‘If you invite it in… it will never let you go’
The Possession of Michael King is a 2014 American horror feature film produced by Paul Brooks (White Noise; The Haunting In Connecticut) and written and directed by first-time director David Jung from a story by Jung and Tedi Sarafian (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines).
The movie stars Shane Johnson, Dale Dickey (Iron Man 3), Julie McNiven (TV’s Supernatural), Cara Pifko and Tomas Arana (Bats: Human Harvest; Guardians of the Galaxy).
Documentary filmmaker Michael King (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.
By 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 can once and for all have proof that religion, spiritualism, and the paranormal are nothing more than a myth. However, something does happen. An evil and horrifying force has taken over Michael King. And it will not let him go…
Reviews:
” …you’ll be screaming instead of yawning through another story about demonic possession, broken families and necromantic rituals in graveyards […] Jung shows that despite a few blemishes here and there, hearty storytelling can elevate a project from being “just another horror movie” to showing the grace of a far more experienced creator.” Matt Donato, We Got This Covered
“Although this film doesn’t miss the whole point of found footage as the recent Into the Storm did, Jung does little to help suspend our disbelief. Why would a possessed Michael continue to operate the camera or even turn on night vision? You simply can’t capitalize on a filmmaking fad by shortchanging the audience.” Martin Tsai, Los Angeles Times
” …the film is overall helped along by a strong central performance from Johnson that kicks into full gear once the demonic spirit is unleashed and carries the film along, and at least Michael King is overall an entertaining possession film that may not bring anything new to the genre but at least marks itself as a decent watch that will no doubt find favour with genre fans.” James Pemberton, UK Horror Scene
” …The Possession of Michael King keeps its pace lively enough that the chills evoked in the opening smooth out the bumps down the back slope. No one will be throwing copies of The Exorcist into the trashcan anytime soon, but Michael King has enough spark to make it worthwhile as a demonic possession movie and impressive as a debut feature from a fledgling filmmaker.” Ian Sedensky, Culture Crypt
Release:
Anchor Bay Films released the film in cinemas on August 22nd and on iTunes, On Demand, DVD, and Blu-ray on August 26, 2014.
