The Possession

The Possession is a 2012 supernatural horror film directed by Ole Bornedal, starring Natasha Calis, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Grant Show, Madison Davenport & Matisyahu.

Plot
The film is about a young girl (Natasha Calis) who becomes possessed by an ancient spirit after buying an antique box at a yard sale.

Cast

 * Natasha Calis as Emily "Em" Brenek
 * Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Clyde Brenek
 * Kyra Sedgwick as Stephanie Brenek
 * Madison Davenport as Hannah Brenek
 * Grant Show as Brett
 * Quinn Lord as Student
 * Matisyahu as Tzadok
 * Jay Brazeau as Professor McMannis
 * David Hovan as Rabbi Adan
 * Brenda Crichlow as Miss Shandy
 * Anna Hagan as Eleanor
 * Ella Wade as The Voice of the Dybbuk
 * Cameron Sprague as the Abyzou

Production
Ole Bornedal stated that he was drawn to the movie‍ '​s script, having seen it as more of an allegory for divorce than as a true horror film.

Actors Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffrey Morgan were brought in to play the Breneks; Morgan chose to participate after seeing Natasha Calis' audition tape.

The movie was filmed in early 2011 and parts of the movie were filmed at a former mental institution, Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada.

The owner of the dybbuk box, Jason Haxton offered to send it to producer Sam Raimi, who was both interested and reluctant.

Raimi laughingly told an Entertainment Weekly interviewer, "I didn't want anything to do with it. I'm scared of the thing".

He also told the interviewer that he was raised in a conservative Jewish home: "You don't hear about dybbuks when you go to synagogue. I know the demonic lore of The Exorcist. But what does my faith believe about demonic possession? ... The stories chilled me to the bone."

Jeffrey Dean Morgan felt similarly, saying, "In the research I did, I started getting creeped out. My girlfriend was like, 'Let's just make sure that we don't actually go near the real Dybbuk Box.'"

Screenwriter Juliet Snowden recalled it as well, saying, "We were like, 'Hell, no.' We don't want to see it. Don't send us a picture of it' ".

Director Ole Bornedal said, "Some really weird things happened. I've never stood underneath a neon light before that wasn't lit, that all of a sudden exploded. The worst thing was, five days after we wrapped the movie, all the props burned. This storage house in Vancouver burned down to the ground, and the fire department does not know the cause. I'm not a superstitious man, and I would like to say, 'Yeah, it's just a coincidence' ".

The movie was originally rated "R" by the MPAA for "violence, terror and disturbing images", but it was eventually edited to receive a "PG-13" rating for "mature thematic material involving violence and disturbing sequences".

Box Office
"The Possession" debuted at #1 at the box office, grossing $17,732,480 during its opening weekend. Domestically, it made $49,130,15.

In the foreign market, it grossed $36,315,921 and $85,446,075 worldwide. It closed in theaters on November 22, 2012 after 12 weeks in theaters.

Critical Reception
The movie has gotten mixed reviews from critics.

On Rotten Tomatoes, it was given an approval rating of 40% based on 90 reviews.

The general consensus states, "It may be based on a true story, but that doesn't excuse the way The Possession repeatedly falls back on hoary ghost movie clichés – or the unintentional laughs it provides."

On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 45/100, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Roger Ebert gave the film 3½ stars, writing, "The Exorcist has influenced a lot of films, and [The Possession] is one of the better ones."

Richard Roeper also gave the movie a B+.

The Los Angeles Times called the movie "a better-than-most fright-time tale".

Lou Lumenick from the New York Post called it an "unremarkable and none-too-scary horror movie".

Accolades
2012 Key Art Awards
 * Print- Best Motion Poster (3rd place)

2013 Saturn Awards
 * Best DVD\Blu-Ray Release (nominated)

2013 Golden Trailer Awards
 * Best Horror (nominated)
 * Best Horror TV Spot (nominated)
 * Best Horror Poster (nominated)