Review of The Last Exorcism (2010) by Corey B — 19 Jun 2011

What a pleasant surprise! I was very impressed by the characterization and the elegant, small story of this film. There is absolutely nothing to break up the illusion of a documentary inherent in this story.

Every actor in this movie gives a spellbinding performance, from Cotton Marcus the loveable charlatan with a heart of gold, to Louis Sweetzer the sincere and superstitious father, as well as his kids, Nell who may or may not be possessed and Caleb the impenetrable wall with his own agenda.

I love how the longer you watch this movie, the less sure you are what exactly is going on. Until about ten minutes from the end, this story could go either way: What exactly is wrong with Nell? Is she crazy? Is she abused? Does she just want attention? Is she acually possessed? This movie reminded me a little bit of Bug in the sense that the horror creeps in so slowly and it strings you along with the hope that everything will turn out okay that when the other show finally drops, the results are devastating.

The pace of this movie really lands as well, sinceI never found myself simply waiting for the demon to appear. It also successfully creates real dread in the nighttime scenes where the audience can only see what the little lens of the camera sees.

Hoo. It would be hard to simgle out Ashley Bell's performance alone as stellar since everyone is great in this. She just has the most work.