Don’t worry, ‘The Last Exorcism’ is not too scary

With Eli Roth’s name attached to the project as a producer and that big “E” word in the title, I was expecting The Last Exorcism to be a nonstop fright-fest. The Exorcist still remains one of the scariest movies I have ever seen, whether watching it uncut or with commercial breaks. Anything on this ungodly topic is downright scary.

I was pleasantly surprised to find The Last Exorcism more creepy than terrifying, and although I didn’t particularly like the film, I didn’t hate it either.

The 87-minute movie is shot in a fake documentary style with interviews and what is supposed to be actual footage. The story follows the Rev. Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) and his life as a preacher in the South. From a young age, Cotton has been able to convince the people in the pews of his religious power. He preaches to them, “heals” them and serves as their rock, but all is not godly in Cotton’s real life. Although he believes in God, he tells the camera that he’s lost much of his faith in the act of preaching; he even shows how speaking about kitchen recipes in church can still result in a thunderous “Amen!”

He also reveals that he doesn’t believe in demons, even though he supposedly performed dozens of exorcisms throughout the years. In Cotton’s mind, he offers comfort to distraught families, but never did he believe that he came in contact with someone who was possessed.

To dispel the hoopla that surrounds exorcisms, Cotton hires this documentary crew to profile his “last exorcism,” a case that brings him to the house of Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) on the outskirts of New Orleans. As these horror movies typically go, all is not what it seems with Nell. Could this preacher’s last fake exorcism actually prove to be a genuine case of possession?

Daniel Stamm directs the movie ably enough, but the entire documentary approach proves to be more of a hindrance than a strength. While watching the film, I couldn’t help thinking that the entire premise is bogus. Why would a documentary filmmaker stick around, despite all the pending violence? Why would a family, which is terribly secretive, agree to have a filmmaking team profile their obviously sick daughter? Would the preacher go to this trouble to document what he calls shenanigans? Doesn’t that implicate him in some fraud scheme, especially since he takes money from the families he supposedly helps out?

If one thinks hard about The Last Exorcism, the movie begins to fall apart. The movie is at its best when it sticks to the creepy, scary factor, and thankfully that factor is bearable and thrilling. The Last Exorcism is only rated PG-13, although I definitely could have seen this one being slapped with an R.

The performances are solid, achieving an authentic backwoods feel, and the actors are helped by the documentary style. They are able to address the camera, and any weaknesses in their talents seem like shyness.

The Last Exorcism won’t make audiences think, but it may keep them up at night.

• The Last Exorcism

• 2010
  

• Directed by Daniel Stamm

• Written by Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland
  

• Starring Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell and Iris Bahr

• Running time: 87 minutes

• Rated PG-13 for disturbing violent content and terror, some sexual references and thematic material
  

• Rating: