A halfway decent plot is the only thing that really ties this movie together. The acting is actually pretty good, and there are even some very interesting characters that you can tell are having good fun with their parts. It's a simple plot, but grows on itself in an organic sort of way, consistently adding cohesive elements that work with the original idea. It's good writing.
Then there are two very real negatives to address. This is supposed to be a found footage feature, but when the camera hops too and fro and flips scenes so that you can see better, it really just destroys the illusion horribly. There are even instances where the camera appears to defy the action in the scene, such as remaining perfectly still while a crash has apparently happened. This sort of thing asks you to "turn off your brain" while you watch it. But honestly no one can really do that. There's always a little voice that says, "Hey, the camera can't do that! Oh yeah, this is a movie." It serves to impolitely yank you out of the immersion.
Make up your minds people. Is it, or is it not a found footage film? If it's not, then stop pretending that it's supposed to be.
Ultimately, the real problem is that this movie ends up being a simple jump scare feature. It's like having someone periodically popping a balloon in your ear while you are reading a scary book. Your adrenaline rushes, your heart pounds, your ears ring, and you exhibit all of the symptoms of "being afraid" without actually having a reason to be afraid. It's a cheap trick, and honestly it's very disappointing.
What's worse is that the "scare" volume is so incredibly high compared to the rest of the film that it's almost downright rude. After the first few times, I felt compelled to turn it off, but stuck it out instead only to have it periodically blast me throughout the rest of the feature. It's downright irritating.
All in all though, a pretty fun movie. I'm giving it a 7.
The Possession of Michael King
2014
Action / Horror
The Possession of Michael King
2014
Action / Horror
Plot summary
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.
Uploaded by: OTTO
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Like having someone honk a car horn in your ear.
Greyed out and depressing
THE POSSESSION OF MICHAEL KING is a found footage horror flick about a grieving widower who decides to disprove the existence of the paranormal by allowing a supposed demon to enter his body. You can guess where it goes from there. I was hoping for some B-movie fun with this one, but what I got was a noisy little escapade that only succeeded in giving me a headache. The main actor shouts and screams and gnashes his teeth a lot while failing to elicit the viewer's sympathy, while the rest of the movie is shot with a dull, greyed-out colour palette and a lack of vitality. Overall, the only thing this film did was depress me.
Annoying Camera with Unoriginal Story
The filmmaker Michael King (Shane Johnson) is grieving the loss of his beloved wife that died a couple of months ago. He is atheist and decides to make a film about the existence of the supernatural. He challenges the evil using people that worship the Devil to show that the belief in religion and the supernatural is superstition. However something goes wrong and Michael is possessed and becomes a threat to his little daughter.
"The Possession of Michael King" is another film with annoying camera associated to an unoriginal story of possession. The storyline is interesting since the lead character does not believe in God, Devil or supernatural and decides to challenge the dark forces. The trailer shows a scary scene – when his daughter tells that he is a monster. But the film is totally disappointing. My vote is three.
Title (Brazil): "A Possessão do Mal" ("The Possession of the Evil")