The Possession [Includes Digital Copy]

Director: Ole Bornedal Ole Bornedal

Overview

Inspired by Los Angeles Times writer Leslie Gornstein's article "A Jinx in a Box," this horror film from Ghost House Pictures and director Ole Bornedal (Nightwatch) tells the tale of a broken family that comes under attack from a malevolent supernatural entity of Jewish folklore. Shortly after her parents (Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick) divorce, a young girl purchases an ornate antique box at a yard sale. In the weeks that follow, the young girl forms an intense fixation on the box, her behavior growing increasingly bizarre as she falls into the grip of a diabolical apparition. When the girl's father discovers that the relic is in fact a holding cell for the disconnected soul of a deceased person who has been denied entry into the afterlife and needs a human host to inhabit, he fights to rid her of the evil that threatens to consume her body and soul.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/15/2013
UPC:	0031398163794
Original Release:	2012
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	LIONSGATE - 600000-AEC LGE
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:32:00
Sales rank:	35,032

Special Features

Audio Commentary with Director Ole Bornedal; Audio Commentary with Writers Juliet Snowden and Stiles White; "The Real History of The Dibbuk Box" Featurette; Theatrical Trailer; ; cc

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jeffrey Dean Morgan	Actor
Kyra Sedgwick	Actor
Natasha Calis	Actor
Madison Davenport	Actor
Matisyahu	Actor
Grant Show	Actor
Nana Gbewonyo	Actor
Anna Hagan	Actor
Brenda Crichlow	Actor
Jay Brazeau	Actor
Iris Quinn	Actor
Graeme Duffy	Actor
David Hovan	Actor
Chris Shields	Actor
Adam Young	Actor
Jim Thorburn	Actor
Quinn Lord	Actor
Nimet Kanji	Actor
James O'Sullivan	Actor
Marilyn Norry	Actor
Armin Chaim Kornfeld	Actor
John Cassini	Actor
Josh Whyte	Actor
Greg Rogers	Actor
Agam Darshi	Actor
Jarett John	Actor
Tim Perez	Actor
Cameron Sprague	Actor
Jordan Stein	Actor
Charles Siegel	Actor
Ari Solomon	Actor
Alex Bruhanski	Actor
Richard Newman	Actor
Robert Morrissette	Actor
Sol Pavony	Actor
Erin Simms	Actor
Frank Ferrucci	Actor
Sharmaine Yeoh	Actor
Antoine Safi	Actor
Ned Bellamy	Actor
Rob La Belle	Russell
Anton Sanko	Composer

Technical Credits

Stiles White

Juliet Snowden

Ole Bornedal	Director
Stiles White	Screenwriter
Juliet Snowden	Screenwriter
Robert Tapert	Producer
Sam Raimi	Producer
J.R. Young	Producer
Peter Schlessel	Executive Producer,Producer
Nathan Kahane	Executive Producer,Producer
Stan Wertlieb	Executive Producer,Producer
Jussi Tegelman	Sound/Sound Designer
Maureen Webb	Casting
Mark Noda	Sound Mixer
Bill Terezakis	Makeup Special Effects
Paul Wu	Stunts
Scott Ateah	Stunts
Stephanie Rossel	Script Supervisor
Joseph Drake	Executive Producer,Producer,Executive Producer
Michael Paseornek	Executive Producer,Producer
John Sacchi	Executive Producer,Producer
Nicole Brown	Producer,Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

Danish director Ole Bornedal teams up with producer Sam Raimi and delivers a real-deal horror film with The Possession. In many ways, the movie is a kick-start to the heart of PG-13 horror. Much like Gore Verbinski's remake of The Ring, The Possession delivers the spine-tingling goods in a classy, extremely cinematic fashion. The story is one where the scenes are flush with character moments, making the horrific events all the more intense. Though the picture shares certain strands of Raimi's DNA, The Possession turns out to be very much in the vein of classic films such as The Omen and The Exorcist, thanks to its deliberate pace and polished tone. Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan excels as the lead, giving a soul to his role that is both unexpected and refreshing, while Natasha Calis turns in an outrageously creepy performance as the besieged child. Needless to say, admirers of time-honored genre pieces should be happy with what they see here. Hearkening back to 2009's The Unborn, the movie explores demonic possessions from a Jewish angle. While this picture does not feature the acting chops of Gary Oldman, it impresses even more with its own low-key star power, with Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick anchoring the production as a divorced couple whose daughter, Em (Calis), becomes obsessed -- and changed -- by a mysterious box she finds at a yard sale. Turns out, the piece is a Dybbuk Box, a Jewish item from ancient folklore that purportedly houses an evil spirit. When things start to go awry with Em, her father is blamed for his not-so-squeaky-clean approach to the parenting of her and her sister Hannah (nicely played by Madison Davenport). As the situation gets worse, it's apparent that young Em and the box must be separated, but first her father will need the help of a Jewish cleric named Tzadoc, stunningly played by real-life Jewish reggae-rapper Matisyahu. What follows is a film that sticks to the genre's conventions, while still imbuing it with enough style and heart to keep the drama fresh and engaging. And it really is that mix of craft and emotion that sets The Possession apart from its contemporaries. For sure, the trappings of the all-too-popular found-footage style are nowhere to be seen here. Even the final moments, while predictable considering the subject matter, effectively amp up the terror while still keeping the audience engaged in the story. Thankfully, Bornedal takes his time with the proceedings, letting the actors breathe life into their characters -- a roll of the dice that never comes off as labored, even if the feel is diametrically opposed to many of the Hollywood movies passing themselves off as horror flicks these days. An all-around impressive outing for Raimi's Ghost House Pictures, who seemed to have given Bornedal the room he needed to deliver such a finely crafted production. Disquieting, lush in style, and most importantly, emotionally engaging, The Possession is a throwback to celebrated cinematic horror of old. Let's just hope the crummy track record of the film's PG-13 brethren doesn't scare away the fans that will honestly respond to a picture genuinely this great.