“It does not fear God.” Those are the chilling words inscribed in Hebrew on the cursed box a little girl manages to find and keep.
Loosely based on a true story involving exorcisms, “The Possession” directed by Ole Bornedal, stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Madison Davenport and Natasha Calis, all of which must overcome the power of Hell in this horror story.The film is rated PG-13, and I paid $10 to go see this movie. The $10 was a good deal and wasn’t an issue, however I was pretty upset that I had planned an expensive dinner afterwards, because after seeing the film I lost my appetite.

Emily and her family are the poor victims of a horrifying darkness. Em looked like any other average girl. Long brown hair, pretty brown eyes, pale skin with a smile that could have came from an angel. At first glance, you couldn’t even tell her family background was hard due to her parents being divorced with two children. But it was no angel that had gotten ahold of her. After finding a mystery box with inscriptions all over the outside Em becomes absolutely obsessed over the box, becoming steadily aggressive if she parts from it. But what’s more curious is the items found inside. After the child hears whispers from the box, the audience can see that Emily begins to change. The change is frightening, gruesome, creepy — and just plain extraordinary. The family must overcome not only their broken relationships, but battle against the fury of Hell.

There are many different types of characters in the movie, with different, intended personalities that the actors pulled off. In fact, this was my first time seeing Natasha Calis and I think she did a fantastic job of playing her role. She gave off this aura of kindness, peace, and innocence in the beginning of the story which gives the audience a feeling of sympathy for her because she just comes as as such a good person. And with the sudden change from child to demon, she completely nailed it. Her sharp transitions from a bloodthirsty possessed soul back to acting as an innocent girl was impressive.

For a movie rated PG-13, I thought it had a good sense of excitement, despair, and creepiness. It’s hard not to cringe at the sight of people’s bodies randomly being tossed, broken in pieces by an invisible devilish force. The suspense peaks especially where Emily’s own mother was about to be dinner for the demon that had taken ahold of her body. Waiting in the darkness, the monstrous child waited for the perfect moment to pounce, holding a sharp piece of glass. The audience at this point are on the edge of their seats, wondering if the demon strikes or if the child finds the will to take control.

However, it’s not the type of scary movie that’s going to make you run and scream out of the theatre, nor will it give you nightmares for a month. But, I don’t recommend seeing it at any age if you’re easily grossed out at the sight of crumbling bodies or insects crawling out of human mouths. Most importantly, don’t plan dinner right after watching the film.That’s my one warning.