Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is just getting back on his feet after divorcing his wife Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick). The former couple are trying to keep the lives of their two young girls normal, sharing custody and maintaining a civil relationship. Clyde takes the girls to his new house and they pick up some new things for it from a garage sale. The youngest of the two girls Emily (Natasha Calis) picks up an antique box and soon becomes obsessed with it. As the days pass Emilyās behaviour becomes increasingly more worrying and soon Clyde begins to realise that his daughter may be possessed.
The PossessionĀ received its European premiere today atĀ FrightfestĀ and comes from producer Sam Raimi. LikeĀ Drag Me To Hell, the film is inspired by legends and at the beginning it tells you itās based on a true story; itāll depend how much you believe in supernatural myths as to how much you read into that. The movie opens with a rather terrifying 10 minutes that throws you right into the spirit (pardon the pun). The setup doesnāt take too long and once itās done the scares and jumps come frequently. Weād actually go as far as to say it was the scariest film weāve seen all weekend atĀ Frightfest.
If youāve seen any other possession films (e.g.Ā The Exorcist,Ā The Exorcism Of Emily Rose) then youāll feel like youāre treading over old ground. Itās fair to say thatĀ The PossessionĀ isnāt the most original film youāre likely to see in your life but itās got plenty to enjoy about it. The scares are genuine and we were sat next to a particularly jumpy woman who barely remained in her seat throughout. Thereās a lot of visual horror too and if youāre afraid of bugs then youāll be terrified throughout this movie.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan has really stepped up to the leading man mantle in recent years and heās wholly believable as the patriarch in this movie. Heās manly enough to make the women swoon and butch enough to make men want to be more like him. He plays Clyde as a man trying to do right by his family whilst still smarting from his divorce. His performance is solid and we hope this role leads to many more in the genre. The standout in the film is youngster Natasha Calis. She really throws herself into the role and delivers a more and nuanced performance. Sheās also seriously scary. Grant Show (remember him?) turns up in a small role as Stephanieās new dentist boyfriend and he has a bit of fun with the part.
The PossessionĀ is unlikely to win any awards (although visually itās a treat) but itās a good old-fashioned scare-fest that should be wheeled out for an annual Halloween viewing. It was the perfect film to show near the end of Frightfest and one that weāll be picking up a copy of on Blu-ray in the months to come. Itās not particularly original but itās shot, acted and directed well with plenty of decent scares. What more do you really want from a horror movie?