This image released by Lionsgate Pictures shows Natasha Calis in a scene from "The Possession." (AP Photo/Lionsgate, Diyah Pera)

I'd rather see Danish whiz Ole Bornedal make an original movie, but his "The Possession" is an efficient and creepy take on "The Exorcist."

Specifically, "Possession" is a Jewish take on the Catholic-based "Exorcist": Here, a tween girl named Emma (Natasha Calis, who hits both the adorable and the demonic notes beautifully) comes into possession of an antique box. Eventually, we learn it contains a dybbuk, which is not only a really great Scrabble word but also an evil force that craves innocence and that takes up residence in Emma. The girl's home life is complicated by the recent divorce of her parents (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick) but, eventually, everyone gets on the same page and that page is: Get that spirit out of my gyrating, puking, superhumanly strong kid.

Don't go to "The Possession" expecting it to be as suspenseful or scary as its classic ancestor, but the movie is consistently creepy. Bornedal directs it smoothly and elegantly (no irritating shock cuts, no sudden noises that turn out to be tree branches in the wind) and he makes sure the unsettling stuff is anchored to something most of the "Exorcist" retreads over the years have missed: the selfless love of a parent (Morgan) for an endangered child.

The script has some clever little touches -- Emma lives in a no-shoes house that has lots of glassware, so there's one easy way for a spirit to hurt its residents -- and the movie has been made with evident care (Anton Sanko's abstract score, which sounds a bit like the Krzysztof Penderecki music used in "The Shining," is especially strong). There's also this unexpected touch: Jewish rapper Matisyahu is very effective as a Hasidic exorcist.

Is "The Possession" going to give you nightmares? Probably not. But, for a movie that follows an oft-used template, it contains more than its share of surprises.


"THE POSSESSION"

Directed by: Ole Bornedal

Starring: Natasha

This image released by Lionsgate Pictures shows Madison Davenport, left, and Kyra Sedgwick in a scene from "The Possession." (AP Photo/Lionsgate, Diyah Pera)
Calis, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Rated: PG-13 for violence and language

Should you go? Theaters are short on genuine horror right now, and this one gets the job done. **-1/2