Quick Movie Review: “The Last Exorcism”

Seen on: August 28, 2010

The players: Director: Daniel Stamm, Writers: Huck Botko, Andrew Gurland, Cast: Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, Tony Bentley

Facts of interest: Produced by Eli Roth.

The plot: A minister trying to expose exorcism as a fraud is followed by a documentary crew while he heads out to perform one final exorcism.

Our thoughts: Yes, I finally found the time to check out Daniel Stamm’s box office hit “The Last Exorcism,” and no, the film didn’t disappoint. Okay, it didn’t exactly win me over either, but I admit I mostly enjoyed watching this low-budget horror thriller about a minister who heads to a spooky farm to perform his final exorcism.

What makes this film so attractive is the rough documentary approach that worked so well in films like “Paranormal Activity.” The flick stars Patrick Fabian as Reverend Cotton Marcus, who agrees to let a crew of filmmakers capture the exorcism of Nell (Ashley Bell), a troubled teenager whose father believes she’s possessed by a demon.

The fun part here is that Cotton wants to show his viewers that exorcisms are essentially fake, and the way he demonstrates how they’re staged convincingly is what makes the first part of “The Last Exorcism” so amusing. By the time the second act rolls around, Nell starts to behave unusually weird, which leads everyone to believe she’s really haunted by evil spirits.

Needless to say, that’s when Stamm’s movie starts to deliver some suspenseful sequences. None of this is as frightening as the stuff we saw in “Paranormal Activity,” but I do admit some of the scares we get to experience here managed to push me on the edge for a bit. Again, it’s the film’s style that makes it happen.

Shaky camera work, a lot of darkness and some freaky sound effects help to create an overall threatening atmosphere that last through the final act. Alas, that’s also where I have a problem with “Exorcism.” The film hits you with a major twist in the end, and as far as I’m concerned, it simply didn’t work. Too bad, because I felt the movie had potential to go out with a bang.

Freaky quote: "Aaaaaaarrrrrghhhhhhh..." - Ashley Bell

The final word: “The Last Exorcism” isn’t bad. It could’ve been scarier, but it does all right for the most part. The acting is definitely the film’s strongest point, and it’s the reason why we as spectators feel comfortable to suspend our disbelief while watching this thing. Not a bad result.

Article by Franck Tabouring