Review of The Last Exorcism (2010) by Tyler H — 12 May 2012

Eli Roth has become the Sarah Palin of Hollywood. Why would I say a crazy thing like that, you ask? During the 2010 election, Palin endorsed candidates many people were unfamiliar with and most of them won their primaries and elections. Their success is, in part, because Palin's endorsement. Roth, in similar fashion, is providing funds for movies directed by unknown horror movie directors. Their success will be, in part, because Roth's name is attached to their projects. I commend him for this, especially for "The Last Exorcism".

"The Last Exorcism" is directed by German newcomer Daniel Stamm and stars Patrick Fabian and the lovely Ashley Bell who I predict will be big in the future. The story revolves around a preacher named Cotton Marcus, played by Fabian, who is making a documentary which proves that religion, church, and exorcism are financial schemes. That's what is interesting at first, he shows how naive churchgoers are, making them praise God and sandwiches. Yes, tasty sandwiches. However, a father has asked Marcus to perform an exorcism on his daughter, Nell (Ashley Bell). Marcus brings his camera crew to prove that the entire exorcism is a hoax of his own doing. However, as the process continues, it turns out that Nell may be, in fact, possessed by a demon.

I really liked how this movie makes you wonder whether Nell is really possessed or just mentally disturbed. Ashley Bell's wide eyes and bi-polar behavior both impresses and terrifies me. She is a simple Christian teenager that will snap at any moment like a crocodile. It's unfortunate that Bell wasn't nominated for an Oscar for her role but the future holds many things for her. What also impresses me is Cotton Marcus who, at first, is a non-believer but is pushed to do his duty as a servant of God. His role was convincing for me and I think this was a great movie for him to be a part of. The movie is practically a character-piece and it helped me become engaged with the story as I watched it.

The movie is shot in a mockumentary style similar to that of "The Blair Witch Project" and "Cloverfield". There are detractors who do not favor this kind of filmmaking but they are always free to walk away. The style is what gives the movie a chilling atmosphere of confusion, mayhem, and thrills. The camera becomes a part of the movie itself. What will be shown by the camera? Just to name a few acts of terror, finger-bending, slashing, backward spider-walks, and dislocating heads; oh my! Surprisingly, they are done with great precision by Ashley Bell who did most of her stunts without special effects. The audience is worrying whether Nell is possessed or not and the physical scares add spice to that terror.

My primary complaint of "The Last Exorcism" is the final 5 minutes. I did not have a problem with it as much as others have had. I understand why they would be mad; it's because they've seen that ending done before in past horror movies. It left me feeling odd and confused for a while until I saw it again and it made me feel better. I cannot proceed with any details without ruining anything.

"The Last Exorcism" is a movie that brings us the right kind of chills and thrills we want in a horror movie but will stumble here and there, particularly in the ending.

My Rating: 8/10.