
The ads for OLE (NIGHTWATCH) BORNEDAL’s THE POSSESSION were so painfully generic that it wasn’t difficult for me to decide it was less worth a two mile walk to the local theater than it was a three block walk to my nearest Red Box five months later. The signature image of a hand clawing its way out of someone’s mouth was so yawn-worthy it easily nullified the SAM RAIMI “presents” credit. As much as I am happy to support horror films while they’re braving the box office trenches, I don’t think I was wrong reading this one as something more appropriate for a home viewing. At the risk of sounding cheap, the spending of $1.20 as opposed to $15.00 dollars undeniably puts me in a more forgiving mood, a mood that is only heightened when watching a flick alongside best pals beer, cats and quilt. This mostly standard movie deserves mostly standard complaints, clichés abound, predictability reigns and why oh why the soggy CGI? Still, I found it entertaining enough and there were a few elements that were genuinely satisfying. To focus on how unoriginal it ends up being is unoriginal in itself, so instead I decided to pick out five things that I enjoyed…







it’s a very dangerous game you play, unk, when you review mediocre to bad movies, because you have a way of making everything sound pretty spectacular to me. especially when you throw phrases in like
“This scene is both totally creepy and completely hilarious to me,”
or “He’s so unaffected and counter Hollywood that he added an almost seventies vibe,”
or “It’s got a weird hypnotic effect and mostly you just want it to stop as soon as possible.”
good god man, don’t you realize what you’re doing?!?!
i’m not saying i’m gonna run out and see it in the theater (the closest one to me is an hour away) but i’m probably gonna see it eventually now and it’s all because of you!
I know I’m a nightmare! It’s a curse! This movie is mostly mediocre for sure but I had to get my 1.20 worth and squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of it I could! Also please consider that I would gladly watch a Movie about Jeffrey Dean Morgan staring at a clock on the wall.
In my defense, Ebert liked it better than I did! It really could have been good I think but the CGI crap and the blatant Exorcist thievery (there’s even an MRI scene) drag it down.
I will say that as far as movies about the Jewish “dybbuk” demon go, this one does run rings around “The Unborn”. But yes, please be drinking if you watch it.
I wanted to see it already and your review rather intrigued me so I got it last night. There was a lot I liked about it: the way it was shot, the house was beautiful, the box was beautiful, Jeffrey Dean Morgan (I echo your sentiments about the clock, though I would like for him to be in an advanced state of undress at the time), and I like the Rabbi who did the exorcism. I can’t argue with the acting, it was damn good.
I did not like the Kyra Sedgewick character. She had her bitchface on through most of the film and though I generally like her, I mostly just wanted to falcon punch her. Repeatedly. Her boyfriend also, who in one scene was acting more like her father than her potential lifemate. My son wants to see it so I’ll be watching it again tonight to see if there may have been something I missed.
Mostly I just want to know what those insects were that they kept tossing at the poor kid.