THE POSSESSION EXPERIMENT tells the story of Brandon (Minor), who has always been drawn to the supernatural.  Teamed up with three classmates, the group investigates a multiple homicide that they eventually discover was an exorcism gone horribly wrong. Brandon becomes obsessed with the event, and in a strange turn of events, decides the only way to research this topic is to undergo an exorcism himself.

The Possession Experiment is a mixed bag of a horror film. We have a brilliant concept in which a theology student decides to subject himself to possession as part of a finals project. The modern twist to this is what lends it genius in that he plans to pay for the experiment by streaming it live on the net. Good so far right? The movie even has a rollicking start with a visceral scene depicting an exorcism gone wrong featuring a cameo by horror veteran Bill Mosley as a priest. It’s a very promising start.

Sadly the movie then introduces us to the handsome yet painfully stupid protagonist, Brandon (Chris Minor) as he is deciding on his finals piece for a theology class.  Of course he catches video of the exorcism that opened the film and investigates. Putting himself front and center as the test subject and streaming it online is a brilliant concept. Of course, things go horribly wrong and as Brandon battles his inner demons his buddy Clay (Jake Brinn) and new girlfriend Leda  (Nicky Jasper) attempt to keep their friend from harming himself and others.

With a scenario like this we need to really understand why our leading man dives into this mess despite everyone around him, including his professor teaching the class, are warning him not to invite demonic possession. Writers Scott B. Hansen and Mary J. Dixon are capable of great moments and they exhibited full capability to cover those bases but somehow missed them. The script has some wonderfully brutal moments  that include a death via computer screen and a wicked case of lock jaw. There are even throw away bits between characters that come off as genuine and spontaneous. It’s a a bummer to report that despite those moments, the acting throughout is pretty serviceable for the most part.

The Possession Experiments attempts to tell an intriguing story with a few new spins on the normal exorcism movie conventions. It is just unfortunate that while the make up effects are impressive and the script has some fun flashes of inventiveness, the film overall doesn’t rise above its other problems.