Since the Blair Witch Project every other horror film is a found footage or first person narrative. They are now so prolific to rightly have a genre of their own. I suppose it’s easy to understand after all these films are quick and overall cheap to make. The Blair Witch was an enthralling, atmospheric and frightening film. It divided the line between what was real and what was not playing on hype like a composer with a first rate orchestra. But most of all it was original a first of its kind. There were others that went before it most notably ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. But that originality as long since expired. The Possession of Michael King is no more original than the plethora of others however it does offer a film well made.
Michael King (Shane Johnstone) wants to prove that there is no God or Devil and that we live in an existential universe where Atheism is the only sane choice. He wants to make a film of this by exposing the religious as charlatans. The reason for this crusade: a medium told his wife to be somewhere and by influencing her decision she was killed in an accident. He does this by putting his head in the lion’s mouth so to speak by finding the darkest practitioners of the occult, and let them do their worse so to speak. (The idea is reminiscent of a Clive Barker short story ‘Down Satan’, it doesn’t end happy either). He meets oddball couple demonologists Austine (Tomas Arana) and Marsha (Patrica Healy) to where they get into a ceremony to invoke and possess Michael by a demon. The demon he chooses is the is a high ranking demon and comes with ants – two ants important later on – and of course the demon likes to kill children just so happens that Micheal as a young daughter. The course of the film from here on is pretty predictable but still worth watching. There are particular moments that are worthy while he’s recording himself and the flat screen shows his face doing something else and the crawl near the end of the film. And enough gore to keep you hounds satisfied. All in all this is not a bad effort and stands above the crowd in already filled market place. So if you have nothing better to do on a rainy day rent or buy this one.
stephenjgrantham 