The Possession of Hannah Grace (released as Cadaver in select international markets) is a 2018 American supernatural horror thriller film directed by Diederik van Rooijen and written by Brian Sieve. The film stars Shay Mitchell, Kirby Johnson, Stana Katic, Grey Damon, and Nick Thune and was produced by Todd Garner and Sean Robins.[3]
The film was released in the United States on November 30, 2018, by Sony Pictures Releasing under the Screen Gems label. It received generally negative reviews from critics but was a commercial success, grossing $43 million worldwide against a production budget of $7.7 million.
Plot
During an exorcism ritual, Hannah Grace—possessed by a demonic entity—levitates and nearly kills a priest before her father, Grainger, ends the ritual by suffocating her with a pillow. As he mourns over her body, a fly lands on her hand, and it twitches, suggesting the presence of the demon remains.
Three months later, Megan Reed, a former Boston police officer struggling with depression and pill addiction following the death of her partner, begins working the night shift at the Boston Metro Hospital morgue. The morgue is housed in an imposing brutalist-style building (portrayed by Boston City Hall). On her second shift, Megan refuses entry to a distressed man (later revealed to be Grainger), while shortly thereafter assisting EMT Randy with receiving the corpse of a young woman—Hannah Grace—who had been stabbed and partially burned in an alley.
As Megan attempts to log the body, her equipment malfunctions, and the corpse’s fingerprints return unreadable. Strange events begin to occur, increasing Megan’s suspicions. She eventually catches Grainger trying to destroy the body, claiming his daughter is not truly dead and must be cremated. He is restrained and taken into police custody.
Megan’s ex-boyfriend, Officer Andrew Kurtz, investigates and confirms that Hannah died three months prior, yet her fingerprints match those recently recorded. Meanwhile, Hannah, reanimated and possessing supernatural abilities, begins killing staff members, including Dave, a security guard, and Megan’s friend Lisa, as her body appears to heal itself with each death.
Megan uncovers surveillance footage of Hannah moving through the building and confronts Randy with the evidence, though he is soon killed. Grainger escapes custody and returns to the morgue, explaining that multiple exorcisms failed and the demon was able to continue inhabiting Hannah’s corpse, growing stronger by killing others. He reveals that Hannah suffered from depression, which allowed the demon to take hold.
Megan agrees to help Grainger cremate the body, but Hannah reanimates, kills her father, and traps Megan. With the help of Andrew and another guard, Megan escapes and ultimately drags the body to the crematorium. After a final confrontation, Megan succeeds in pushing Hannah into the incinerator, destroying the body.
In the aftermath, Megan reveals she has remained clean for over two months. In the final scene, a fly lands on her mirror reflection, which she quickly swats, suggesting the threat may not be entirely over.
