THE POSSESSION is currently scaring up a storm in the UK and US box-office after premiering at this years FrightFest. The film, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick and an impressive young Natasha Calis, sees a recently divorced couple watch helplessly as their daughter Em, sinks slowly into a demonic state after an antique box bought at a yard sale houses an evil spirit known as a Dibbuk.
The films’ director Ole Bornedal recently answered a few questions about working on the project, that also saw him collaborate with EVIL DEAD writer/director and horror icon Sam Raimi.
With possession being at the centre of a fair few horror films over the years, what prompted you to go down the route of a possessed box? Was the Pandora’s box angle appealing?
It was a Director-Craftsman-challenge. Usually I write my own stories – and I was in a process of writing this 400 page long war epic, which is gonna become a very big Danish-German project in 2013. Sam Raimi called me and gave me the challenge of doing this tale, which was a challenge – it being perhaps the strongest American genre. And a genre that suffers from very often very superficial characters that are absolutely incomprehensible to identify with as an audience. I don’t like those movies. Trying to add a human angle to it – was the challenge.
How did Natasha Calis cope with the challenging role? How did you direct her?
I more or less brought her into a sort of trance in the casting session. “Transformed” her into being Em. Once she became that character – I started interviewing her as that little girl. She fell apart in front of the camera, started crying her heart out. The difference in the Em character, from so many many other “possessed innocent little girls” in scary movies – is that she is TORMENTED by this thing inside of her. It makes her SAD. She doesn´t just run around in the movie with this demonic smile on her face, being perfectly all right with scaring the hell out of everybody. It makes everything vulnerable – and real – I guess.
How much was Sam Raimi involved in the film considering his horror lineage? How much influence did he have over the project?
As an American producer his influence is of course BIG. It was his decision to bring me in – but after that had been settled, I was more or less left “alone” with my own creative interpretation of the story. Some of my choices challenged the other producers on the show. But Sam was always supportive whenever we had a conflict. He is a filmmaker himself. And that makes him a good producer.
What are your own favorite Possession movies and do you plan to return to the Horror genre soon?
I don’t think there will be more horror movies. This was a one time challenge with the genre. I like good stories – not especially any genre as such. I saw The Shining again the other day. Kubrick is still brilliant and will always be.
THE POSSESSION is in cinemas now!
