dir. Diederik van Rooijen
The worst thing about The Possession of Hannah Grace isn’t its cheap scares. Yes, the movie primarily deals in shrieks and underwhelming body horror more likely to provoke shouts of laughter than of terror – but this isn’t the worst thing. And the worst thing about it isn’t its ill-defined, boring characters. Our protagonist, a plucky young former policewoman who goes to work in a morgue, leaves so little an impact that her supposed pill addiction is forgotten as soon as it’s revealed – but this isn’t the worst thing. And the worst thing about it isn’t its awful performances. Some actors ostensibly put in next-to-no effort, coming across stilted and wooden, while others overact so much that you’d think their popping eyes and flailing limbs constitute the story’s possessed individual, rather than the eponymous cadaver – but this isn’t the worst thing. No, the worst thing about The Possession of Hannah Grace is its reveal of why Hannah Grace was possessed. The film is emphatic that it wasn’t mere chance or coincidence, but that Hannah was in such a depressed state that the preying demon was able to take advantage of her. In other words: don’t want to get possessed by a murderous, malignant demon? Well then, better not get depressed! It’s so insulting to sufferers of mental health conditions that it’s a wonder so many people – actors, crew, producers – read the script and gave it a pass. The worst thing about The Possession of Hannah Grace takes it from being merely bad and renders it downright offensive.
BMDb 