King Knight

No pun intended either - sometimes when you know or have seen an actor in a really good movie or role you attach him with a positive vibe. Same is true for the main actor in this. Suburban Gothic being one of the other movies I have seen him in. I preface my review with this, so you know where I am coming from.

Maybe you feel different, but I feel the movie walks the fine line quite ... well fine. The humor is always a thing - well it is in the eye of the beholder. I think it introduces the characters in a good way ... and then takes them apart the only way possible. Including our main guy .... who has more to him than meets the eye in the beginning.

Well told and acted ... but kind of niche ... so has to be your thing to actually like it ... watch the trailer beforehand I reckon.

King Knight is a film that might have a very niche audience. Being (falsely) marketed as a horror film it is perhaps better described as a surreal & quirky indie flick - somewhere between rom-com, mumblecore and horror-comedy, while being neither of those things.

But there is no need to classify this into any genre, but those expecting this to be a horror film will be disappointed. It's more fantastical than anything, telling a coming of age story for adult wizards and witches.

A very low budget film that compensates it's shortcomings with a lot of heart and fun characters.

Sat through the whole thing waiting for the horror aspect to take place and next thing you know the credits started rolling. I get that this movie is more of a parody / tongue in cheek type of film but it wasn't entertaining in the slightest. It had a decent B list cast and the music and cinematography were pretty good. The over saturated blue light at the high school reunion was distracting and completely unecessary. Could've been so much better with the cast they had. Skip this movie if you are on the fence.

Writer-director Richard Bates Jr.'s latest indie is both his least interesting and most enjoyable. At just under eighty minutes with credits, King Knight is an unabashedly modest effort, but at just under eighty minutes with credits (déjà vu,) it is also a cute little movie about contemporary witches whose coven leader attends his high school reunion. Think The Craft meets Romy and Michele's High School Reunion with several seriously inspired moments of psychedelic cinematography... Also, Aubrey Plaza makes a cameo as a pine cone (just saying.)

Grade: B-

Like many reviewers, I too question the fact that this movie is listed under Horror. There's nothing horrific about it, unless you count a certain parental figure's behaviour. It's definitely a comedy, though!

I'm Pagan and it was refreshing to see the Wiccan way being shown in a more accurate and positive light than has been shown in the past. My husband and I both appreciated/understood the humour and truly enjoyed watching the characters interact in ways we are all too familiar with! From the seasonal celebration to coming out of the broom closet to family, and coven group dynamics, Richard Bates Jr. Nailed it. Every single member of the coven seems to be an archetype of so many Pagans I've met over the years.

"King Knight" is a light, refreshing, and humourous movie for those who understand modern Paganism. You will totally feel for the characters and the situation they get into!

The only downside of this movie is that it is likely to be misunderstood by those unfamiliar with Pagan practices, and seen as ridiculous as many religious practices are to those not in the faith. If I was not a practitioner, this would have made no sense to me at all. (And, no, we are not as concerned about the functions of our large intestine as this movie seems to suggest.)

This movie is best enjoyed with an open mind, along with some mulled wine and perhaps some oatcakes.