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The Possession

Play trailer Poster for The Possession PG-13 Released Aug 31, 2012 1h 31m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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The Possession

The Possession

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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K K The Possession is a 2012 American supernatural horror film. Wow, this is what a lower-budget scary horror family film can be. This movie was budgeted at 14 million then the other costs were usually 2-3 times minus credits, so 28 to 40 million costs minus credits, and it made 83 million. That is a great return, a success for numbers people. For the story, I loved it. More original possession movie. Perhaps getting using how the big bad comes into the family via a "garage" sale is a bit used, but it worked well enough. This movie did not try to be a family movie, it could just be due to the story and cast. True, it is PG-13 and on the darker side of PG-13. The compelling acting of the whole cast in creating characters that were unique and authentic are aspects I really appreciated. The drama of the family and their lives kept my interest and then the scares seemed more suspenseful as I was engrossed in the story. The cast Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Clyde Brenek Kyra Sedgwick as Stephanie Brenek Madison Davenport as Hannah Brenek Natasha Calis as Emily Brenek Grant Show as Brett Matisyahu as Tzadok Shapir Jay Brazeau as Professor McMannis Quinn Lord as Student 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 Abyzou The parts all worked due to the actors. Kyra Sedgwick is such a talent and often goes under the radar, although a big TV star with series she had with The Closer. Here Sedgwick, as Stephanie Brenek, shines in a supporting role, not oversteping the part but contributing just the right amount so that the leads can do their roles. Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Clyde Brenek does a stellar dad job and his daughter, the other lead, Emily Brenek, Em, by Natash Calis have great chemistry and brought drama, humor and scares. Madison Davenport as Hannah Brenek, like Sedgwick, shines in supporting role: being the older sister. The director, music, sound, special effects and makeup delivered. I love these types of lower-budget movies as more risks can be taken, since you don't need to make half a billion dollars to be a success. I love that this is not a manufactured or TV-feeling movie, rather a movie that needs to be watched first on the big screen. A movie on a lower budget doesn't have to have a TV or streaming vibe. Again, nothing wrong with those types of movies, but they are different and belong in the medium of TV/streaming. In recent years, perhaps the quick rush to throw up lower-budget scary movies has saturated the market and given them an inferior quality. This movie is an example of how it was and can be: a good scary family-type movie. For real hard scary/horror movies, this probably won't be your thing unless it is more of a mainstream, scary FAMILY sort of movie. Great job! FYI, I do the Pass or No Pass. So if I think it's 3 stars or higher, it passes and gets 5 stars. If below 3, then No Pass and 1 star. Rather than trying to decide if a movie is 2, 3, 4, 5,, this simplifies reviewing of movies and prevents the classic overthinking that can happen. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/09/25 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
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The Possession

The Possession: Official Clip - Jewish Exorcism The Possession: Official Clip - Jewish Exorcism 2:24 The Possession: Official Clip - The Demon Within The Possession: Official Clip - The Demon Within 2:35 The Possession: Official Clip - Em's Not Here! The Possession: Official Clip - Em's Not Here! 2:31 The Possession: Official Clip - Who Are You? The Possession: Official Clip - Who Are You? 2:18 The Possession: Official Clip - Fork You! The Possession: Official Clip - Fork You! 2:05 The Possession: Official Clip - The Power of the Box The Possession: Official Clip - The Power of the Box 3:49 The Possession: Official Clip - Hand to Mouth The Possession: Official Clip - Hand to Mouth 1:28 The Possession: Official Clip - Moths The Possession: Official Clip - Moths 1:37 The Possession: Official Clip - Demonic Expulsion The Possession: Official Clip - Demonic Expulsion 3:15 The Possession: Official Clip - Toothless The Possession: Official Clip - Toothless 1:49 View more videos
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Movie Info

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
Lionsgate Films, Ghost House Pictures
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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