Possession movies are at an all-time height in popularity right now thanks to franchise favorites The Conjuring and Insidious. The bloody, gory, slashers of old have stepped aside (but appear to be on a return trajectory) for the demonic, ghostly, and the PG-13-eeny. And I, for one, am not opposed to this, provided the films are good of course. Though, in my perfect world we'd being receiving a steady stream of diverse horror films i.e. hauntings, slashers, possessions, gothic, and monster movies.
The problem that arises when you have an over-saturation of a single genre is that everything feels and looks the same. What filmmakers have to do is strive for new ways to present the same story. This can be a double-edged sword though. If a movie strays too far from the path it runs the risk of not being accepted but if it stays too familiar it runs the risk of being dismissed as just another genre film. And then you have to account for a fickle audience who, one week, want something new but come next week they want the same ol' thing as before.
I wasn't aware of THE POSSESSION OF HANNAH GRACE until about a month ago. I saw the trailer and based off of that I knew the film would be a low budget horror film, offering the minimum requisite thrills and suspense, attempting to cash in on the possession movie craze. I went in expecting a run of the mill horror film and I came out pleasantly surprised. I thought the acting was fine and the film had a cool slant on a tired premise. There were just enough unique elements to keep me interested and in suspense.
For a little "out of season" horror film I quite enjoyed it.
THE PLOT
Megan just started a new job as the third shift attendant at the coroner's office. Her second night on the job a strange body is admitted, the body of a mangled and brutalized young woman. As the night wears on a security guard goes missing, a nurse disappears, and other strange occurrences happen. Megan finds herself in the grip of a man with a knife. He tells her that the corpse of the young woman isn't dead and that he needs to incinerate the body, cremation being the only way left to him to kill the demon in the body.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
Like I stated above, from the trailer it was apparent that The Possession of Hannah Grace was going to be a small film with little to offer. That was what I was expecting and I came out having received more than I bargained for. If you're expecting the next Conjuring or Exorcist prepare to be disappointed. If you're wanting a little escapist horror film than you're in for a treat.
The strengths of the film rest in the atmosphere and setting. The beginning of the film has Shay Mitchell's character, Megan, being taken on a tour of the coroner's office and shown her duties. In this sequence we too are taking the tour and learning the basics of the movie and its setting. The coroner's office is setup very well as a creepy and atmospheric place rife with horror potential. This setting is utilized to great effect in the film, both the atmosphere and the setting feeding off each other. The place is already scary without a possessed corpse running around in it.
Enter Hannah Grace a.k.a. Kirby Johnson. Actress Kirby Johnson is the film's unsung hero, performing nearly the entire film in the nude with brutal looking gory make-up appliances. Johnson's real life contortionist skills are put to terrifying and disturbing use here. She fills you with dread just lying on the morgue drawer motionless and then takes the horror to another level once she starts to move.
Shay Mitchell does a fine job as the protagonist, portraying a struggling woman whose life has gone off the rails. She showcases both strength and vulnerability throughout the film. Megan came across as very stalwart and engaging heroine in what could've been a "by the numbers" role. The film builds this stoic and redemptive character very well that by the end of the film I kept thinking, "This would make a great origin story for a demon hunter." If Megan would continue into another film dispatching things that go bump in the night I'd be there to watch. In fact, the women are among the stronger elements of the film including a bit part by Stana Katic.
The peculiar slant on the story is that the exorcism failed and Hannah Grace could not be saved. But the demon is still in possession of the body. In order to stop it the body must be utterly destroyed. This premise combined with a wonderful setting and atmosphere and quality acting by both leading ladies made for a fun horror film.
What didn't help the film, in my opinion, was the strange sound design. During the opening sequence, in which we are privy to Hannah Grace's final moments, there is a scene of an intense exorcism. The sound fades in and out in a strange artistic flavor that neither helped the suspense nor added any novelty. It served more to hinder the intensity of the moment. In addition to this there are some instances of strange camerawork during sequences of terror that didn't land with me.
THE VERDICT
The Possession of Hannah Grace isn't anything more than it sets out to be, a small pot boiler horror film. It's another possession film in a fog of possession films. But what makes The Possession of Hannah Grace stand out from the others is the unique and well executed setting and atmosphere. The acting is good and the premise is just skewed enough to feel fresh. Is it the next great horror film? Not by any means. Is it as bad as the reviews say? Not at all. There's plenty to be enjoyed if you let yourself get into it.
Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 1/2 out of 10
Surprisingly little given one of the main characters spends the majority of the film naked
For more films in the current wave of possessions, ghosts, and demons check out these others!
No comments:
Post a Comment