basics stuff are incorrect like the Hebrew letters that are carved on the box are both upside down and written in reverse. All in all it's not a bad movie. I'd rate it 6.5/10.

It's not your average 'lets walk down the stairs backwards and puke over a priest' possession movie!

[sarahxxlou · 8/10 · 23 September 2012]

I was on holiday visiting my friend in Sacramento, California, and we decided to go to the movies. Our choice was between this movie and another called 'The Apparition'. We opted for this one as creepy kids always seem to make a horror movie much more appealing. Usually, I avoid possession films. I can't even force myself to consider 'the exorcist' a horror classic. I just think possession and exorcism films are always poorly done and are slightly altered versions of each other. However, seeing the trailer of this film beforehand made me want to see this movie and again, the little girl Emily 'Natasha Calis' drew me in. I thought this film had an interesting storyline which kept me gripped throughout and superb performances by the cast, especially Natasha Calis who portrays the little girl Emily who is possessed throughout the film. Without giving away any spoilers, I felt the ending was well done and made me leave the theatre thanking the screenplay writer for a non-stereotypical ending - well done! This film is definitely worth a watch. I may even buy it on DVD when it's released. It's not your average 'lets walk down the stairs backwards and puke over a priest' possession movie. It's well acted, well written and well worth a see. It has some jumpy moments for those who aren't desensitised to the ways of a horror movie but mainly it's gripping and you want to find out what's in that box.. GO SEE IT! I hope to see the young cast in some more films in the future! Loved it!

delightfully disorientating

[re-animatresse · 7/10 · 28 October 2017]

i was interested in this film mainly for its Jewish take on possession horror, a subgenre overly saturated with Christian motifs. my knowledge of Jewish theology and lore is virtually nonexistent, though, so i couldn't tell you how accurate the story is in that regard

the film has its own unique style, with some odd camera angles, uneven pacing and a meandering piano-driven score that recalls memories of banging randomly on the low-octave end of my grandmother's piano as a child. all of these elements combine to create a near-constant sense of disorientation. i've never been affected in this way by a film before

Natasha Calis, who would have been 12 or 13 at the time of production, is excellent in the role of possessee. the story and effects never stray far from the typical Hollywood possession horror, and most of the suspense is generated through the score, via increasing volume and repetition, à la Carpenter's Halloween

despite the strict adherence to formula of the plot, i rather enjoyed this movie and expect it will leave a lasting impression. go ahead and give it a chance if the trailer looks intriguing

A Box Full of Nothing

[stwmby · 1/10 · 16 August 2018]

I'm not going to dress this review up in fine prose. I've already lost two hours watching this piece of amateur and insulting crap - I'm not going to waste any more time than I have to.

Poor poor appalling poor acting

Hopelessly amateur continuity (check out the father walking to the cupboard under the stairs to collect his belongings, then having a row with his estranged wife, then picking up his belongings. Next scene? The husband walking to the cupboard under the stairs to collect his possessions.)

Yup, it's that bad..

Characterisation is one dimensional, hackneyed, and boring.

Story is one dimensional, hackneyed and boring

If this film were a building the owners would burn it down for the insurance money. It is slow boring, predictable, unimaginative, horror by numbers, rubbish

And one more thing, the actor playing the lead is so wet he'd make a halibut look charismatic

How the holy hell has this film got a rating of 5.9?! The makers must've been up all night upscorng this piece of tripe

AVOID!!

Fun and refreshing but falls short of full potential!

[ericnguyen-39643 · 7/10 · 15 April 2021]

Yes, this movie draws parallels from the Exorcist and many other possession movies but this one does well to separate itself from the rest with the flare and touch of Sam Raimi produced films.

The movie starts off primarily slow but definitely picks up speed after the context is set and we get a good feel for the actors and the characters they play. The second and third acts of the movie are the best parts of this movie, picking up speed dramatically and separating itself from all of the other movies in this heavily populated genre. One of the shining aspects of the film is the acting from the cast who do an exceptional job representing the dynamics of a family realistically, especially during the latter half of the movie. The daughter and the actor who portrays her is probably what makes the movie 7 and not lower because she does a fantastic job in her role especially the scene in the hallway where the demon slaps her to fool the father and her older sister. When the rabbi enters the film, it gets exceptionally more entertaining and just a delight to watch with light comedy jabs that don't detract from the disturbing event of a possession and exorcism but actually emphasize its originality.

The family dynamics are top notch, as well as the acting and the originality using Sam Raimi films' comedic touch to really top things off. Unnecessary and too 'over the top' scenes in the movie such as the teacher/box scene are really what drags this movie lower. Yes, Sam Raimi is known for his over the top scenes but this touch could've been used more effectively in different parts of the movie because some of them are just so obviously gratuitous. There also could have been a more better origin story for the dibbuk rather than the very generic route it settles for. All in all a delight to watch and just know it's produced by Sam Raimi so don't get too critical in its realism or lacktherof!

Blaaaaaaaaah!!!

[lorcan-61881 · 6/10 · 25 March 2018]

During 2010-2012, a period of exorcism and possesion films came out including The Rite, Exorcismus, The Devil Inside, The Last Exorcism and of course, The Possession which came out in the Autumn of 2012 and was reportidly the last one to arrive before the trend ended. The film follows a young girl who takes in a box from a yard sale which will not open but one night, she then does and releases all kinds of malevolant evil..including the ones who want to take over her. So, one thing..this film is a possession film, so it's pure boredom, simple as. There is not any exorcism film that is actually very entertaining, the only one that sort of succeeded on that was The Exorcist. So ya, just a short review for you guys about this film, The Possession, it's good, it's not very creative but it does creative things with the story but it is VERY boring which is why everyone does not like it.

Not Another Possession Movie

[coolray174 · 7/10 · 16 September 2012]

What can be said about this movie that hasn't been said about just about every possession movie. The scares seem more like a "make you jump for two seconds scared" than they do a "scare that stays with you for a week or so". The acting is not the most memorable but the plot its self is generally simple and easy to follow. Everything is explained to you and there is no real motivation to look any further into the topic of Dibicks and Demons. The movie takes some twist and turns but never strays to far From the actual plot. The special effects and makeup are great. Overall this movie Gets a 7/10. Its a good movie but its content source has been over done by movies such as the Last Exorcism and the Exorcist. Its not really worth going to see in theaters but its worth giving a look at if it is ever on demand or HBO.