The Last Exorcism

The Last Exorcism is an entertaining, if sometimes formulaic entry into the faux-documentary horror category popularized by The Blair Witch Project. Director Daniel Stamm manages to breathe new life into the stagnant genre of the possession film.

The movie topped the charts during its opening weekend, though perhaps for the wrong reasons. As advertised, the film is a dauntingly effective horror film that will make even the most intrepid viewer want to leave the night-light on for few weeks. Moviegoers flocked to the theatres hoping to be purely petrified.

This is the case for only half of the film.

The first half focuses on Reverend Cotton Marcus (played amazingly by Patrick Fabian) and is a fairly humorous account of a likeable charlatan. Cotton, an evangelical preacher struggling with his religion, has performed over fifty exorcisms, but doesn’t actually believe in possession. His acts of faith are purely mercenary.

Before going to the Sweetzer’s home to perform the titular “last exorcism,” Cotton reveals the tricks he performs during the ritual; the use of an iPod to create demonic sounds, a mysterious substance that makes water “boil” and a cross that smokes. Scenes like these are a wonderful counterpoint to the latter (legitimately terrifying) portion of the film. At one point, Cotton explains that if he is performing his sermon correctly people won’t pay any attention to what he’s saying. He bets his wife that he can preach about how to make a banana cake without anyone noticing and then proceeds to do so. Scenes like this are hilarious and round out Reverend Cotton with the kind of attention to character that is rare in the genre.

Roughly half way through the film Cotton performs the first exorcism of Nell Sweetzer. We witness firsthand his bag of tricks. But the first exorcism of Nell Sweetzer marks the end of the funny part of the movie. As Cotton leaves Louis Sweetzer’s property the film becomes wholly more predictable, if still fully entertaining.

The Sweetzer family is a creepy backwoods Louisiana family, like the thousands of creepy backwoods Southern horror families before them. Problems with dead cattle lead the family to believe that Nell is possessed, and so enters our hero, Reverend Cotton.

The real problem with The Last Exorcism is the abrupt shift in tone that makes it seem almost as if we are watching two different movies. Standing alone, the second half of the film, is perfectly acceptable horror movie fare. It grabs the audience and doesn’t let go. Nell Sweetzer is played perfectly by Ashley Bell, in a role that will almost certainly land her more screen time in the future. Bell’s contortions as she crunches her body into inhuman positions leaves the audience with a collectively sick stomach. Unfortunately, the trailer gives up the majority of these haunting shots, depriving the audience of truly becoming sucked into the film.

Although ultimately The Last Exorcism is plagued by a mild case of bipolar disorder, it remains an invigorating rendition of an old tale. Daniel Stamm’s career in mainstream film has only just begun.

Staring: Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Louis Herthum, Caleb Landry Jones
Directed by: Daniel Stamm
Distributor: Lionsgate
Running Time: 100 minutes
Rating: PG-13