Absurdity turns quickly to boredom in Alejandro Amenábar’s Regression, the latest picture unceremoniously dumped by The Weinstein Company to your local multiplex with excess capacity. Set in a 1990 rural Minnesota, the story follows the adventures of Detective Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke) as he investigates a local “outbreak” of demonic possession that comes across his desk. Enlisting Professor David Rains (David Thewlis), they go on a wild adventure that eventually finds them briefly in Pittsburgh chasing a cult and a dark family secret that, at first glance, is less than what it might have been. Who would have thought a small town police department had those kinds of resources?

Amenábar gets the atmosphere right even if there’s not much lurking in the shadows, all while Hawke does his best to keep a straight face. At the heart of the film is a strong performance by Emma Watson as Angela,...