The Possession(2012)
2012 · Ole Bornedal · 92 min
A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl's father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child.
Horror · Thriller
6.01.7k votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
1/5
Gore
2/5
Stays with you
How The Possession scares
It starts slow as a family drama with small, creepy warning signs, then builds steadily into a more traditional jump-scare heavy back half once the possession takes hold. The dread comes from watching a normal family situation slowly get invaded by something wrong, with a steady drip of unsettling imagery rather than nonstop shocks. It leans on jolts and startling visuals more than lingering psychological horror, and it doesn't show much blood or gore. This is a solid pick if you want a spooky, PG-13-friendly haunted object movie that's more about mood and jump scares than something that will actually disturb you afterward.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, The Possession rates psychological 3/5, visceral 2/5, gore 1/5, lingering effect 2/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 3 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 1 of 5
- Lingering: 2 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 60 of 100 — leans Jump scares
Supernatural vs Real-world: 10 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 35 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow-build family drama that steadily tightens into creeping dread before a hard, chaotic push to the end.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 4.
How scary is The Possession?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, The Possession rates 3/5 — solidly scary, delivering its fear through jump scares more than lingering dread. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be restrained with gore and fun-first. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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