The Possession

I’ve managed to miss most of the run of the mill horror films that have appeared over the last few months so I thought I’d make an effort to see The Possession. The film is based on the allegedly haunted real life Dybbuk box, which is an interesting enough tale in its own right. Luckily, whether you believe that story or not is irrelevant when it comes to enjoying the film as, hokum or not, this is a quick (though very silly) enjoyable little thriller. Thriller? OK, this is clearly marketed as a horror, but with very few jumps or scares this will only chill the bones of peeps with the most nervous of dispositions. To that box, then. After it’s picked up at a yard sale by teenager Em (Natasha Calis), she begins to display increasingly erratic behaviour. When the blood-letting begins father Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) suspects the box must have something to do with what is going on and starts to delve a little deeper. The actual story line is pretty basic, but this isn’t without its moments though, including a nice scene where Em’s face is distorted through numerous glass jars and an MRI scan that shows up a lot more than just a side strain. Newcomer Calis is pretty good as the young girl who the spirit from the box takes a fancy too, with her blank eyed expression a lot more terrifying than the scenes where the makeup makes her resemble a moody teenage goth. Dean Morgan is also good value as the flawed every day Dad of teenage girls. Unknown Danish director Ole Bornedal also moves things along at pace so you don’t really have time to be distracted by the numerous plot holes, but even he can’t hide the most obvious one of all. In a number of scenes the Dybbuk attacks people despite being locked up inside the box. So the whole premise behind the crux of the film (i.e. trying to lock the demon away inside the box) is pretty much redundant anyway! Still, in a film where it’s made clear that a person is possessed by the amount of food they eat, it’s probably best not to worry about these things….

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Few scares, but enough thrills to pass the time until the next scare of the month rolls off the conveyor belt. Rating: 6/10.