The Possession- film review

Director: Ole Bornedal
Genre/s: Thriller/ Horror

Brief Plot Outline:
An old lady owns a cursed box which attempts to kill her when the lady is lead to destroy it. Due to her illness after the attack, a yard sale is held for the items she owns, including the box. A young girl (Emily) purchases the box with her father and sister. The spirit inside the box takes control of Emily and the divorced parents search for a way to release the spirit from Emily. When the spirit is finally returned to the box by the end of the film and in search for a safe home for it. A car crash happens in which the box is involved and the box is left in the middle of the road.

Which two scenes impressed you the most? Why?
I enjoyed the exorcism scene because I believe it was done really well. Most exorcisms in horror films are humorous or ‘fake’ looking, whereas this exorcism digs into the true emotion and struggle an exorcism would cause; on Emily and her family. This is shown in the film from the use of close-ups on Emily and her family to portray the emotion and the connection they have as a family. The close ups which caught my eye were the ones of Emily in distress during the exorcism and also one of the dad shouting “take me instead”, this displays his love for his daughter and how he would risk his life for her. Another collection of close ups which portrayed the family's connection was the shots of their precious belongings being put into the box. This also symbolised them working as a team to save Emily. The intense and dramatic music also adds to the heartfelt scene.

The second scene, which impressed me the most, was when Emily is in the bathroom and she starts to wretch while looking in the mirror. She then inspects her mouth with a torch and 2 fingers reach out. I liked this as it shows she is being possessed from the inside out. The scene also portrays how part of Emily is still there as she is scared. This is shown by the jittery and unsettled music reflecting her feelings. The cinematography used is emotionally affecting as it connects with Emily and makes you have sympathy for her. Also a close up of her with a tear running down her face shows fear, along with her deep and distressed breathing. The scene impressed me mostly because most horrors are quite conventional and have similar jump scares, whereas this scene was something I’d never seen before.

How has watching this film helped you understand this genre of filmmaking? Which features on the genre checklist did you spot in the film?
The main theme running through this film is threat to self and family. This is shown throughout the film but especially in the exorcism scene and the scene in the kitchen when the demon first begins to act out on/over Emily.
The narrative of the film includes an open ending, this is when the box is left in the middle of the road after a car crash. This suggests that the box will continue capturing souls and hints towards a sequel. An open ending is quite conventional to a horror film, it is also seen in The Hills Have Eyes where the family are all hugging and then it zooms out and the camera shapes into binoculars. This hints that there is a surviving mutant.
The mise-en-scene in the film mainly includes body horror. This is seen in: the death of the teacher (bleeding from her eyes and violently being thrown around the room and out the window); the attack on the old lady at the beginning (spasms on floor and around room, caused by the box) and Emily’s’ stepfather’s teeth falling out.



Restricted narration is used at the end of the film for the car crash scene; you can see the wreckage and outcome of the crash but not the crash itself. It is also used when Emily punches a boy in school, you can hear the punch but not see it. The use of restricted narration is often used in horror films but still manages to shake up the audience. This is through the mystery of what happened, you can see the after effect or hear the sound, which makes the audience imagine the situation and therefore making it worse in their heads.
Collision cutting is used throughout the film, where a loud scene is being played and then it cuts to a silent aerial shot (this appears at the beginning of the film after the attack on the old lady). The use of collision cutting maximises the emotion on each scene as it shows the dramatic contrast between a tragic scene and every other scene. It highlights the difference and therefore shocks the audience more.
The final girl, Emily, follows character archetypes. She is a brave and strong young girl and isn’t involved in any acts of taboo. She is also brunette with is another convention of a final girl. She fights the demon and survives the film and therefore is the final girl. The role of male hero is covered by two characters, Emilys’ father and Tzadok (the man who performed the exorcism). These both fit as the male hero as they both sacrifice their lives to save others. The father does this by summoning the demon into him, instead of his daughter and Tzadok does this by taking the box to a safe place but dies in the process.

Which aspects of the film would you like to include in your own trailer? Why?
I would like to incorporate the drama and emotion that is shown in the film. This is mainly through the parallel music used in intense scenes to heighten the mood and atmosphere. For example the scene where Emily’s stepfather’s teeth fall out the music is uneven and beats in and out, reflecting a heartbeat, which gets increasingly louder and faster.


Which aspects of the film would you like to avoid in your own trailer? Why?
In my trailer I would like to bring new horror and jump scare ideas, rather than copying body horror from clichéd films.
An example of this is in the scene where the teacher is attacked and killed. She starts bleeding from her eyes and think it’s a very cliché horror convention, which I would not want to use. The film is also quite slow paced and eventually builds, I would like my trailer to fast paced and contain constant events and tragedies. I feel that if you care about the characters, then the emotional effect of the film is maximised.

What was the best aspect/ more enjoyable moment in the film? Why? Can you recreate this in your own film? How?
I enjoyed the special effects they used, but how they were not overly advanced and fake. For example the scene in the bathroom where finger reach up into Emily’s throat. Also in the scene in the garage where the hand of the demon/spirit is inside Emily’s cheek. While they are created using CGI, they looked sufficiently realistic to be believable.
However, given the limitations of budget its more likely I’ll stick to practical effects.