I’m sorry to put this up so late, but I finally made my way to the theater to see the Sam Raimi produced horror movie The Possession. As a horror movie fanatic I was eager to see the exorcism flick. The trailers and promotions seemed promising, but how many horror movies have you thought looked good that just left you with the bitter taste of disappointment? Well, unfortunately The Possession is one of those. All of the best moments were shown in the trailer. However, there were a few decent moments unseen in the promotions.
Before we get any farther, I just want to add that, as I mentioned in my previous post, The Possession is one of those “based on a true story” horror movies. The "true story" this time? The box. Apparently the idea for The Possession came from stories of a wooden box called a Dybbuk box. The legend is that the box was used to contain a Dybbuk; an evil spirit from Jewish folklore. Everyone who owned the box suffered from nightmares or unexplained medical issues. Eventually the story made its way to the small screen and was featured on a Syfy show before transcending to the big screen for The Possession.
The movie begins with a middle aged, maybe 50 or 60-year-old woman, in her living room. She tries to walk towards an old, rectangular wooden box, looking more terrified with each step. Before she reaches her destination her body is contorted and thrown around, but (surprise!) no one is there. Somehow she lives, but is last seen bandaged in a bed and being tended to by a nurse. The story fast-forwards a little bit to Clyde, a newly single dad played by Jeffery Dean Morgan, picking up his two daughters for the weekend from his ex-wife’s house. During their visit Clyde tries to win over his daughters, Hannah and Em, by taking them to an estate sale- the estate sale for the bedridden and bandaged original owner of the wooden box. Of course, just like any other normal little girl, the younger daughter, Em, is immediately drawn to a big floppy hat, some long white gloves, and the wooden box to go with them. Being a father desperate for his daughter’s approval, Clyde buys Em the box and they all make their way home to Clyde’s place. It's at her fathers house where it doesn’t take Em long to figure out how to open the box.
From there on out it's a downward spiral as Clyde and his ex-wife Stephanie watch Em become more and more distant and exhibit strange behavior. Which they proceed to mostly ignore. It culminates with some people getting hurt and the big exorcism scene, which a movie with a title like The Possession is practically obligated to have. The movie had a good pace, with the jumpy moments spaced out so audience members don’t have heart attacks. It also was not overly gory, and had some creative camera angles thrown in for a nice added touch. However, as stylistically good as it was, it was parts of the plot that didn’t add up for me.
First off, one of the several creepy items in the box is an old ring. Em puts on the ring, and throughout the course of the movie, it turns the skin on her finger and eventually part of her hand, an unhealthy looking blue color. However, no one seems to notice. Not once in the movie do her parents try to get her to take off the ring, or even mention its existence. Same goes for her teacher, sister, and mom's boyfriend. Even when everyone is preparing for the exorcism the ring is still on. I’d like to think if my child’s hand was turning blue I’d notice.
Sadly, that’s not the worst of it. Em’s parents might notice her happy, carefree personality is shifting gears, but they never think that it's more than her acting out because of the divorce. Neither of the parents think that she might need a little more help than a talking to, even as she progressively gets worse. It's Stephanie’s boyfriend who eventually suggests she sees a therapist or someone. Mind you, she’s already attacked both of her parents, and another child at school. Again, I’d like to think that my parenting skills were a little more adept and I’d at the very least ground my child, or try something sooner. It isn’t until the last leg of the movie that Clyde thinks it might be a good idea to get rid of the box, and by then it's way too late.
However, those plot points I can accept and get past by for the sake of drama. What turned me off the most was the exorcism scene. The whole thing was a bit ridiculous and overly predictable. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that there is a part where you see the demon crawling on the floor, and both the effects and execution are laughable. There is also a laughable scene a little earlier in the movie where Em is getting an MRI and you see the demon’s image in the readings. A demon in an MRI readout planted right next to the lungs, really? To me, that was just too much.
When my movie partner and I decided to see The Possession I was pretty excited. The trailer looked cool, I love horror movies, and I’m a fan of the actors who played to parents; Jeffery Dean Morgan, and Kyra Sedgwick. However, I left the theater a little disappointed. The movie was overall decent, and had a good twist ending, but it in no way was it great. The thrills were rarely edge-of-your-seat material, and the last leg, which took part in the hospital, was just too over-the-top, and not in the good way. If you’re looking for something that might scare you a bit and you don’t have to pay too much attention to, then I’d say go see it. If not, wait for the DVD.
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