The Last Exorcism: A Kind of Almost Scary Cinematic Event

It's been done time and time again-beaten to death upon the big screen more times than the average adult can count. The infamous "exorcism" movie. Most would agree that subsequent cinematic attempts have come nowhere close to the horrible magic of 1973's The Exorcist. Nonetheless, The Last Exorcism is worth a try.

The plot is only slightly different from other film adaptations surrounding possession. In this movie, the focus is as much on Reverend Cotton Marcus, a phony evangelist who decides to reveal to viewers how easily they can be "tricked" into salvation, as it is the girl he's supposed to cure. It should be acknowledged that The Last Exorcism borrows heavily from the faux-documentary drama in that the viewer really feels that he/she is witnessing true events. However for this movie, the docu-drama process isn't terribly burdensome.

The story begins in all its reality TV glory-and is actually quite humorous. No, not funny "ha-ha", but funny in the irony of how effortlessly people are duped into believing Man's miracles. The Reverend Cotton Marcus is indeed a sight to behold. A good portion of the film's horror lies in the fact that the Phony (Marcus) is confronted with the very Real-a young demon-possessed girl named Nell.

The self-serving chuckles soon give way to unease when we realize that the good Reverend has his hands full with the syrupy-sweet young girl. The cinematography will cause you to believe that the events you're seeing are indeed real. And be prepared to have your flesh crawl when you observe all the trippy feats that gentle Nell is capable of. The subtle scares work well in this movie-careful not to regurgitate too many of the standard stereotypes typical of possession films. But then something happens.

All that wonderful build-up begins to trickle out of the plot. It was as if the director-realizing that he only had 31 minutes left to film-decided to pile as much "action" as possible into the final minutes. The result is a virtual cramming of images-all leading to a climax that seems to tumble wildly out of control, revealing too much, too fast. The conclusion isn't exactly standard where these films are concerned. But in an attempt to wrap things up, the hasty reveal only whets the appetite for more action. If Eli Roth and his filmmaking posse are gearing up for a sequel, then the ending is perhaps befitting. But if you are seeking out a completely satisfying paranormal experience, this just may be The Last Exorcism you'll ever see.

SOURCES:

www.imdb.com

www.thelastexorcism.com