The Possession 
Starring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Natasha Calis, Madison Davenport
Directed by Ole Bornedal
Rated: PG-13
Run Time: 92 mins
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Opens in theaters August 31st
By Lisa Minzey
Hey Film Fans, we checked out The Possession this week, and a fun fact: this film is inspired by a true story about the Dybbuk Box, which supposedly the evil spirit haunts a wine cabinet. Sensing the irony here?
Jeffery Dean Morgan starts as Clyde, a college basketball coach and the father of two pre-teens, who spends most of his time on the court and away from his family. His now ex-wife Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick) is rather protective of their girls Em (Natasha Calis) and Hannah (Madison Davenport) as this divorce has been a difficult time for them. In an effort to be a better father,Clyde surprises his girls with a new house, to help them feel more like their home with they are with him on the weekends. The girls are moody preteens so they are mildly impressed but appreciate the effort.
On their way back home from the first weekend, the girls plead with Clyde to stop at a yard sale, to pick up a few items for the new house. Em ends up choosing an antique wooden box with a bunch of Hebrew letters carved on all sides. There is no visible way to open the box, but Em begs her father to buy it for her, and he obliges.
Over the following weekend visits to Clyde’s house, strange events begin to happen, as well as noticeable changes to Em’s behavior and well being. Em tells Hannah that she doesn't feel like herself, but her sister blows it off as she’s just in a weird mood; that everything will be fine. The more that Em is around this box, the dybbuk (evil spirit) is latching on to her, causing her to withdraw from her friends, family and suffer in school. Em warns Clyde to stay away from her box, reinforcing the threat with a evil stare-down.
One day she brings the box to school, and another student tries to get too close, violence overtakes the young girl, landing her in trouble with the school administration. The school authorities are blaming her behavior on the divorce which to Clyde and Stephanie, it doesn’t make sense. They have been apart for more than a year, and she has never acted this way.
Clyde figures out that Em’s behavior started to change when the box came into their lives, so he gets rid of it. This causes Em to lash out, have a psychotic breakdown and runaway from her father’s house. Stephanie lashes out at Cyde and refuses to let him see the girls anymore, and Clyde knows that whatever causes Em to breakdown was not of this world. Can he find the answers to save Em before it’s too late or will he lose his family forever?
If you like thrillers and supernatural movies but don’t like to be scared out of your wits, this is an easy, entertaining film to watch.
Check it out when it opens Friday August 31st in a theater near you.
