It’s beginning to look a lot like . . . a twisted, crawly, possessed girl! That’s right, we are now entering that little sliver of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas that seems to disappear faster than the space between a winter-coated mother of three and this year’s gotta-have-it gadget the moment the doors finally open at a Walmart on Black Friday. So naturally, that means it’s time to squeeze in one more horror release before the box office falls prey to its annual blockbuster-crazed moviegoers who stumble into theaters drunk on warm and fuzzies. It’s prime time for a new twist on a possession flick.
The Possession of Hannah Grace opens the way most exorcism films end—with the dramatic climax of the ritual itself. As you might guess from watching any trailer, poor young Hannah doesn’t quite make it out alive, and we next cut to the day-to-day life of Megan Reed, played by the striking and surprisingly effective Shay Mitchell (who really does a nice job despite her television roots as “Cute Girl” on Rookie Blue or “Girl in Yellow Jacket” on Glee). Mitchell convincingly plays a PTSD-ridden, angry exercise-loving, former addict and ex-cop who attempts to bring normalcy back to her life by—get this—taking the night shift as a lone intake assistant at a morgue in the basement of an old Boston hospital. Great idea.
But nothing seems to go right with one of the new corpses—Megan can’t seem to get a photo of this Hannah Grace, the fingerprints won’t scan, and subtle shadows start appearing in the corner of Megan’s eye. Discoveries mount and the tension intensifies until we get a clearer picture of exactly what is going on, only in time to hope that our protagonist can figure out a way to stop it.
I honestly think this film is quite novel—ok maybe like 75 percent of 
it. You might not expect a sterile, empty, concrete basement to make for a delightfully devastating horror setting, but the filmmakers craftily mingle some of our deepest fears – the dark, claustrophobia, dead bodies, the loneliness of wide-open spaces, and the moment you start to doubt your own sanity. In this film, even the simplest of sensors in the internet of things are manipulated to terrify.
And when The Possession of Hannah Grace falls back on clichés, as horror films are wont to do, it still does quite well—for awhile. It boasts a few unexpected jump scares that conjure the old 90s teen slasher films—perhaps fitting for writer Brian Sieve, who also tackled the recent television reboot of the 1996 (can we now say “classic”?) Scream, and whose next project has been announced as The Exorcism at Lincoln High. But true to its name, The Possession of Hannah Grace doesn’t skimp on those demonic triggers that make us good Catholics cringe. As I always say, “You really can’t go wrong with a jerky, crawly, possessed girl and eerie, bone-cracking sound effects.” That’s right. Stich it on a pillow.
But perhaps as we should expect from any holiday gap-filling film that can’t quite compete with the big boys of prime Halloween horror season, The Possession of Hannah Grace eventually goes off the rails. The clichés snowball, the CGI effects overwhelm, and the “wait-a-minute” moments mount—I mean honestly where did this girl get her police officer tactical training? Learn to clear a room properly, Megan, come on. And what exactly is the message we are trying to send on mental health? Skip the meds and tough it out? Sieve, let’s think this through.
So alas, I’m left with the difficult task of advising you, dear readers, on this mélange of a film. Honestly? It could do better, but if you’re looking to scratch that horror film itch, it does the job.
SpecialK Verdict: Much like Christmas this time of year, the aim of this film is so close, yet so far. Ultimately, it’s enjoyable enough, but I won’t blame you if you wait for it to hit Redbox.
The Possession of Hannah Grace opens Friday, November 30.
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