Review by Quin
Horror movies never begin with a good decision. If the newly wedded couple never moved into that creepy, old house that was such a good deal or if those kids never stopped at the gas station to get directions from the old man, we would have a lot less scary movies in general. If three young film students had never set out for the woods of Maryland, or if Father Merrin had never gone on that archeological dig in Iraq, found footage and demonic possession films would probably still exist, but they would not have taken the shape in which they exist today. According to Assyrian and Babylonian mythology, Pazuzu represents the southwestern wind, the bearer of storms and drought. If you’re watching a lot of horror films these days, you’ve most likely noticed that we’re in the middle of a found footage storm right now. But it’s actually a storm within a drought. It’s like being lost at sea and dying of thirst. You are surrounded by endless amounts of water, but if you drink any of it, you’ll go crazy and you will die. Unless you are the kind of horror fan that will watch anything, it can be pretty hard to muster up the gusto it takes to sit through another one of these films. Even beyond the found footage aspect, how many times have we been let down by a film about demonic possession? There are really only so many ways to show someone writhing around with their eyes going completely white while screaming profanity and hurling insults about somebody’s mother. It’s usually so boring. Well, The Possession of Michael King is no different. The film begins with a bad decision, there is a possession, there is writhing and eye rolling and, of course, profanity abounds. But I have to say that I found myself enjoying this.
Michael King (played by Shane Johnson – an actor who reminds me so much of Peter Krause as Nate Fisher in Six Feet Under) is a documentary filmmaker. He has recently lost his wife in a horrible accident, leaving him to raise their daughter. Michael is also a devout atheist. The death of his wife has given him the desire to explore his atheism through filmmaking. He decides to make a film documenting his own exposure to all of the forces of darkness he can find. With the help of experts in the field, he hopes to let every demon into his body in the hopes of proving once and for all that there are no demons, there is no devil, there is no God – all religions can go home, there’s nothing more to see here. Yes this is quite a lofty goal and gosh dang-it, this all better work or else somebody’s going to be in big trouble.
If you haven’t guessed the bad decision in this movie yet, I can’t help you. Maybe go see a psychic or something. The found footage angle is used to show Michael seeking out these experts in demonology. They include a dying priest, Satan worshipers, and even a weird mortician who is into Necromancy and body modification. The film does the found footage thing well, wisely presenting details almost like an 83 minute movie trailer. This keeps things moving and doesn’t waste valuable time where we can get information quickly. Sure, I always love a film that can take its time; but if it can’t and it knows it can’t – just give it to me real fast. Sometimes I like it fast.
The Possession of Michael King (probably not the best title, as it gives away everything) is the first film directed by David Jung. He wrote the script as well and I like the story much better than some of his directorial choices. I have no idea how old Jung is, but I read that his inspiration for the possession was from watching The Last Exorcism. Not to get too film snobby, but this notion makes me crazy. Maybe he thought he was being clever by not name dropping The Exorcist or The Omen, but I have a hard time trusting a film maker who finds main inspiration from something so new. Luckily, if I hadn’t specifically heard about his influence, I would have just assumed, reasonably so, that he just loves The Exorcist. As first features go, this is a pretty solid one. I’m sure there will be a fair amount of people out there who will watch it and just think it’s another ridiculous found footage clone. Those people will be absolutely right. But have you ever liked a movie that goes against a lot of what you usually enjoy? This is one of those films for me. Maybe you’ll feel the same way. It’s only 83 minutes. What’s one more 83 minute found footage film? Go on, you know you want to.
As an aside, I think it’s wise for me to add that much of the advertising for the film says one of its stars is Dale Dickey from True Blood. If fans of that show are hoping to see a lot of her, she’s in it for about 2 minutes near the beginning. She’s great in her tiny part, but blink and she’s gone.
The Possession of Michael King is available for digital download and on Region 1 DVD and Blu-ray from Anchor Bay.