THE LAST EXORCISM Is A Breath Of Fresh Air For Horror, Says The Enemy!!!

Hey there people, To me, the horror genre has felt like a very, very beaten dead horse for quite a while. It is often predicable, its abundant in sex/nudity (but that's fine with me), and is frequently badly directed to a comedic level (although all of this came together really well in PIRANHA 3D). THE LAST EXORCISM escapes the fate of this often atrocious film type and defies all the pitfalls I just laid out. Unfortunately, it does fall victim to indecent promotion. Sure, the trailers show us that an exorcist is going to preform his final exorcism when weird and scary things start to go down, but there are well kept secrets the commercials don't show us - that might have been revealed to make this movie more appealing to a broader audience. For instance, this whole movie is a CLOVERFIELD-esque mockumentary, but with about ninety-five percent less bouncy-cam. Cameraman Louis Sweetzer, (Louis Herthum) and boom mic/interviewer Iris (Iris Bahr) who go out to film the chronological adventures of a reverend named Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) - who we learn is pretty much in the God business just to make money. That's a cool and intriguing angle many of the film's ads don't convey. What director Daniel Stamm has done with the happenings of these people is fascinating take on the horror genre. For an MPAA approved PG-13 film, it doesn't feel restrained in any sense because the movie works by not trying to scare us with things jumping around corners, but with challenging ideas and the ever-so-well placed plot twists that will have you asking yourself "what the Hell?" (No pun intended.) This film is a cinematic chameleon. It changes not just within its story (right as you think you have it figured out, something drastic changes), but even its cinematography and tone transform. The camera in the in movie is very much a main character. Though an object, its dialogue is the mockmentary itself - primarily handled of like KING OF KONG or an episode of INTERVENTION. We follow this camera into a journey thinking the people it's filming will be okay, only to wonder later if the same people make it out alive. The camera even takes a beating for the team, when…
SMALL SPOILER - HIGHLIGHT TO REVEAL INVISOTEXT …in a short sequence, the "possessed" sixteen year old Nell (Ashley Bell) takes the camera and beats a cat to death with blood flying everywhere - also making the lens crack. Excellent use for a camera, if you ask me… END SPOILER AND INVISOTEXT
THE LAST EXORCISM's skillful editing and realistic style have you immediately believing all of its characters - and feeling as if you are in the actual scenario that is being presented. If you're planning on seeing this movie, make a small note of going to a theatre with good projection because very clean, sharp resolution (like at Austin's Alamo Drafthouse South screening) really accentuates the effect of watching this particular film. For a small cast of about five (and several other side characters) who aren't A-listers, performances are exactly they should be. Never for a second do you doubt that Ashley Bell's Nell character isn't messed in one way or another, and Patrick Fabian would completely fool me into believing he's a legitimate priest/exorcist in real life. Everybody here is really outstanding. The timeless dispute of science versus religion shakes things up throughout this story, and contributes to an (earlier stated) uncertainty about the film's resolution. Each side of the argument is justly handled and presented, making the movie unsettling - you feel as if you're there with the crew and family when decisions are being made. Also, there's an internal conflict within Cotton Marcus about whether actually he believes in demons, God, the Devil and so forth. He may present that he does to the outside world, but he also states he's just a person making a not-so-honest living, putting him into emotional and psychological trials when he's faced with "the real thing." Toldya there's more to this movie than the commercials are showing us. So, whether you're a person or faith or a person of science, THE LAST EXORCISM isn't your average horror film. It has a remarkable story and is highly re-watchable and it needs a person like you to spread the good word about it - so it can be appreciated by all movie goers, just as it deserves to be.
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