The Possession - C-

Rated PG-13, 91 minutes

“The Possession” a cheesy, silly Jewish version of “The Exorcist”

Jeffrey Dean Morgan

“The Possession” comes at an unfortunate time, at the end of summer when studios throw out movies they need to get rid of before the awards-heavy fall film season. In spite of a few decent scares and special effects, “The Possession” is a Jewish “Exorcist” ripoff that lacks any suspense or real empathy for its characters. After purchasing an old box (called a dibbuk) with a Hebrew inscription engraved on it at a yard sale, a young girl, Em (Natasha Calis) opens the box and then begins to exhibit bizarre and violent behavior. Em's behavior soon becomes more and more extreme. Fearing for their daughter, her recently divorced parents Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Stephanie Brenek (Kyra Sedgwick) make various attempts – from brain scans to consulting rabbis – to discover what the supernatural force behind the box is, what it wants, and how to keep it from destroying Em. Directed by Danish film director Olen Bornedal and co-produced by Sam Raimi, it’s inspired by a true story of a real dibbuk, which is essentially a haunted wine cabinet, said to be inhabited by a dybbuk, a spirit from Jewish folklore.  Sure, it sounds scary but too bad that suspense and creepiness didn’t make its way into the script, which is filled with silly, dumb horror film cliches (such as always walking into a dark room) and cardboard characters you don’t care about at all. There are a couple of decent jumps and special effects but overall the scares are lacking in “The Possession,” which is also unfortunate for noted filmmaker Raimi and one of my favorite actresses from the small screen, Sedgwick, not to mention Jewish folk singer Matisyahu who co-stars as a young rabbi who helps the family. “The Possession” is too predictable and somewhat laughable in the end; it may entertain and satisfy those looking for a good scare or two at the end of summer, but otherwise it’s not worth it.