Editorials
[Closer to Death] ‘Possession’: What Is A Dibbuk Box?
The closer we get to August this summer, the more we are going to hear about Lionsgate’s Possession, the Sam Raimi produced, Ole Bornedal directed movie about a series of hauntings unleashed when someone opens a Dibbuk Box.
It’s based on a true story from 2004. No, really.
If you have no idea what a Dibbuk is, or just want to know where to draw the line of fact from fiction when it comes to this tale – you’re just like me before I looked into this. Read on and we’ll sort it all out for ya’.
A Dibbuk (more accurately spelled Dybbuk) is from Jewish folklore. In essence, a dybbuk is a malicious or malevolent possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person.
The word “dybbuk” comes from Hebrew, meaning “attachment”. The dybbuk (spirit) attaches itself to a living person and inhabits the flesh. According to Jewish belief, a soul that was unable to complete its mission during its lifetime is given another opportunity to do so as a dibbuk. It sometimes leaves the host body after accomplishing its goals.
The “Dibbuk Box” mentioned in the synopsis of Possession refers to a real Jewish wine cabinet brought to America by a Holocaust survivor after World War II.
In 2004 this wooden box was purchased on eBay (Mr. Disgusting was actually following the events as they occurred via a now defunct blog), and it apparently caused some ethereal havoc when the owner decided to open the box. It hadn’t been opened for some 60 years before, because supposedly, there was an angry spirit trapped inside. Its history is summed up well in Wikipedia, as detailed by Kevin Mannis – the one who posted the notorious eBay auction:
The origin of the box dates back to November 10, 1938, the date when a group of women living in the Lodz ghetto of pre-World War II Poland were supposed to have conducted a seance during which the women attempted to trap an evil spirit they had helped to manifest from the “other” side Having survived the Holocaust of World War II, the original creator of the Dibbuk Box was supposed to have emigrated, with the box, to the United States where she died in 2001.
Mannis, a writer and small business owner, purportedly bought the Dibbuk Box at an estate sale/auction of the woman’s estate that year. The survivor’s granddaughter told the buyer that the box had been kept in her grandmother’s sewing room and was never opened as a dybbuk – an evil spirit from Jewish folklore – lived inside. The furniture restorer offered to give the box back to the granddaughter, who became hysterical and refused to take it. – Wikipedia
The one who opened the box found this inside:
– two 1920s pennies
– a lock of blond hair bound with hemp cord
– a lock of brown hair bound with hemp cord
– a small statue engraved with the Hebrew word Shalom
– a small wine goblet
– two dried rose buds
– a single candle holder with 4 octopus shaped legs
Strange phenomenon declared by owners of the box:
– Iosif Neitzke, the last person to auction the box on eBay, claimed that the box caused lights to burn out in his house and his hair to fall out.
– the furniture restorer claimed that the box was responsible for a series of horrific nightmares shared with other people while they were in possession of the box.
– his mother is supposed to have suffered a stroke on the same day he gave her the box as a birthday present – October 31.
– every owner of the box has reported that a smell of cat urine, and Jasmine flowers and nightmares involving an old hag accompany the box.
Written by Juliet Snowden & Stiles White, “A recently divorced father’s (Morgan) youngest daughter becomes strangely connected to an antique wooden box she purchased at a yard sale. As his daughter’s behavior becomes more erratic, the father senses a dark presence building until he discovers that the box was built to contain a dibbuk — a dislocated spirit that inhabits and ultimately devours its human host.”
Possession is scheduled to open in theaters on August 31, 2012.
~ John Marrone – CLOSER to DEATH
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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