If you have been looking forward to The Possession as an exciting new horror movie for the fall season, you’re in for a disappointment. The movie features the supposedly true story of a little girl who becomes possessed by a demon and her father’s noble attempts to save her in the face of adversity. The first scene kicks off on an exciting note, showing the near death of an old woman after she tries to destroy a mysterious box.

However, the movie can only be said to go downhill after that. Shortly after the first scene, the main character, an 8-year-old girl named Em, finds the box and, upon opening it, begins to develop an unnatural attachment to it. Hence the takeover of the demon, and the progression of a cliche, mediocre horror film.

The character of a lonely, isolated daughter caught in the midst of her parents’ divorce is cliche, as well as the location of a creepy, gloomy suburb. The portrayal of the possession and exorcism itself, with its late night explosions of writhing and screaming, is overused and overplayed.

The hero character of the father, who alone knows what is wrong with his daughter and bravely fights skeptics and reluctant priests to save her, is a typical portrayal done with unremarkable acting. Although there are a few startling moments and small-scale scares, the movie is typical of any other exorcism film. It lacks the fresh, original terror that viewers look for in new horror movies.

The only unexpected turn in the duration of the hour and a half is the rapping, laid-back, “modern” rabbi who decides to help the family. Even that, however, merely comes across as a flimsy attempt at comic relief. Stick with the original trail of exorcism movies if you must; The Possession will not fulfill your desire for a new thriller.