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Last Exorcism’ exercises the brain

Posted on Aug 30, 2010 in Features

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Latest possession flick leaves room for interpretation

The possession subgenre is one of the more underutilized in horror filmmaking, but every now and then a solid one crops up. “The Last Exorcism” is one of those films. Like “Paranormal Activity,” this ultra-low budget flick benefits from keeping locations limited, as well as from a friendly benefactor. For “Paranormal,” that fan was no less than Steven Spielberg; here, it’s horror guru Eli Roth, of “Hostel” infamy. Don’t let that scare you away, though, as Roth has gone to pains to assure people that the film is more of a psychological thriller than a gore fest, which is true. Normally for horror fans, that moniker – coupled with a PG-13 rating – would mean stay as far away as possible, but it really does best suit the material’s approach here.

The film revolves around a young female possessee, Nell (Ashley Bell), a la the granddaddy of all possession flicks, “The Exorcist.” Nell’s father, the God-fearing Louis (Louis Herthum), suspects his Nell is possessed by the devil himself and asks for help from the flashy preacher Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian).

Marcus is a wonderfully colorful character who is part theologian, part huckster. Trained and groomed to take over the family business as a young man, Marcus packs them into church at a time when few have the money for it. To pad his coffers, he specializes in performing exorcisms, which he recognizes as primarily an appeal to the imagined psychological state caused by mental sickness of the so-called possessed. He tricks out his exorcisms with new-fangled tech, like a reverse ghost hunter that supplies his own spirits for effect. All he has to do is play the part as the requisite “demon” voices call out (via iPods!), the bed shakes, pictures move, and so forth – all engineered by Marcus and his team, of course.

The film is shot documentary-style, splitting the difference between another indie horror smash, “The Blair Witch Project,” and last year’s “The Fourth Kind,” only minus all that split-screen annoyance that served as the Achilles’ heel of the latter film. Think one of the dramatic re-creations you see on all those ghost-hunter reality TV shows. Don’t worry, they don’t stoop to the “night vision” camera that is swiftly becoming a cliché (the excellent “Rec” notwithstanding).

Where “Paranormal Activity” dragged in the first half, “The Last Exorcism” coasts by on the charm of its lead, which is considerable. Count on veteran TV-character actor Herthum (“Big Love,” “Veronica Mars”) getting a big boost for his work here, which is quite powerful. The film is engagingly funny thanks to him, so when things take a turn for the worse, the viewer becomes caught up in the terror of Marcus and his cohorts, who are used to creating the fear themselves, not experiencing it.

That said, the real success or failure of a possession flick lies squarely on the shoulders of the possessed, and Bell does a bang-up job of nailing both the expected: body contortions, freaky voices, and yes, the puke; and the unexpected: the aforementioned psychological elements. Nell’s family background is pretty complex and intriguing, and the film takes a few surprising twists and turns thanks to that approach. In fact, Nell’s family is creepy in their own right even before we get into the possession stuff, and the film keeps one guessing right up to the end as to whether Nell really is possessed or if she is suffering a bona fide psychological breakdown, a la “Sybil” or the like.

Unfortunately, your opinion of the film will rest on the answer to that question and whether you care for it or not. Like the similar and controversial “Blair Witch” ending, count on this ending to split viewers right down the middle. I like that it was somewhat unexpected, but it was awfully abrupt, though as one audience member remarked afterwards, “Well, they did telegraph everything that happened earlier in the film.”

Indeed they do, and it is what you think of that ending that will determine whether you want to partake in “The Last Exorcism.” Overall, it was certainly engaging enough to recommend, even if the ending was a bit of a toss-up. The film was almost like a compendium of recent horror trends, incorporating elements of the solid “House of the Devil” and rural ghost stories like “The Messengers,” as well as the aforementioned fear flicks. However, the tone was involving and had a feel all its own that should be enough to separate it from the rest of the pack. Time will tell whether this achieves a “Paranormal” or “Blair Witch” level of revenue, but better this than the likes of, say, the upcoming “Saw 3-D” if you’re looking for a spooky night at the movies.

Email: ripmrgordo@hotmail.com

 




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