To keep the curse of the real-life Dibbuk Box at bay, Ole Bornedal decided to recreate a box that would hopefully protect cast and crew. Like the actual container that was auctioned on Ebay, the film’s box needed to be ordinary enough not to arouse immediate suspicion, but mysterious enough that it could, in Bornedal’s words, “symbolize the evil we all hope to keep trapped forever.”
Explains J.R. Young: “It was less important for us to recreate the actual box as to create a box you believe might contain something that was locked away to never be let out in the world. Rachel O’Toole came up with some great concepts, and we also went back to the original story for the contents, including the bird skeleton, the locks of hair and the strange wooden carvings.”
For the demon itself, the production turned to makeup special effects designer Bill Terezakis. “How do you give face to a demon? What is the face of evil?” asks Young. “Bill and Ole came up with a design that would embody this. Their vision was to ask not how much can we show, but how little can we show to completely shock you?”
Without giving anything away, Terezakis notes: “Ole wanted something that would feel very ancient and I think we delivered on that.”
Adds visual effects supervisor Adam Stern: “We really wanted to create something that was not only scary but also grounded in reality as much as possible.”
For Robert Tapert, that hope of creating something that lingers in the imagination, that continues to make your heart pound long after the final images, was the driving force behind the entire creative process on The Possession.
He concludes: “We want audiences to leave the theater with the feeling that, since the horror you just witnessed is based in fact, it could come calling for you. The idea of the Dibbuk Box is something we think will scare audiences not just in the theater, but after they leave.”
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