The Possession: This Real-Life Horror Story Inspired The Jeffrey Dean Morgan Film

As children grow up, it is not unusual for their personalities to become somewhat unpleasant. According to Sam Raimi's 2012 frightening film, "The Possession," this is especially true if they get their hands on a dybbuk box discarded by a neighbor. Protagonist Clyde Brenek's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) sensitive daughter, Emily "Em" Brenek's (Natasha Calis) demeanor darkens upon obtaining the item. Issues intensify after Em, under the influence of the Jewish mythical creature, a dybbuk, hurts herself and frames her father for the physical assault.

The movie's opening title warns viewers that it is grounded in reality — well, at least, eerie testimony presented throughout Leslie Gornstein's Los Angeles Times article. The Los Angeles Times reported that Raimi enjoyed her post, "A jinx in a box?", from a nearly two-decades-old issue, which mentioned the dybbuk box and the person who discovered it – Oregon-based businessman Kevin Mannis.

"Haunted History" Season 1, Episode 5 ("A Deadly Possession") showed that Mannis first laid eyes on the abandoned container while perusing purchasable objects on a family's lawn, much like Em in "The Possession." During the 2013 "Haunted History" episode, the former antique seller stated he believed his mother, Ida Mannis, would have an appreciation for the vintage container. 

While filming "Paranormal Witness" Season 2, Episode 1 ("The Dybbuk Box), Ida claimed that moments after being shown the wood container, she sensed a wicked presence and suffered a stroke. In the "Haunted History" episode, Mannis alleged Ida hastily composed a note while severely impaired — revealing she despised the item. While she may have simply been dissing her son's gift-giving abilities, Mannis' mother asserted she needed to warn him that his birthday present generated her health issues during the 2012 "Paranormal Witness" episode.

During the 2013 "Haunted History" episode, Kevin Mannis stated that he hesitantly held onto the wood box until he, his brother, and sister-in-law felt disturbed by appalling dreams involving a violent entity. He felt the best course of action was to head over to eBay and ship the wine cabinet off to Iosif Neitzke. Neitzke's college housemate, Justin Perkins, stated that he found it unsettling, as it seemed to open at will. Perkins said he urged Nietzke to remove the item from their household, and it became available to interested eBay bidders for a second time. The dybbuk box was then obtained by Jason Haxton. In the "Haunted History" episode, Haxton alleged he noticed a smoky entity and felt unwell. The museum curator also stated he sought Mannis out to get a better understanding of the container. Mannis alleged that, with Haxton's urging, he spoke to its earliest possessor's cousin. Mannis stated she claimed her cousin  — a Polish resident who practiced Judaism – managed to create a makeshift prison for a dybbuk in the 1940s.

That being said, Mannis' harrowing depiction of the container seems to be a mere fabrication. During a 2021 interview with Input, Mannis — after some hesitation — disclosed he enjoys penning invented prose. "I conceived of the dybbuk box — the name, the term, the idea — and wrote this creative story around it to post on eBay," said Mannis. He also stated his late mother falsified most of her "Paranormal Witness" comments, applauding her acting abilities.

While the director of "The Possession," Ole Bornedal seems to revel in frightening audiences with terrifying tales, he appears afraid of the paranormal. During a 2012 red carpet interview for "The Possession" with Fandom Entertainment, alongside the film's producer Sam Raimi, Bornedal revealed he had no desire to get near the dybbuk box before making the film. "I didn't want to go there, I had the invitation to go there, but I didn't want to go there, and we talked about this before, once you put words on stuff like that — I'm not a superstitious guy, but I believe actually when you give words and give meaning to things, these things start getting alive," explained Bornedal.

The director also suggested he believed that he witnessed some possibly dybbuk-related supernatural episodes while on the filming location. Bornedal alleged that light fixtures burst and claimed some individuals involved with the movie described having dreams that left them feeling morose. He stated he ignored whatever was happening to the cast and crew for his well-being.

"If I paid too much attention to that, it would actually scare the s*** out of me," he shared.