The Possession

June 3, 2019
Rutger’s creepy, creative sequel to 2018’s The Anomaly finds Nolan Moore, the host of a second-rate YouTube series, dispirited by the low sales of a book based on his show. Still, he hopes to attract more of an audience when he takes his production team to northern California to investigate “one of the most little-known mysteries in the entire country.” The region contains hundreds of miles of stone walls of unknown origin marked by “odd variations in height, failure to enclose, and a tendency to run through or over things like lakes and mountainsides.” When Nolan reaches the town of Birchlake, he crosses paths with his ex-wife, Kristy Reardon, who’s looking into the disappearance of 14-year-old Alaina Hixon. Ten days earlier, Alaina vanished while walking home with two classmates. A photo of her later posted online elicited four comments calling Alaina a witch, and one stated that it was time for the girl to join her dead mother. Smith does a fine job ratcheting up the tension as the two story lines converge. Fans of supernatural thrillers will be more than satisfied. Agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM Partners.