The Possession of Michael King

Anchor Bay Films | Release Date: August 22, 2014

4.6	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Ratings

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HaithamBAug 22, 2014

The Possession of Michael King has some scary moments, and the premise is somehow different despite the tired "found footage" style. However, 10 minutes into the movie, the movie lost me.

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CrimAug 3, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The title just gives it all away, doesn't it? The first part of the movie tries to play coy as an "angry white guy who lost his wife now embarks onto a not-as-unique-as-he-thinks docutrip (found footage pretext) to disprove the supernatural, occultists, all that." It's pretty well executed: the setup means that anything cringe-worthy can be intentional on the part of the filmmakers.

But then the movie has to deliver. And it does. With a few caveats. First of all, the demonologist helpfully read the description of the demon and this was filmed, so it should have been pretty obvious what the noises and the ants were about; this is never explicitly mentioned and the guy visits the necromancer first. Furthermore, at the end he says that the noise that initially drove him crazy was not actually the demon, but angels trying to protect him, which made no sense and was a completely pointless line to boot.

Secondly, after he'd realized that he was irrevocably possessed, that it was a fight he was losing, that he was hurting others and himself, that everything was becoming unreal and he was losing sensation... he patched himself up. Why? He did try to kill himself later, in a scene that also made very, very little sense.

Third, the daughter was treated as a prop for the entire movie. The guy was shown as consumed with his quest, and there was no mentioning, even from the psychologist/psychiatrist, that she existed and needed her father. I don't normally care for this familial stuff, but here it was a tad jarring: at first I thought he was living with his sister and her daughter. Why was the daughter included? For the "emotional stakes" of him struggling to not harm her. And that is just cheap and cliched. Here we have a relationship that was not established at all, yet used for the ending because parental love is a default, a free card to play.

Fourth, the ending. The movie completely changed tone, it got the nice spiritual touch, used the daughter, and became sentimental all in one scene. I'm subtracting a full star just for that. At least there weren't any angels flying to take his soul up stairs of light. It was close, though.… Expand

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stakoSep 6, 2014

So I was looking to waste some time, while watching this. I didn't expect to end up invested in it. It was meant to be background noise to a game of 'Tetris' or 'Puzzle Quest'. However, to my absolute surprise, this movie turned out to be oneSo I was looking to waste some time, while watching this. I didn't expect to end up invested in it. It was meant to be background noise to a game of 'Tetris' or 'Puzzle Quest'. However, to my absolute surprise, this movie turned out to be one of the best horror movies I've seen this year.
This movie is both written and directed by one David Jung, who is known for absolutely nothing else. I can't seem to find some proper info on him, so I will consider 'The Possession of Michael King' to be his first official work. And he did a great job with it.
The movie is shot in the "found footage" style, but more in the sense of 'Afflicted', than 'Paranormal Activity'. It retains the "mockumentary" feeling (to which I give bonus points), without being afraid to show that the man behind the camera is competent at more than walking around, zooming, focusing and turning on Night Mode.
It is also very well written, offering a plot that is nicely intertwined within it's minor details. Also, a plot that ultimately escapes the haunting fatalism of the horror genre, which made the movie feel lighter, without sacrificing it's essence.
The movie is also directed very nicely. Weather this is his first movie or not, David Jung did a great and professional job. Some scenes have great ideas and look very cool, the overall atmosphere is on spot, and - hallelujah! - the movie contains proper usage of filters and camera effects.
The role of the titular Michael King was performed superbly by Shane Johnson, who I have never seen in anything before. To my surprise, he showed great acting promise and I do want to see him in another leading part. The rest of the cast weren't given much to work with, and remain unmemorable as far as this movie goes, but you probably can expect that from a movie with such a title.
The gripes I have with this movie are, ultimately, minor: a few cheap scares (one that was very premature!) and some very ugly special effects, but I choose to ignore these, the movie more than makes up for them. I liked it a lot and it's one of the better horror movies of recent time. The fact that it has a nicely intertwined plot, that is portrayed in a proper way, via good directing, shooting and acting, should provide a very welcomed amount of entertainment to every horror appreciator, and is enough for me to give my recommendation.

To sumerize:

While retaining some of the genre's most iconic cliches, this movie "strays" in all the right ways. Also, the overall plot is professionally intertwined - something we don't often see in modern horror. 'The Possession of Michael King' is a great movie that shows a lot of promise for the future work of both David Jung and Shane Johnson. Not only that, it is indeed a very good pick for the upcoming holidays, especially if you are in the mood for something fresh.… Expand

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marc5477Feb 25, 2016

Not the worst horror movie I have ever seen but the film was a cliche. Jump scares galore, shaky found footage camera, abrupt loud noise... bleh. Sometimes these things are ok but it was simply over done. There was also little mystery and noNot the worst horror movie I have ever seen but the film was a cliche. Jump scares galore, shaky found footage camera, abrupt loud noise... bleh. Sometimes these things are ok but it was simply over done. There was also little mystery and no depth to the story or characters and no comedy so there was little to keep me entertained all the way through. The movie is about a guy who loses a wife and is out to prove there is no supernatural... turns out he was wrong. You can guess what happens next.… Expand

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SushiStonerDec 17, 2014

if the film didn't relay on cheap jump scares it would have stepped out of the clichéd found footage's comfort zone and worked. It didn't, which resulted into a lazy, average possession movie with a poor script and horrific direction.

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horcrux2007Aug 4, 2015

This is just one of those movies I found on Netflix that looked slightly interesting. In this sudden resurgence of the possession genre, The Possession of Michael King is just another lame entry. The Possession of Michael King concerns anThis is just one of those movies I found on Netflix that looked slightly interesting. In this sudden resurgence of the possession genre, The Possession of Michael King is just another lame entry. The Possession of Michael King concerns an atheist who is making a documentary trying to disprove the supernatural. He participates in multiple satanic rituals to show that even the darkest magic is fake, and realizes that it's actually real. And then demons. Despite its admittedly interesting premise, The Possession of Michael King is just another boring assault on the ears since every five minutes the movie decides to throw in an unnecessarily gratuitous jump scare without any sort of suspense leading up to it. I actually had to turn the volume down on my computer so low that I could barely hear the dialog. Instead of delving into the science vs religion themes presented in the first act, the film just goes straight to the satanic rituals, bodily deterioration and gross-out scares. It never really entertains, scares or gives the viewer something original and rather gives us a barrage of pointless jump scares and a been-there-done-that story. If you want an exorcism movie that does the science vs religion trope correctly, I suggest The Last Exorcism. Otherwise, stay away from this generic and dull flick.… Expand

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FilipeNetoMay 28, 2020

Films based on situations of demonic possession are something that is so often seen that attempts to do something different, even if only in the details, sometimes fail. This is admittedly the same as a thousand other films we've seen.

TheFilms based on situations of demonic possession are something that is so often seen that attempts to do something different, even if only in the details, sometimes fail. This is admittedly the same as a thousand other films we've seen.

The highly predictable script is based on the search by a recent widower for proofs of the existence of something beyond life, no matter what: God, the Devil, angels, souls, demons. What he looks for, in his attempt to deal with his grief and pain, is proof that makes him believe in something that he has difficulties to believe. To do so, he decides to film himself in a thousand and one situations: he invokes souls, spirits and demons, does magic and necromancy, goes to fortune tellers and mediums. It is a good starting point, although not entirely new. As the people say, those looking for it will find it. Of course, it is another "found footage" film where you can't miss that moment "if you found this video etc.".

Directed and written by David Jung, a notable stranger who never wrote or directed anything in cinema, the film stars Shane Johnson, a third-rate actor with a career in shorts and TV series, always discreet and far from spotlight. He does what he can, but the mediocre material he received in this film, which, until now, is the only one where he was the main actor, frustrates any attempt to go beyond average. It is an exaggerated, histrionic and noisy performance, which does not arouse the audience's sympathy and makes evident what will happen in the end. At a technical level, the film stands out for a dull and shaky cinematography, cold and gray colors, a warm environment that never scares even though it causes tension and discomfort and, still, mediocre visual and sound effects.

There are, however, some redeeming aspects to take into account: the first is that, despite the lack of originality, the story told is logical and entertaining, proving to be engaging enough to create a tense environment, which never scares but is also pleasant. The second is that, unlike most films, it shows a lot of rituals and phenomena linked to magic or the occult, being more plural in its approach to the supernatural. The third is that, unlike most films, where the character is inadvertently victimized by a spirit or demon, the character in this film seeks everything that happens to him and, afterwards, when he calls for help, he does not receive it for what we have never seen any kind of saving magic or exorcism. This is the greatest originality I have seen.… Expand

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