The Last Exorcism (Review)

Historically, I’m a complete wuss. I tend to avoid roller coasters, heights, and horror movies. Sure, I’ve seen a few, but if you were to ask me about a classic horror film that was released before I was born, I probably haven’t seen it. I enjoy living in my quiet little world where nothing bad can ever happen to me. However, I recognize a good horror film when I see one.

The Last Exorcism follows on the coattails of the various documentary-style horror movies that have been released in recent history, the most recent being last year’s relatively ingenious Paranormal Activity. Here the premise doesn’t seem to be wholly original, as exorcisms and possessions are commonly used backdrops for such films, but here it nearly pays off entirely. The Last Exorcism is truly scary, and made all the more impactful by the fact that at its center is a truly interesting character. It doesn’t stick the landing, but it still shakes you up.

At the beginning we meet Rev. Cotton Marcus, very well-played by Patrick Fabian. He is a well-known preacher in Baton Rouge whose theatricality is as much a part of his sermons as his message. A great early scene has him betting the documentary crew that he could throw a banana bread recipe in the middle of a sermon and no one would notice. He does, and immediately we know what this guy’s about. He admits early on he does not believe in demons, and he does his exorcisms for show. I found this character fascinating throughout, well-written and acted, and it clues at this film’s admirable ambition. Through his lack of belief in demons, he also questions his very belief in God, and a great deal about this guy just seems entirely fake.

Cotton agrees to have the documentary crew follow him to record his… wait for it… last exorcism. He meets the Sweetzer family, which is the father Louis, his son Caleb and his daughter Nell. Louis suspects that Nell is possessed by the devil himself, and Cotton arrives to work his magic. His initial fake exorcism is a fascinating scene to watch, as he is clearly preying off the fundamentalist beliefs of a country family. However, as you would suspect, it becomes clear there might be a more sinister power at work than the usual mere psychological problems.

The direction by Daniel Stamm is quite good, utilizing the faux-documentary style in a way that doesn’t seem to be a mere ripoff of Blair Witch/Paranormal Activity. In fact, the way it focuses on one character and his emotional journey through the events around him makes it come out more like last year’s terrific District 9. In both Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity we never really got to know any of the characters too much beyond the obvious, perhaps how an actual collection of home movies would come out. The Last Exorcism is able to create more three-dimensional characters and thus the more horror-based scenes come off more effectively. We are emotionally invested in the outcome, which is part of what makes the ending so disappointing. More on that later.

Speaking of performances, Ashley Bell is also eerily effective as Nell, the teenage girl who is believed to be possessed. In fact, she’s just about perfect at capturing the balance of innocent Christian farmgirl and sadistic devil incarnate, and when it is revealed it might actually not be the devil we believe it because from the beginning we suspect there is a hidden side to Nell. Bell and Fabian carry this movie throughout, and they are more than up to the challenge.

However, the film blows its chance to be a modern horror classic in the final few minutes. For nearly its entirety it has a sense of ambiguity that you don’t get in films of this vein. Cotton’s dilemma becomes ours, as we juggle the possibility of Nell actually being possessed or whether or not there is a simpler solution. In a depressing move, Stamm throws the entire sense of realism and complexity out the window in favor of a cheap scare. This is the same pratfall Paranormal Activity struggled with last year, and both movies fail to end in the same universes in which they begin. Both films remind you at the worst possible time that “Oh, it’s only a movie”, and any sense of terror is sucked out of the audience. With a different resolution The Last Exorcism could have been great, I truly believe this, but instead it settles on being above-average. From what I’ve seen only The Blair Witch Project has been able to pull off an acceptable ending to its story.

The most surprising thing about this film going in was its PG-13 rating, especially considering that it was produced by Eli Roth, who most recently met an unfortunate end in Piranha 3-D. In the past he’s made a name for himself as the master of all things gore, as director of Cabin Fever and both Hostel films, and acting gigs in the Tarantino films Death Proof and Inglourious Basterds. However, I think the film stumbled onto the PG-13 accidently, because it was not intended as a walk in the park. I think it’s more challenging and interesting than nearly every other horror film I’ve seen in a long time. This is material that deserves a far better conclusion than what is seen, but once it’s over you’ll likely find it has crawled its way under your skin.

Rating: (out of 4)