Director – Diederik Van Rooijen (Deadline, Black Widow)
Starring – Shay Mitchell (Pretty Little Liars, Glee), Grey Damon (The Flash, American Horror Story), and Kirby Johnson (5150, Gaia)
Release Date – 2018
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “Death is only the beginning”
The horror genre is often seen as a stale genre by some horror fans. Though I can see where they are coming from I have to completely disagree. Most of these horror fans are what I call pop horror fans. They refuse to give indie horror films a chance and live in the theater. I can see why someone would be bitter if that was the only style of horror they are willing watch.
With that being said, not all major horror films are trashed. I was recently sent a press release for the new horror film The Possession of Hannah Grace. The film looked extremely generic but a refreshing escape from the no budget indie films I typically enjoy.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a recovering addict who is hired to work the graveyard shift in a morgue. Her first night doesn’t start off innocently when a homeless man tries to gain entry into the morgue. Later a mutilated body is brought in and things turn weird. Her equipment malfunctions and then wounds on the body mysteriously heal. It is then that she discovers what the homeless man is trying to do and why the body of the mutilated woman is defying nature.**Spoiler Alert**
I went into this one with an open mind. Most of these exorcism and possession films give the viewer the same story over and over again while trying to not copy The Exorcist. Most fail at this but there has been a few movies that was effective. The Possession of Hannah Grace was not horrifying nor did it deliver a unique horror film but it was entertaining which is all I can ask for.
The acting in this one is not bad but the cast falls a little short on their performances. Scenes with a lot of excitement and action feel lackluster and boring because the cast has no energy. They bring nothing to the film so the viewer gets nothing from the scene.
The story for this one is clichéd and generic but still offers up some genuine suspense. I liked the story but I believe that’s because it reminded me of the solid Autopsy of Jane Doe. Like I stated earlier, this film is not scary or original but it does entertain. The generic story with solid pacing and great suspense is enough to work in it’s favor.
Finally, if you want a bloody horror film you may want to check elsewhere. The film has a solid looking corpse and some kills that resemble a Skrillex music video but that is the extent of it. Overall, The Possession of Hannah Grace was far from perfect or memorable but it did satisfy the hunger to watch a big budgeted horror flick. I recommend checking this one out if you want a late night popcorn flick.
