Movie Review - 'The Last Exorcism'

The Last Exorcism Starring Patrick Fabian and Ashley Bell Directed by Daniel Stamm Rated PG13

Aw geez. Well, let me give you the good news before I give you the bad news. The Last Exorcism is a single camera mocumentary about a cynical preacher in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Cotton Marcus, played by Patrick Fabian, is having a camera crew follow him to dispel the myths about demonic inhabitations and the practice of exorcism. Sophisticated, self aware, and very funny, Fabian does a wonderful job with this very cleverly crafted character who believes that possession is merely a self-induced affliction brought on by psychological illness.

The setup is a bit long winded, but is light and entertaining enough to carry the audience along to the Sweetzer farm where we meet Louis, Louis Herthum, and his daughter Nell, Ashley Bell. Louis believes his daughter is possessed, and Cotton supports him entirely with a very convincing act and hilarious theatrical performance intended to cure her of her self-imposed ailment.

It is when the mock exorcism doesn’t work that this film really gains momentum. One thing I have to say for Eli Roth is that he really knows how to make a good, cheap film. This concept is brilliant. As Nell exhibits more and more harrowing signs of possession, the two members of the documentary crew emerge and become integral characters in this truly scary hunt to figure out what is going on with this young girl.

Let me clarify: when I say scary, I mean, this movie will make you jump, and maybe cling to the person next to you at some moments. I’ve been watching horror movies since I was about eight years old, and rarely do I squirm as much as I did during this film. Unfortunately, however, the freak show, including cracking necks, breaking bones, and some impressive acrobatics on the part of Ashley Bell, is a bit short-lived. The film then begins to turn from an inventive horror film to an episode of Law and Order: SVU, but somehow, maintains a solid level of intrigue, that is, for about five minutes.

The last ten minutes of The Last Exorcism is nothing short of a big, fat, letdown. It was almost as if the writers, Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland got into a big argument as to how the film should end, so they decided that a good compromise would be to do both. Not only did the ending not make sense given what had already been proven about the character, it was just bad. And for a film with such a clever set up, and such truly frightening content, it was an incredible disappointment for the audience.

I can’t, however, tell you not to see this film. The only reason that the ending was so bad was really because the rest of the film was so good. So, if you love horror films like I do, go to a cheap matinee, or wait for it to play at a second-run movie theater. I suggest this because at least ten of my fellow audience members openly exclaimed that the film was a waste of their money, but I think, if you want to get scared, it’s much more fun in the theater.

In sum, even though I left the theater a little bummed, I spent the better part of ninety minutes either laughing, or clutching my knees to my chest with goose bumps on my arms. You could say that this is because I’m a chick, but the dude sitting next to me was actually screaming. This movie takes you on a fun, little ride, and, in true mocumentary style, the performances are all pretty good, and very sincere. Fabian and Herthum shine especially bright, while Bell carries her weight as an innocent, isolated, sixteen-year-old girl suffering from some pretty weird issues. So, go for the fun, bring a friend to squeeze, and try not to get too angry at the end.

Comments

[Richard Cayer]

This is not a Eli Roth movie at all. Eli Roth is the producer. The director of this movie is named Daniel Stamm.

And yes, maybe the ending is a bit of a let-down.

[Olivia Briggs]

Sorry Richard, maybe you misunderstood: I merely mentioned Eli Roth in reference to maintaining the budget for this film. In most cases, this job does fall on the producer as well as the line producer of a film. Rest assured, I know that Daniel Stamm directed this movie, but directors are not well known for their responsibility towards the bottom line.
I very much respect partnerships that combine good ideas with cheap filmmaking and still manage to maintain their integrity. Having produced some indie films myself, I can tell you that we are, in fact, largely responsible for that.
I'm sorry that you too were dissatisfied by the ending.

[scott]

I agree completely!!! What a let down!! Too bad I read this after the fact, I could have saved $16.50......... Patrick Fabian was great, very real and charming but the ending just ruined the whole film for me. I will never watch the movie again and think that most of my fellow movie goers felt the same, it was and instant eruption of diappointment from the crowd.

[Nick Capertina]

I'm still excited to see it.

Being a horror movie buff, you kind of understand that most horror films are great up until the ending. Its really hard to find a good resolution for a lot of the stories they put out, without either fucking up the rest of the story or pissing off the audience. It goes hand in hand with horror, and you kinda have to take it with a grain of salt.

I'll probably just end up seeing it next weekend when its less hounded by teenagers. Thanks for the great review Olivia! I hope to see more from you soon =)

[Eli (not Roth)]

This sounds like more than a 2/5, if the disappointing part was just the last ten minutes. I love horror movies, and I watch them only to search out those rare moments that actually make me jump -- never for the plot. If the movie can determine the audience's emotions 90% of the time, I'd say it succeeds where most fail miserably. Then again, I haven't seen this yet, so maybe there's something else that makes it a bad movie that I don't know about yet?

[Olivia Briggs]

Nick, if you are a horror movie fanatic like me, go see it! Absolutely! It's fun. I do, however, disagree that a movie-goer should expect a horror film to have a dissatisfactory ending. Yes, it is difficult to wrap these kinds of films up, but these writers are good. You'll see when you see the film. They are clever, fun, and very inventive. These two could have thought up a much better ending.
Which leads me to my next point: Eli (not Roth), I have to tell you that it took me a long time to decide how many dirty apes to give this film. I really wanted to give it three, I really did, but the ending was SO disappointing that in many ways, it took away from the entire experience of the film. Perhaps I could have given it three, but I felt as if I might be misleading my readers.
The film has some other, smaller issues that I didn't mention in the overall review because they were so minor, but still had an effect on the overall experience. The camera work, though fitting for the concept of this film, was a bit too shoddy at times. The frame was shaky where it needn't be, and there were entire shots that were out of focus. I get it, I get it, the camera is a character in this film as well, but I have known plenty of documentary filmmakers who can handle their equipment, so I thought this was a little much. It can be a little nauseating at times.
I also felt like the portion of the film that was actually scary was way too short. It builds nicely, but then fizzles out prematurely.
Let me know what you guys think if or when you see the film.
I really appreciate your comments!

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