First Look: Cast makes ‘The Possession’ a keeper

When: Opening Friday at local theaters

Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Natasha Calis, Grant Show and Matisyahu

Director: Ole Bornedal

The story: A young girl (Callis) becomes obsessed with an old wooden box found at a yard sale. When she starts behaving strangely, her parents (Morgan, Sedgwick) learn the box contains a dibbuk, “a dislocated spirit that inhabits and ultimately devours its human host.”

The buzz: The cast is stronger than you usually get with movies such as this. But it’s still rated PG-13. And as a rule, PG-13 horror is about as useful as PG-13 porn.

– CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE