With horror season now in full swing after the opening of “Piranha 3D” last week, “The Last Exorcism” offers a far different feel. Like “Cloverfield” and “The Blair Witch Project” before it, “The Last Exorcism” utilizes the sub-genre of mocumentary within the horror field. From start to finish, the film is true to this style, never showing more than would be caught on camera by a documentary film crew.
To a degree, this way of presenting the story works for a scary movie. It can make it seem more real and therefore more frightening. However, choosing realism over detail can be risky, most prominently by entrenching the film in a linear format. That is to say, the complexity of the story can be lost, which is not necessarily a bad thing as most horror films lack complexity anyway.
Patrick Fabian stars as Cotton Marcus, a fervent preacher who has found shame in his life after practicing exorcisms for years without truly believing. He claims not to be a fraud but admits to putting on a show for the sake of those who do believe. His goal in having invited a documentary film crew to follow him is to reveal the hoax that is an exorcism. So off they go to a small southern town to help exorcise the demon from 16 year old Nell at the request of her father.
What follows is a well-paced and sometimes amusing build up. The tone of the film shifts at about the mid-way point as the horror genre takes over. A shaky camera, fast movements and well timed sound effects provide for a chilling experience. In this, the film very much succeeds. However, films of this nature have one inherent flaw pertaining to the ending.
The demon wins. The demon loses. The demon is not real. That pretty much sums up the options. But films like this are less about whether the ending is satisfying and more about whether the journey to it was adequately frightening. Needless to say, the ending of “The Last Exorcism” is without a doubt the most critically unstable part of the film. Some viewers will be content with the conclusion while others will be disappointed. Still others will be utterly confused. Getting to the final reel though is an entertaining venture.
On the whole, “The Last Exorcism” succeeds in providing a disturbing experience for viewers. Both Fabian as Reverend Marcus and Ashley Bell as Nell offer quality and believable performances. What the film lacks in complexity it makes up for with realism. Be warned, this is a hard PG-13 rating and the camera work may result in some weak stomachs. But if you can temper your expectations just a bit, you are in for a daunting 90 minutes.
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