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The Possession

  • 2012
  • PG-13
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
62K
YOUR RATING
The Possession (2012)
A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl's father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child.
Play trailer1:01
14 Videos
40 Photos
HorrorMysteryThriller

A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl's father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse... Read allA young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl's father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child.A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl's father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child.

  • Director
    • Ole Bornedal
  • Writers
    • Juliet Snowden
    • Stiles White
    • Leslie Gornstein
  • Stars
    • Natasha Calis
    • Jeffrey Dean Morgan
    • Kyra Sedgwick
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    5.9/10
    62K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ole Bornedal
    • Writers
      • Juliet Snowden
      • Stiles White
      • Leslie Gornstein
    • Stars
      • Natasha Calis
      • Jeffrey Dean Morgan
      • Kyra Sedgwick
    • 258User reviews
    • 268Critic reviews
    • 45Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 nominations

    Videos14

    No. 2
    Trailer 1:01
    Watch No. 2
    No. 1
    Trailer 2:31
    Watch No. 1
    The Possession
    Trailer 2:24
    Watch The Possession
    No. 1
    Clip 0:36
    Watch No. 1
    The Possession: Where's My Box
    Clip 0:47
    Watch The Possession: Where's My Box
    The Possession: Mouth Fingers
    Clip 0:36
    Watch The Possession: Mouth Fingers
    Dibbuk Documentary
    Featurette 3:11
    Watch Dibbuk Documentary
    The Possession: Dibbuk Documentary (Featurette)
    Featurette 3:12
    Watch The Possession: Dibbuk Documentary (Featurette)
    The Possession: Kyra Sedgwick On Her Character
    Featurette 0:44
    Watch The Possession: Kyra Sedgwick On Her Character
    The Possession: Jeffrey Dean Morgan On The Film Being Based On A True Story
    Featurette 0:22
    Watch The Possession: Jeffrey Dean Morgan On The Film Being Based On A True Story
    The Possession: Matisyahu On His Character
    Featurette 0:40
    Watch The Possession: Matisyahu On His Character
    The Possession: Ole Bornedal On Being Inspired By A True Story
    Featurette 1:02
    Watch The Possession: Ole Bornedal On Being Inspired By A True Story

    Photos40

    Kyra Sedgwick, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matisyahu, and Natasha Calis in The Possession (2012)
    Jeffrey Dean Morgan in The Possession (2012)
    Kyra Sedgwick and Madison Davenport in The Possession (2012)
    Matisyahu and Natasha Calis in The Possession (2012)
    Natasha Calis in The Possession (2012)
    Natasha Calis in The Possession (2012)
    The Possession (2012)
    The Possession (2012)
    The Possession (2012)
    The Possession (2012)
    The Possession (2012)
    The Possession (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Natasha Calis
    Natasha Calis
    • Em
    Jeffrey Dean Morgan
    Jeffrey Dean Morgan
    • Clyde
    Kyra Sedgwick
    Kyra Sedgwick
    • Stephanie
    Madison Davenport
    Madison Davenport
    • Hannah
    Matisyahu
    Matisyahu
    • Tzadok
    Grant Show
    Grant Show
    • Brett
    Rob LaBelle
    Rob LaBelle
    • Russell
    Nana Gbewonyo
    Nana Gbewonyo
    • Darius
    Anna Hagan
    Anna Hagan
    • Eleanor
    Brenda Crichlow
    Brenda Crichlow
    • Miss Shandy
    • (as Brenda M. Crichlow)
    Jay Brazeau
    Jay Brazeau
    • Professor McMannis
    Iris Quinn
    Iris Quinn
    • Doctor
    Graeme Duffy
    Graeme Duffy
    • Lab Tech
    David Hovan
    David Hovan
    • Adan
    Chris Shields
    Chris Shields
    • Assistant Coach
    Adam Young
    • Preston
    Jim Thorburn
    Jim Thorburn
    • First Responder
    Quinn Lord
    Quinn Lord
    • Student
    • Director
      • Ole Bornedal
    • Writers
      • Juliet Snowden
      • Stiles White
      • Leslie Gornstein
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    The Uninvited
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    The Rite
    6.0
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    The Possession 2
    The Possession 2
    Mama
    6.2
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The demon in the box speaks Polish.
    • Goofs
      Although it's not seen directly during the MRI scene, the plot implies that Em never removes the ring. Em would have been unable to wear the ring on her hand during the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test. Even if it was non-ferromagnetic (like gold), it could have still interfered with the test and medical staff would have likely removed it prior to bringing her into the room.
    • Quotes

      Tzadok: I hate hospitals... people die here.

    • Connections
      Featured in Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Insidious (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      You're a Heavenly Thing
      Written by Jack Little (as Little Jack Little) and Joe Young

      Performed by Mel Tormé

      Courtesy of Capitol Records

      Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

    User reviews258

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    The cream puff version of The Exorcist
    The parallels between this film and The Exorcist are obvious even from the trailers, so I won't go too far into that. Just suffice it to say that The Possession contains none of the impact or shock value that The Exorcist has. In short, it's just not as good of a film.

    However, in its own right, it's a pretty competent horror movie. The story of the central characters is kind of cliché. Husband and wife have divorced, they share custody of the children, there's a new boyfriend/girlfriend in the picture, etc. This type of set up is always convenient when dealing with a "messed up kid" film. That way whatever is wrong with the child can inevitably be blamed on the fact that the child is just not dealing well with the break up of his or her parents. And that's exactly what happens in The Possession; except there is actually something VERY wrong with the youngest daughter and it has absolutely nothing to do with her parents. Without giving away too much, the plot centers around an ancient wooden box the youngest daughter finds at a yard sale. Of course she wants it, and so she gets it. And there begins to occur some rather strange phenomena; most of them downright spooky, a couple kind of hokey.

    All in all, I was pleased. This film has got good pacing, decent acting, and exceptional cinematography. There's not much I can find as a fault here. If I had to name my major complaint about this and similar movies it would be this: I'm not thrilled about the influx of PG-13 horror films. I've a suspicion this is due to a need to bring in a wider audience (younger viewers/teenagers), and make more money on ticket sales. Because of this the final product tends to be a little too watered down for my tastes. The Possession shows a lot of promise, but I can't help but wish the writers/director would have pushed the envelope a bit more; fleshed out the story. Then it would have been great. As it stands now, I'll just say it's a "good" little horror film. Nothing that will be talked about this time next year, but I consider my money well spent.

    My rating: 6.5/10
    helpful•68
    22
    • IheartCali5882
    • Aug 31, 2012

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    FAQ2

    • Is this movie based on a true story?
    • What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Unrated Version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 31, 2012 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Canada
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Polish
      • Yiddish
    • Also known as
      • Dibbuk Box
    • Filming locations
      • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Ghost House Pictures
      • North Box Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $14,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $49,130,154
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $17,732,480
      • Sep 2, 2012
    • Gross worldwide
      • $85,446,075
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Datasat
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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