The Possession of Michael King isn’t the most original film ever, but it does have some good moments.
Synopsis
The Possession of Michael King centers on Michael, a documentary filmmaker and committed atheist.
But tragedy strikes, turning his world upside down, and Michael blames a Tarot-card reader for setting the events in motion and decides to use his documentary skills to disprove the supernatural.
My Thoughts
This one was much better than I thought it would be, it’s a pretty solid and tense found-footage horror movie from writer and director David Jung.
It’s not the most original film ever, but when it comes to found footage I can look past that if it offers good moments, and The Possession of Michael King does just that.
The film stars Shane Johnson as Michael King, and he is really good, one of the better acting performances in the found footage horror film genre.
His character is a man that is torn between grief and some anger, and his performance helps keep the film engaging despite the movie being a bit predictable.
Like a lot of films in this genre, it is let down by the hand held footage, which proves a bit distracting is often more distracting, and as mentioned, it is a bit predictable on the whole as well.
But, The Possession of Michael King does do itself some justice.
I enjoyed the pacing and thought this aspect was really well done, and I was never really bored, and even though the film uses predictable tropes, it does so in a way that isn’t too annoying, and the best scenes don’t suffer because of this despite feeling a bit cheap.
The ending was a bit disappointing though.
The Possession of Michael King definitely has flaws,but I still found it pretty tense and Shane Johnson carried a lot of this film, without his performance I might think differently.
Far from the worst found footage movie I have seen, and despite some annoyances, it wasn’t too bad!
Good Points
Shane Johnson’s Performance: The film rests on his shoulders, and he delivers a strong portrayal of Michael’s descent from grief into madness and possession.
Good Pacing: The movie moves along at a steady clip, and avoids long stretches of any dullness.
Make Up: Michael’s physical and psychological changes are well-done, aided by some strong makeup effects that help enhance his sallow, haunted look.
Bad Points
Predictable Storyline: The film doesn’t really add anything new to the found-footage or possession genres, and leans quite heavily on overused tropes.
Distracting Found-Footage Style: The excessive use of the handheld cameras and security footage felt forced and didn’t have the impact on me it should have.
Missed Potential in Side Characters: The film had some interesting side characters but they are a bit underutilized.
Is It Worth Watching?
The Possession of Michael King is worth watching if you want to watch a character-focused horror with good pacing.
While it relies on familiar horror tricks, the movie moves quickly and has some genuinely good moments.
It’s not perfect, but it’s worth a watch.
The Possession of Michael King on IMDB
Where To Watch
Director and Cast
Director – David Jung
Main Cast – Shane Johnson, Ella Anderson, Cara Pifko, Tomas Arana, Like Baines, Dale Dickey, Julie McNiven, Patricial Healy
Found Footage Horror Movies 
Let Me Know Your Thoughts!