THE POSSESSION
RYAN: It’s the second weekend in a row with a new horror movie opening and I’ll give you this… It’s better than The Apparition.
CAROLINE: But you said to skip The Apparition. This one’s better?
RYAN: Quite a bit better. If you’re in the mood for a horror movie, The Possession is indeed better than The Apparition but it’s still not a brilliant film.
CAROLINE: Well what made it better and what makes it fall short of brilliance?
RYAN: I love Kyra Sedgwick. And this is timed perfectly, just as she ended her run on TV’s The Closer, this is hitting theaters. But she’s really just a supporting role. The movie belongs to Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
CAROLINE: God I loved him as Denny on Grey’s.
CAROLINE: [laughs’ Yeah he kind of has that Brad Garrett quality, but hotter.
RYAN: Ha! Exactly. Jeffrey’s pretty good in this. Some of the supporting cast is a bit over the top- a college professor and some Hassidic Jews; all a bit caricatures of types and Jeff had to work against that. But I totally buy him as a basketball coach/family man.
CAROLINE: And Kyra lived up to your expectations?
RYAN: She’s a very real and natural actress. I’ve always liked her. The score is also very strong in this film. It’s one of the elements that makes this movie work. And it’s edited well. I jumped a few times, which is nice since I haven’t been startled or scared in a movie for so long.
CAROLINE: I know you like a scary movie.
RYAN: This is kinda scary but not too much. It’s still PG-13. The effects are okay but not as intense as The Exorcist and much of the creep factor lies in the makeup and evil, dirty looks the little girl shoots toward costars.
CAROLINE: I’m not a big fan of exorcism movies. Remember The Exorcism of Emily Rose?
RYAN: Of course. That was scarier and better than this. And coincidentally the possessed is named Emily in this film too. The one original but equally irritating thing in this movie is that it’s a Jewish possession and exorcism whereas most films I remember having Catholic involvement. I’ve never seen it before but I don’t find the Jewish mysticism as fright-inducing as all the relics of Christianity.
CAROLINE: Isn’t this based on a true story?
RYAN: It says so… But please. I don’t buy any of it. So much was dramatized. Some of what is said to be true was that there was this ancient box with a demon in it but even that. You’re either willing to believe or not, right?
CAROLINE: Yeah I’m less inclined to believe that.
RYAN: There are some plot points and loose ends that are left unanswered and it’s a bit slow moving and boring up front. But it’s not a complete loss. I can’t advise running out and paying for it, but it wouldn’t be a waste of time at home sometime.
