TAD 2010 – The Last Exorcism – Film Reel Reviews

The opposite of what I thought it would be and I was blown away by how good it was. – Will

An evangelical minister allows his final exorcism to be filmed for a documentary.

Directed by – Daniel Stamm

Written by – Huck Botko, Andrew Gurland

Starring – Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, Louis Herthum, Caleb Landry Jones, Tony Bentley, John Wright Jr., Shanna Forrestall, Carol Sutton, Victoria Patenaude, John Wilmot, Becky Fly, Denise Lee, Logan Craig Reid, Sofia Hujabre

I have to be honest that I wasn’t really excited to see this one. It looked relatively spooky and it seemed to have a straight forward idea. Girl is possessed, preacher comes to perform an exorcism, end of story. At least that was the impression that I got from the trailer. I was completely wrong. It was the exact opposite of what I thought it would be and it was an incredibly amazing film. This is the kind of movie where I’m so taken by how good it is that I’m not sure what to write about it. I always find it easier to write about something that is bad and I can’t think of one thing I didn’t like about this one. From the first few seconds until the very end I was glued to the screen. It was funny, creepy, shocking, surprising and full of twist after twist. Just when I think I had it all figured out it would take another direction and leave me wondering what would happen next. Before I get too much into the film I’ll let you check out the intro with Eli Roth, Ashley Bell and Patrick Fabian.

I’ve thought about this one a lot and I’ve decided that I don’t want to give anything away about the movie. The reason I enjoyed it so much is because right from the start of the film it went against everything I was expecting. This left me wondering what would happen next and it makes every second of the film that much more surprising. I did film the Q&A afterwards and I will be posting it here but I went to the trouble of taking out anything that was a big spoiler. They do still explore some of the bigger themes of the film and if you’re really into checking this out then I suggest skipping the Q&A altogether and just going to see the movie. After the film does come out I’ll probably repost this review with the full Q&A and all its spoiler goodness.

Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) begins the exorcism but it's unlike any I've ever seen before.

What I will talk about is the incredible job each actor does in their role. Patrick Fabian as the minister is the strongest character in the film. His ability to charm everyone is a key point to the film and I have to admit that I’d probably listen to anything this guy told me. He’s incredible in the movie. Ashley Bell does an equally good job as Nell Sweetzer, the young girl who is need of the exorcism. She can go from sweet to scary in a few seconds and her twisting and convulsing is all physical, no effects needed, which was hard to believe once I had seen it. Louis Herthum plays her father, Louis Sweetzer and Caleb Landry Jones plays her brother Caleb Sweetzer. They’re opposite ends of the spectrum with Herthum as the deeply religious dad and Jones as the faithless brother. Both actors bring the creep factor to their roles for different reasons and they play a huge part in the film. I just don’t want to say what part!

Caleb, helped by his father, is on the receiving end of some of Nell's violent outbursts.

I don’t think anyone will be disappointed with this one although I’m a little on the fence about the ending. It’s good but I’m not sure it was necessary. Through the entire film my thoughts on what was happening were turned on their head. As soon as I thought I had it figured out it would flip and go in a new direction and it flowed perfectly. Aside from the ending there isn’t a really shocking twist and all the ideas flowed together naturally. The performances are amazing, the creep factor is high and it had some impressive jump scares. My friend and his girlfriend joined us for the screening and I thought his girlfriend was going to pass out. I’ve never seen someone jump so high before! The movie was just a mind-blowing experience and I am dying to see it again. I loved every minute of it and will be going to the theater with my girlfriend to see this one again. Check out the spoiler free Q&A video below. I’m warning you that they do talk about some of the themes of the movie which I think are better left unknown until you’ve seen it. I really recommend seeing this one cold so every second can be fresh and new. You’ve been warned! HAHA!

Under the marquee – Will