The Possession of Michael King (2014)

After poor advice from a psychic leads to the death of his wife, a man vows to disprove the existence of the paranormal by allowing himself to be possessed by demons.

Director:

David Jung

Writers:

David Jung (screenplay), David Jung (story)

Stars:

Shane Johnson, Ella Anderson, Cara Pifko

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shane Johnson	...	Michael King
Ella Anderson	...	Ellie King
Cara Pifko	...	Samantha King
Julie McNiven	...	Beth King
Tomas Arana	...	Augustine
Patricia Healy	...	Marsha
Cullen Douglas	...	Mortician
Jed Rees	...	Jordan
Freda Foh Shen	...	Dr. Cox
Tobias Jelinek	...	Father Gibbons
Dale Dickey	...	Beverly
Luke Baines	...	Elias
Anna Mountford	...	Erica Bell
Stewart Skelton	...	Priest
Michael Ray Escamilla	...	Sound Engineer

Storyline

Michael King (Shane Johnson) doesn't believe in God or the Devil. Following the sudden death of his wife, Michael decides to make his next film about the search for the existence of the supernatural, making himself the center of the experiment - allowing demonologists, necromancers, and various practitioners of the occult to try the deepest and darkest spells and rituals they can find on him - in the hopes that when they fail, he'll once and for all have proof that religion, spiritualism, and the paranormal are nothing more than myth. But something does happen. An evil and horrifying force has taken over Michael King. And it will not let him go.

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Plot Keywords:

distorted voice | demonic voice | talking to the camera | looking at the camera | cemetery | 

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Taglines:

If you invite the devil... It will never let you go.

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing and violent content, language, some drug use and sexual material

Did You Know?

Trivia

Julie McNiven was about also in a TV show about demons called Supernatural.

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Goofs

The possessed Michael kills a vagrant, offscreen. Yet when he returns home, there's no trace of blood on his knife.

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Connections

References The Shining (1980)

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Soundtracks

Something Real
Written by Mark Binder
Performed by IMN
Courtesy of I Make Noise

User Reviews

Classic Horror it ain't...but worth a watch

I have noticed that some of the reviewers of this film on IMDb seem to have 'slated' quite a few films...without posting anything positive about any film. You would almost think that they choose films that they know they won't like...so that they have something to complain about!

I am not a big fan of horror films generally. More so with recent releases. I do like the classics. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was intense! Very few modern day horrors seem to replicate these classics. If you think the 'The Possession of Micheal King' will do this, keep looking.

Having said that, the film is different from the usual 'slasher' tripe that seems to get rolled out year after year. Having experienced the boorish 'Saw' series (and other titles) and the endless graphic violence in other releases, 'The Possession of Micheal King' was a refreshing change.

Clearly it was not made with a huge budget. The acting is not 'Godfather' standard. Despite this, it's directing and themes reminds me of the Playstation Game 'Silent Hill' mixed with 'The Blair Witch Project' The 'Blair Witch Project' was another renowned film, 'slated' by many because of its poor production values and large marketing campaign. I almost sensed reviewer's anger that filmmakers could spend so little on producing a movie whilst also expecting artistic praise. As if poor production values automatically means a film is not worth watching. With care, this approach can produce something interesting that is worth watching.

So I commend the makers of 'The Possession of Micheal King'. The film keeps pace. It does not dwell and draw out scenes of violence. It does not treat the viewer like an idiot and explain every internal reference. Overall it is entertaining and worthy of a watch.

Perfect it ain't. Classic horror it ain't. It probably isn't everyone's cup of tea. But for a modern day horror that ISN'T a 'slasher'. I would say that is worth a watch.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 August 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Possession of Michael King

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,405,143

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gold Circle Films, Quickfire Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1