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I know Booberry also wrote a review on this, I just also wanted to express my opinions on this and start a new thread as well. Nothing against Booberry
Rating: 6/10
Director: Daniel Stamm
Writters: Huck Botko, Andrew Gurland
Cast: Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Louis Herthum, Caleb Landry Jones
Runtime: 100 minutes
I went into this film with an open mind. I didn't see the trailer or hear anything about it besides it was an exorcism movie and Eli Roth was producing it. My personal interest with exorcism's is very high and I usually love to watch films/read stories about it, even when the movies are usually terrible (Exorcism of Emily Rose). For some reason I always try to compare exorcism films with The Exorcist because in my eyes it's a masterpiece and still chills people almost 40 years after it was made. So does this movie compare to one of the scariest movies of all time? Well, I was hoping so, but after arriving at the movie theater and seeing the rating of PG-13, my jaw dropped. Like I said, I went into this movie with an open mind, so when I was very shocked that this movie was PG-13, I didn't let it bother me through the film. I did have some negative thoughts along the lines of, "How could this movie be that scary if it's got this shit rating? A movie that revolves around exorcisms and demons and it's rated PG-13? You've got to be kidding me!" But, regardless I sat down and in the teenager filled movie theater I witnessed The Last Exorcism..
First thing I noticed was that this was a documentary style film. It kind of caught me off guard and I didn't really know what to think at first. I was just kind of hoping they weren't going to throw CGI in it like Fourth Kind did and say that this was based on real events :lol2: That's where this film succeeds. All the gore effects, which is very minute, were not done with CGI, so it had a very real feel to it. Even when the actress playing the possessed girl is dancing around and twisting her body left and right, it's all her. It made it kind of creepy in that aspect, not scary, but very well done in terms of realism. It also helps that all of the acting in this movie is very well done. Patrick Fabian who plays Cotton Marcus is an excellent asshole-turned-good guy. You think he's a fraud and a false prophet in the beginning of the film, and as it progresses you feel more and more sorry for this guy because all he truly wants to do is help people and pay his family's medical bills. Most of the acting in this film is good, but there are some in here that don't do the best job. The father played by Louis Herthum tends to overact a lot in the film and most of the time you are glad he's off the screen. The son, played by Caleb Landry Jones, is also quite annoying due to the fact that he's the typical teenager who just constantly brings down everyone in the group. So, all in all, the acting is overly good, but some minor instances kind of mess it up.
So, what comes with good acting and great effects? Well, a cliche story of course! This film follows the very same and boring aspects along with every other exorcism movie. It's really nothing special. We just have a creepy looking kid running around and jumping out. Since I said before there was no instances of CGI in this film, 9 times out of 10 we just have the little girl creepily smiling into the camera. Sometimes she exits the room to stare at the camera some more, kill an animal or two, and then go back to staring at the camera. There were no effects here and half the time I thought this movie was about a girl with mental problems rather then the devil living inside of her (which the title kind of leads you to believe..?) Thankfully this movie takes a turn for the better and makes up for all the boring ass events that happened in the film. It has a very unique and fresh twist that I wasn't expecting. Many people were complaining about it, but I personally thought it made the film .
I believe that if you are a big fan of exorcism movies that you should give it a chance. It's filled with natural effects, decent acting and a very nice twist in the end. All I have to say is be prepared for a lot of talking and a lot of cheap jump scares that will frighten any 16 year old. If you are in the mood for an exorcism film, then go watch The Exorcist, because that's how these movies should be done.
Pros/Cons:
+No CGI
+Decent/believable documentary style acting
-PG-13
-Dragged out with a lot of talking that leads to nowhere
-Plotholes
Trailer: