The Possession

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The Possession

PG-13

Released Aug 31, 2012

1h 31m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

39%

Tomatometer

99 Reviews

48%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

When their youngest daughter, Em (Natasha Calis), becomes strangely obsessed with an antique wooden box bought from a yard sale, parents Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick) see little cause for alarm. However, Em becomes increasingly unstable, leading the couple to fear the presence of a malevolent force. To their horror, Clyde and Stephanie learn that the box contains a dybbuk, a dislocated spirit that inhabits -- and ultimately devours -- a human host.

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Critics Consensus

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 uninentional laughs it provides.

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J. Hoberman

Tablet

By objectifying Jews as exotic others rather than presenting them as subjects, the Raimi production eliminates the precise element that would have been most powerful for a Jewish audience.

Aug 16, 2017

Full Review

Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

This effective little creeper is the only Judaic pastiche of The Exorcist you're likely to see this year. That alone gives it a jump on the umpteen other evil/possessed-child films that have become a seemingly monthly genre staple of late.

Sep 7, 2012

Full Review

Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Director Ole Bornedal doesn't add a single idea of his own.

Sep 6, 2012

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Just barely manages to set itself apart from the generic possession subgenre, though only barely.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 22, 2023

Full Review

Iván Kazi

EscribiendoCine

Despite the film's technical precision and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, The Possession doesn't offer anything novel or particularly entertaining. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4/10

Jun 13, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

A PG-13-rated chiller that starts out spooky enough but gradually turns toward the cliché and silly.

Rated: 1/4

Oct 3, 2022

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Jun L

Aside from typical ghost possession cliches, the story isn't bad, tries to do something new with the Jewish-belief based ghost (at least I'm not aware of other horror movies using these types), and jump scares are okay, not great, but there is just a lot of unnecessary perks of certain characters that doesn't do anything for the story or anything at all, but rather makes them more annoying than likeable.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/15/25

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Holly

I think it’s quite good! Well acted and good story! A few good scares! X

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/28/25

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Will C

Annoying characters, a story you've seen a million times, and I can't think of a third thing to even mention. This movie is a forgettable try at The Exorcist but vaguely Jewish. The dybbuk box story that The Possession is based on was always just a piece of creative writing, done by a guy who's too arrogant to understand that eBay isn't the place for creative writing. There are countless better possession movies with the same basic premise. Go watch one of those instead.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/07/25

Full Review

Justin T

So this is a pretty standard possession/exorcism movie with only minor deviations from the formula, mostly that this is a Jewish exorcism rather than a Christian one but that doesn't really make any real difference to the experience. This is a very well made film, every aspect is done to the highest quality so I can only really critique the creative aspects. The main critique? I have seen this film so many times. It is very unoriginal with nothing that stands out about it. The audio cutting out on climax scenes is annoying, thankfully it was only in the first half of the film. If this was the only possession movie then it would score much higher. Admittedly this is the only possession film I can think of where you actually see the demon ‘in the flesh’. It’s enjoyable and fun, just forgettable.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/23/24

Full Review

Isha B

5 Star out of 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💯 The Possession Like Awkward. Teen Wolf Funny Comedy Horror Mystery Comedy and Comedy Thriller Wrestling Parody film Love True Blood

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/06/24

Full Review

Miniver S

I enjoyed it! Cast was great, little girl did a great job. I always enjoy the possession subgenre so maybe I'm an easy audience, but I really enjoyed this. It was entertaining!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/25/24

Full Review

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Ole Bornedal

Director

Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Clyde

Kyra Sedgwick

Stephanie

Natasha Calis

Em

Madison Davenport

Hannah

Grant Show

Brett

The Possession: Official Clip - Jewish Exorcism

2:24

The Possession: Official Clip - The Demon Within

2:35

The Possession: Official Clip - Em's Not Here!

2:31

The Possession: Official Clip - Who Are You?

2:18

The Possession: Official Clip - Fork You!

2:05

The Possession: Official Clip - The Power of the Box

3:49

The Possession: Official Clip - Hand to Mouth

1:28

The Possession: Official Clip - Moths

1:37

The Possession: Official Clip - Demonic Expulsion

3:15

The Possession: Official Clip - Toothless

1:49

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Synopsis

When their youngest daughter, Em (Natasha Calis), becomes strangely obsessed with an antique wooden box bought from a yard sale, parents Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick) see little cause for alarm. However, Em becomes increasingly unstable, leading the couple to fear the presence of a malevolent force. To their horror, Clyde and Stephanie learn that the box contains a dybbuk, a dislocated spirit that inhabits -- and ultimately devours -- a human host.

Director: Ole Bornedal
Producer: Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, J.R. Young
Screenwriter: Juliet Snowden, Stiles White
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Ghost House Pictures, Lionsgate Films
Rating: PG-13 (Mature Thematic Material|Disturbing Sequences|Violence)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 31, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 20, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $49.1M
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Digital

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