History Film / ThePossession

Clyde (Creator/JeffreyDeanMorgan), a recent divorcee takes his daughters Emma and Hanna to a yard sale, where Em picks a beautiful wooden box carved with Hebrew letters and no clear lock or latch to open it with. [[HearingVoices A box that whispers.]] And has a tendency to telekinetically thrash and [[PsychicNosebleed physically distress]] those it dislikes. Throughout the course of a month Em is [[ArtifactOfDoom ensnared]] by the [[SealedEvilInACan Dybbuk trapped inside the box]] as it slowly [[DemonicPossession possesses]] her. Can Clyde figure out what is happening to his daughter in time, or will she be [[LossOfIdentity lost forever?]]

[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ThePossession2012Poster_3175.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:290:Those moths are gonna leave a full stomach.]]

* SadlyMythtaken: Zig-zagged. In Jewish folklore, a Dybbuk is a ghost, not a demon. On the one hand, Dybbuk is correctly described as a soul of a deceased person looking for a chance to live by taking another host. On the other end, it is given demonic properties and even named [[spoiler:Abyzou]], which is the name of an actual unrelated female demon from ancient Near-Eastern Europe folklore. She is assimilated to UsefulNotes/{{Lilith}} in Jewish folklore, and is said to cause miscarriages and infant mortality.

* SadlyMythtaken:
** Zig-zagged. In Jewish folklore, a Dybbuk is a ghost, not a demon.
** On the one hand, Dybbuk is correctly described as a soul of a deceased person looking for a chance to live by taking another 'host' but then it is given daemonic properties.
** On the other end, it is named [[spoiler: Abyzou]], which is the name of an actual unrelated female demon from ancient Near-Eastern Europe folklore. She is assimilated to Lilith in Jewish folklore, and is said to cause miscarriages and infant mortality.
** The story is very loosely based on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dybbuk_box an actual box]] currently belonging to Zak Bagans of ''Series/GhostAdventures'', the original owner claimed there was a dybbuk in it but her descendants were unsure when they sold it.

Not to be confused with the 1981 European film ''{{Film/Possession}}''.

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* ArtifactOfDoom: The Dybbuk box.
* BigBad: Abyzou, the Dybbuk.

* CreepyChild: Em, when possessed.

* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: Tzadok.]]

* LargeHam: Tzadok, particularly during the exorcism. Em may also count during her "possessed" moments.

* [[SealedEvilInACan Sealed Evil In A Box]]

* StringyHairedGhostGirl: Em, after the Dybbuk enters her.

* TwoBeingsOneBody: And BodyHorror, the MRI scene in particular.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: Em/Abyzou, during the kitchen confrontation.

Clyde, a recent divorcee takes his daughters Emma and Hanna to a yard sale, where Em picks a beautiful wooden box carved with Hebrew letters and no clear lock or latch to open it with. [[HearingVoices A box that whispers.]] And has a tendency to telekinetically thrash and [[PsychicNosebleed physically distress]] those it dislikes. Throughout the course of a month Em is [[ArtifactOfDoom ensnared]] by the [[SealedEvilInACan Dybbuk trapped inside the box]] as it slowly [[DemonicPossession possesses]] her. Can Clyde figure out what is happening to his daughter in time, or will she be [[LossOfIdentity lost forever?]]

* AgonyOfTheFeet / {{Gorn}}: Stephanie at one point confronts Emily/Abyzou in the kitchen. Barefoot. With a lot of breakable glass nearby. Ouch.
** Also Emily, who spends half of the film barefoot and in her nightgown.

* BodyHorror: [[spoiler: Brett's teeth fall out during an encounter with Em.]] More ironic when you consider he's a dentist.

* FirstFatherWins: Clyde's ex Stephanie is dating, and becoming progressively closer to Brett much to his chagrin. It's clear throughout the movie that both still have ''some'' chemistry and compatibility and {{UST}} underneath a lot bickering. By the end of the film [[spoiler:Brett has run off after losing all his teeth to the Dybbuk, and Clyde and his family are closer together after beating the monster.]]

* HumanoidAbomination: [[spoiler: Abyzou's true form is this. Show quite fully when they are being expelled from Clyde's body and as they are crawling back to the box.]]
* IKnowYourTrueName: There's two ways to get a Dybbuk to leave a body, one is an exorcism, and the other (much safer) way is to command it into its box by using its True Name.
* LargeHam/ ChewingTheScenery: Tzadok. Em may also count during her "possessed" moments.

* SadlyMythtaken: In Jewish folklore, a Dybbuk is a ghost, not a demon. However, the accuracy of the Dybbuk depiction actually makes this trope zig-zagged in the movie.

* SupernaturalProofFather: Averted twice. It's Clyde who first noticed something supernatural was wrong with Em (though in an interesting turn it was the school that picked up on the change in behavior first), and Stephanie who is the skeptic. Later, when [[spoiler:the Dybbuk actually takes him up on his offer and changes from Em to possessing him.]]

** On the other end, it is named [[spoiler: Abyzou]], which is the name of an actual unrelated female demon from ancient Near-Eastern Europe folklore. She is assimilated to Lilith in Jewish folklore, and is said to cause miscarriages and infant immortality.

'''''The Possession''''' is a 2012 supernatural horror film directed by Ole Bornedal and co-produced by Creator/SamRaimi. It was released in the United States on August 31, 2012, with the film premiering at the Film4 [=FrightFest=].

* HumanoidAbomination: [[spoiler: Abyzou manifests as this when they are being exorcised and is crawling back to the box.]]

* HumanoidAbomination: [[spoiler: Abyzou manifests as this when they are being exercised and is crawling back to the box.]]

** Also Emily, who spends half of the film barefoot and in nightgown.

* SadlyMythtaken: In Jewish folklore, a Dybbuk is a ghost, not a demon. The accuracy of the Dybbuk depiction actually makes this trope zig-zagged in the movie.

** Those possessed by Abyzou suffer this. In the early stages of her possession, Em glimpses the Dybbuk's fingers at the back of her throat. Later, her [[EyeScream eyes rotate all the way around until they're completely white, and the Dybbuk's hand can be seen through her cheek. Moths also exit and enter her mouth at various points. [[spoiler:Later, when Abyzou jumps from Em to Clyde, his eyes also rotate. Abyzou later exits his body by crawling out of his throat and mouth.]]

* BigBad: Abizu, the Dybbuk.

* AgonyOfTheFeet / {{Gorn}}: Stephanie at one point confronts Emily/Dybbuk in the kitchen. Barefoot. With a lot of breakable glass nearby. Ouch.

* BigBad: Abizu, the demon.

* BodyHorror: [[spoiler: Brett's teeth fall out during an encounter with Em.]] More ironic when you consider he's a dentist.

* DemonicPossession: Unlike normal demonic possession flics, the Dybbuk needs multiple "trips" between the box and its future host to lay the groundwork for a full entry. Afterwards, it takes another week or so to fully take over.

** On the one hand, Dibbuk is correctly described as a soul of a deceased person looking for a chance to live by taking another 'host' but then it is given daemonic properties.

* SadlyMythtaken: In Jewish folklore, a Dybbuk is a ghost, not a demon.
** Actually zig-zagged. Dibbuk is correctly described as a soul of a deceased person looking for a chance to live by taking another 'host' but then it is given daemonic properties.

* [[spoiler: DroppedABridgeOnHim:]][[spoiler: Tzadok.]]

* SadlyMythtaken: In Jewish folklore, a Dybbuk is a ghost, not a demon.

* FootFocus / {{Gorn}}: Stephanie at one point confronts Emily/Dybbuk in the kitchen. Barefoot. With a lot of breakable glass nearby. Ouch.

Clyde, a recent divorcee takes his daughters Emma and Hanna to a yard sale, where Em picks a beautiful wooden box carved with Hebrew letters and no clear lock or latch to open it with. [[HearingVoices A box that whispers.]] And has a tendency to telekinetically thrash and [[PsychicNosebleed physically distress]] those it dislikes. Throughout the course of a month Em is [[ArtifactOfDoom ensnared]] by the [[SealedEvilInACan Dybbuk trapped inside the box]] as it slowly [[DemonicPossession possess]] her. Can Clyde figure out what is happening to his daughter in time, or will she be [[LossOfIdentity lost forever?]]

* SupernaturalProofFather: Averted twice. It's Clyde who first noticed something supernatural was wrong with Em (though in an interesting turn it was the school that picked up on the change in behavior first). Later, when [[spoiler:the Dybbuk actually takes him up on his offer and changes from Em to possessing him.]]
* TwoBeingsOneBody: And BodyHorror, with the MRI scene in particular being especially

* SadlyMythtaken: Several:
** In Jewish folklore, a Dybbuk is a ghost, not a demon.
** Abizou means "abyss" not "taker of children."