The Possession of Hannah Grace Movie Review (No Spoilers)
If I were to sum up this review in one sentence, it would be: 'Hanna Grace Lacks a Good Storyline, but the Visuals Will Make You Uneasy'
My Initial Thoughts on The Possession of Hannah Grace
The Possession of Hannah Grace is a 2018 film starring Shay Mitchell as Megan Reed (the main character), alongside Grey Damon, Nick Thine, and Louis Herthum (Hannah's father). Kirby Johnson plays the role of Hannah Grace.
This film kicks off strong, with the first scene taking you directly into the action at the middle of Hannah's exorcism. If the initial scene doesn't convince you the movie is worth watching, you can probably turn it off right there.
While there's plenty of action after this scene, it comes in the form of heebie-jeebies and creeps more than direct action like that of the first scene. The heebie-jeebies is what we're in it for though, right?
Overall, I liked this film, I didn't love it, and it will make it to my list of suggested horror films when it comes to demonic possession. If you like this movie or think it has an interesting premise overall, I would also suggest checking out The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
It delivers an atmosphere that is far more dreadful compared to Hannah Grace. However, both of these films are worth a watch in my book.
The Possession of Hannah Grace Movie Plot
The plotline follows a recently disgraced police officer, Megan Reed, that's just gotten sober and landed the position of a mortuary intake assistant. It's a midnight shift position. What fun would it be if this all took place during the day?
The body of Hannah Grace arrives and chaos ensues. That's as much as I can tell you without giving any major events away. I can also say that there are plenty of jump scares and visceral creeps.
This movie isn't heavy on the gore, but the special effects on Hannah herself were pretty good as far as demonically possessed victims go. Her appearance, in my mind, is reminiscent of Emily Rose, but not quite as extreme as the appearance of Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist.
How's the Acting in The Possession of Hannah Grace?
I found the acting in this movie to be decent. I've never found any characters played by Louis Herthum to be anyone I liked or could relate to, but his acting doesn't fall too much into the cheesy category.
The cheesiest character in the whole film is a security guard played by Max McNamara. I'd say that it was just the character's nature because McNamara's acting didn't seem to be overly lackluster to me.
My favorite character in the whole film was Randy, played by Nick Thune. Randy is an awesome, relatable, and friendly guy in my opinion. As for the rest of the cast, the acting was solid.
Character development itself is never an in-depth endeavor of horror flicks, so I obviously wasn't disappointed in that aspect. However this scary movie, like so many others in its genre, suffers from cardboard, two-dimensional characters.
Even the slower scenes meant to build the backstory of Megan Reed do little to draw viewers closer to a connection with her.
The Pacing of The Possession of Hannah Grace
The story of Hannah Grace unfolds at a pretty consistent pace and doesn't offer very many lulls between plot development and scares. It starts right at the climax of Hannah's exorcism, which is the untold prequel to the movie itself.
Afterward, I found myself getting a little bored with the small scenes meant to give viewers a glimpse into the life of Megan and how she came to be where she's at, but they don't last long and it's not overdone.
The rest of the film is direct in its mission to scare the audience and portray the spooky atmosphere that something is wrong with the body of Hannah Grace.
My Favorite Part About This Movie
I'd have to say my favorite thing about The Possession of Hannah Grace is the special effects when it comes to Hannah.
The way she moves and the way she looks brings an overall sensation that sits anywhere between unease and a bit of shock depending on what point of the movie you're in.
Is The Possession of Hannah Grace Worth Watching?
I'd have to say, yes. Especially if jump scares and visuals frighten you more than mysterious circumstances and dark backstories. This movie does not offer anything in the area of storyline or fearful imagination.
I'd give this movie a 6.5 out of 10, with the first six points coming from the fact that it has a bit more of an original premise than most other possession films. The extra half point comes from the fact that Hannah Grace's appearance and Kirby Johnson's performance made the snack trip down my dark hallway a little uneasy after it was all over.
If you're looking for creepy possession films to watch this October, then this one doesn't make the top five, but should be considered if you're looking for a decent top ten.
The Possession of Hannah Grace currently has a 5.2/10 on IMDb and a 21% on Rotten Tomatoes. Low scores for sure, but I'm here for the creep factor, not the overall storyline, which this film did lack.
More Reviews on The Possession of Hannah Grace: Variety, Roger Ebert, Hollywood Reporter
