Rated
PG-13 (Mature Thematic Material involving Violence and Disturbing Sequences)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 32 Minutes
Cast-
Jeffrey
Dean Morgan-Clyde Brenek
Kyra
Sedgwick-Stephanie Brenek
Natasha
Calis-Emily Brenek
Madison
Davenport-Hannah Brenek
Matthew
Paul Miller/Matisyahu-Tzadok
Grant
Show-Brett
Jay
Brazeau-Professor McMannis
Ella
Wade (voice)-The Dybbuk Abyzou
Directed
by Ole Bornedal
 |
| Natasha Calis gives audiences the stare-down in "The Possession," the latest horror flick from Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures. |
Adapted
from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, William
Friedkin's 1973 horror masterpiece "The Exorcist" has remained the
quintessential exorcism film for the last four decades and since then Hollywood
has been releasing one knock-off after another in a futile bid to recapture
lightning in a bottle. The latest attempt is Lionsgate's generically titled
"The Possession" from Danish director Ole Bornedal and producer Sam
Raimi, who is best known for helming the mega-blockbuster
"Spider-Man" trilogy but is no stranger to the horror genre as his
feature film debut was the 1981 cult classic "The Evil Dead." Like
Luc Besson and Guillermo del Toro, Raimi has kept himself busy as a producer, although
it's immediately clear that his involvement is limited due to his demanding
schedule. Many of the horror flicks produced by Raimi via his company Ghost
House Pictures have received overwhelmingly negative reviews with
"Boogeyman," "The Grudge 2," and "The Messengers"
all barely topping 10% on Rotten Tomatoes while 2009's "Drag Me to
Hell," which he personally wrote and directed, managed to earn a
surprisingly high 93% from critics. Does "The Possession" stand a
chance at breaking the cycle of mediocrity that has plagued many Raimi-produced
horror films? Unfortunately, the answer is no as "The Possession"
fails to differentiate itself from similarly-themed exorcism fare despite some
genuinely tense moments, and a pair of solid performances from Jeffrey Dean
Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick. However, it is still one of the few better
"Exorcist" knock-offs thanks to Bornedal's emphasis on drama over
cheap thrills (although there is plenty of that too).
Alone
in her house, an old woman begins to hear whispers coming from a large wooden
box. She initially tries to ignore it but cannot and attempts to force open the
box using a hammer. However, the woman begins to age rapidly and even decompose
before being violently thrown around the living room by an unknown force while
her body painfully contorts. Meanwhile, university basketball coach Clyde
Brenek (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) visits his ex-wife Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick) after
work to pick up his two daughters, Hannah (Madison Davenport) and Emily
(Natasha Calis), for the weekend. Taking the girls to his newly-built house in
a remote part of the suburbs, Clyde orders pizza for dinner despite Stephanie's
chiding reminder to not let them eat anything unhealthy. However, Hannah upsets
her younger sister's feelings by insisting that their parents will never be
getting back together. Before putting her to sleep, Clyde and Emily bond by
making shadow puppets. The next day, Clyde and his daughters stop at a
neighborhood yard sale to buy some new dishes but Emily becomes intrigued by a
strange wooden box engraved with Hebrew inscriptions. She begs her father to
buy it for her and he happily complies. Back at home, Emily tries to open the
box and asks her father for help but he is unable to open it either. There is
clearly something inside but Clyde deduces that whoever built the box didn't
want it to be opened. Emily is awakened by strange whispers while sleeping that
night and finds herself drawn to the box, which she easily opens despite the
difficulty earlier. Her obsession with the box continues to grow as the weeks
go by, leading to wildly erratic mood swings and violent outbursts such as
stabbing her father with a fork and lashing out at a classmate. Clyde begins to
suspect that his daughter's change in behavior is connected to the box and
discovers that it contains a dybbuk, a
malevolent spirit that will stop at nothing to consume Emily's soul.
"The
Possession" is allegedly 'based on a true story,' although the 'story'
that the film is based on is actually a 2004 newspaper article that appeared in
the Los Angeles
Times titled A
Jinx in a Box? written by Leslie Gornstein, which followed a supposedly
real dybbuk box
that was sold on eBay. Ironically, the article warns that the urban legend
'contains a parade of red flags that point to a possible hoax' but Hollywood
has always held a very
loose definition on what constitutes a 'true story.' As a horror film,
"The Possession" fails to offer much in the way of actual scares due
to being constrained by its PG-13 rating, with the plot treading well-worn
territory by relying on the same old clichés that audiences will have seen
countless times already. The only element that approaches some originality
is the inclusion of Jewish folklore but this is largely window dressing as the
script from Juliet Snowden and Stiles White (the writing duo's previous credits
include 2005's "Boogeyman" and 2009's "Knowing," both of
which received negative reviews with 13% and 33% on Rotten Tomatoes) never goes
out of its way to differentiate it from Christian
folklore. Ole Bornedal is certainly a more competent director compared to Todd
Lincoln (remember last week's "The Apparition"?) and builds a
suitably creepy atmosphere that is sadly marred by some haphazard editing as
scenes often end abruptly or fade to black. Even Anton Sanko's score grows
tiresome when you hear the same piano notes for the umpteenth time. Still,
there are a few tense moments scattered throughout the film, including a threatening
conversation between the dybbuk and a terrified Emily on a darkened stretch of
road. The sole streetlight positioned in the background in that scene recalls
the famous poster from "The Exorcist", which I'm sure is no
coincidence since Bornedal cited it as one of his inspirations in an interview.
The marketing campaign also used a similar poster design to Friedkin's film but
it reinforces just how unoriginal the exorcism subgenre has become. "The
Possession" actually works better as a drama, exploring the effects a
divorce can have on children and grounding the characters in a relatable
manner. However, this is pushed aside as the film wears on in favor of more
cheap scares and the big climax collapses on itself when a rabbi named Tzadok
(Matthew Paul Miller/Matisyahu) performs the exorcism while wearing a
ridiculous shawl and shouting in Yiddish. What's ultimately disappointing about
"The Possession" is that the film brims with potential but Bornedal
never fully takes advantage of its ideas and is content with playing it
safe.
In
spite of the numerous clichés plaguing the film, the cast manages to deliver
solid performances. The standout is definitely thirteen-year-old Natasha Calis,
who melts into her role completely as a sweet innocent girl slowly falling
apart at the seams, unaware that an evil spirit seeks not only to control but
to also consume her very soul. Many of the best scares can be attributed to
Calis and while her performance is not quite on Linda Blair's level, it comes
damn close. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is endearing as a father trying to put his life
back together after a protracted divorce but finds himself caught up in forces
he does not completely understand. Some cheesy dialogue notwithstanding, the
desperation etched on Morgan's face paints a sympathetic picture that all
fathers can relate to. Kyra Sedgwick (from TNT's now-completed "The
Closer") is fine as Clyde's ex-wife Stephanie but her character is not as
compelling compared to Calis and Morgan's, her uptight nature sometimes approaching
a caricature. Finally, there's reggae/hip-hop artist Matthew Paul Miller,
better known by his stage name Matisyahu, as a young rabbi named Tzadok who
agrees to assist Clyde in exorcising the spirit residing in his daughter.
Released
on August 31, 2012, "The Possession" has received largely negative
reviews with 35% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that 'it may be based on a
true story, but that doesn't excuse the way [the film] repeatedly falls back on
hoary ghost movie clichés—or the unintentional laughs it provides.' Still, it
can't be worse than sitting with one of the most unruly audiences I've ever
encountered during an advance screening last Thursday. Disruptive and
inconsiderate, I'm actually willing to pay more so that
theaters can hire employees that can 'screen out' noisy patrons and ban them,
leaving us to watch our film in peace. Alas, such a notion only exists in our
minds. The Labor Day weekend is one of the slowest of the year for movies but
"The Possession" managed to scare up an estimated $17.7 million,
already making back its production budget of $14 million. The only competition
was John Hillcoat's "Lawless," which came in at a distant second with
$9.7 million. While the film is backed up by solid performances and is competently
directed by Ole Bornedal, "The Possession" ends up being another
mediocre horror film that is not only limited by its PG-13 rating but also
fails to take any risks, relying on the same old clichés that have existed for
the past four decades. You're better off just watching "The Exorcist"
again.
Final
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
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