The Last Exorcism

“If you believe in Jesus Christ, then you have to believe in daemons.” – Reverend Cotton Marcus

William Friedkin’s remains an epic, bone-chilling exercise in exorcism. With its serious tone on the century-long religious ritual, “The Exorcist” quickly became a classic in horror filmmaking. Within the horror genre, filmmakers have regularly copied the scare-inducing techniques and gothic set designs of Friedkin’s masterpiece. But no film in my opinion has eclipsed “The Exorcist,” though some films came close in the process.

On the subject of exorcism, two recent films, “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” (2005) </a> and “The Last Exorcism” (2010), draw their inspiration from “The Exorcist.” Both movies offer a believable and fresh perspective on exorcism, a topic that has been irrefutably exhausted by uninspiring sequels in the “Exorcist” series. Directed by Daniel Stamm and produced on a minuscule budget of $1.8 million, “The Last Exorcism,” through positive word-of-mouth and favorable reviews, reaped rich rewards at the box office with its healthy gross revenue of $60 million.

While “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” is based on a true story of exorcism practiced on Emily Rose, the more-recent release “The Last Exorcism” almost feels like an extension of the Rose story. Moreover, the movie could have been appropriately named as “The Exorcism of Nell Sweetzer.” And, yes, you guessed it: The movie again deals with the process of eliminating a possessed demonic force on a female character, Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell). The main female protagonist, Nell, is no match for the projectile-puking, spider-crawling character of Linda Blair in “The Exorcist,” but I must say, Nell came close in terms of sending shivers up my spine.

Performing the exorcism on Nell is the Reverend Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian), whose belief system is the polar opposite of Father Lankester Merrin’s (Max von Sydow) in “The Exorcist.” Father Merrin performed exorcism on Regan (Linda Blair) with his astute observational skills and by being fully aware of the devil’s capabilities and the dangers that lay ahead. Nonetheless, Father Merrin believed in the existence of the devil in this world.

In “The Last Exorcism,” through his charismatic personality and persuasive skills, Cotton has generated quite a bit of money by performing exorcism and other religious ceremonies even though he disbelieves in demons, and possibly even in the existence of god. He mocks the devil and sounds agnostic on several occasions. But this time around, when he accepts an offer from Nell’s father, Louis Sweetzer (Louis Herthum), to free Nell of demonic forces, his objective is altogether different. It’s not about the money or the fame, but about bringing to light the fraudulent practice of exorcism.

“The Last Exorcism” is by no means scary, but it tries to mesmerize us with an unusual narrative style. Shot with a hand-held camera, the film feels more like a mockumentary than a feature-length film. In addition, it combines elements of “The Blair Witch Project” and “Cloverfield.” While these two films are often criticized for their shaky cameras, “The Last Exorcism” surprisingly has a very stable camera; it’s in the final moments where the camera is deliberately wobbly.

At the start, Cotton welcomes the filmmakers inside his world, and the movie moves forward with Cotton’s insightful commentary on exorcism. Oftentimes, you feel as if Cotton is the film’s director and that he is guiding his crew through the filming process. Certainly, the movie is driven by how Cotton sees things at the Sweetzer’s farmhouse, and we feel his presence in every scene. Nonetheless, it is Cotton’s demeanor and his mocking approach that softens the seriousness of the issue presented to us. As such, we experience chills and thrills only in the final act.

The movie comprises a three-part structure: an introduction to exorcism, the process of exorcism, and the religious belief system. In the beginning, we are introduced to a medieval manuscript, Hortus Deliciarm, that describes various kinds of demons and the process of getting rid of them. Cotton discusses his perspective on exorcism in an engaging manner, and why he thinks the concept of the devil is bogus. In fact, he goes on to say that quite a few supposedly possessed souls were cured by a thorough psychological analysis. It is at this point the film inserts an interesting point of view that is plausible and convincing.

Throughout his sessions with Nell, Cotton firmly believes that she was never possessed by the devil. What was perceived as paranormal behavior, after all, might be related to deep mental problems that Nell has absorbed inside her. The exorcism is put on hold, while Cotton and the film crew begin questioning other people in the neighborhood to find any link or evidence of abuse in Nell’s life. But the along the way, Cotton is challenged by evil forces, and his only defense is to recite a holy gospel while holding the holy cross back at the devil. Suddenly, his religious belief compass misaligns, and that only raises a valid question about when to remember God. Will God come to rescue Cotton? Or should God rescue Cotton?

Lastly, Ashley Bell’s performance is stunning and believable. Being the focal point of the entire story, Bell realistically portrays a step-by-step degeneration of her mental state. Nell’s cryptic drawings and her oblique figure definitely add necessary thrilling elements to the film. Her incomprehensible behavior coupled with occasional violence make us believe that she is  possessed by a sinister soul and scares us to a certain extent. But behind Nell’s aberrations lies a mystical study of human psychosis.

Despite all the positives, the story takes a stereotypical approach in paying homage to “The Blair Witch Project” by deliberately adding a manipulative twist. Without giving too much away, I would have been happier had the filmmakers stayed their course in exploring Nell’s  underlying trauma and then presenting the irreparable psychological elements through human horror. Still, the writers should be credited for not adopting a beaten-down formula seen in countless horror flicks and instead presented something unique to the genre.

Video:

“The Last Exorcism” is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and encoded in an AVC/ MPEG-4 codec. Even when the film is shot using a hand-held camera, the daytime scenes are vibrant, clear, and sharp. Its in the nighttime scenes, the grain adds to the grittiness to the film’s palette. The farmhouse comes to life in this HD edition, although it is definitely not demo material. The close-ups are lifelike and consistent throughout.

Audio:

With no loud explosions, “The Last Exorcism” is a dialogue-driven affair supported by a lossless 7.1 DTS-HD Master track. As expected, the dialogue is clear and crisp. Mostly, the front-channels provide a satisfying sonic experience. In addition, the film contains several serene scenes with realistic atmospheric noises.

Extras:

We get three audio commentaries. The first commentary, with producers Eli Roth, Eric Newman and Thomas A. Bliss, sheds light on the budget, the actors, and the final choice for the director. The second commentary, with director Daniel Stamm and actors Ashley Bell, Patrick Febain, and Louis Herthum, gives us details on various scenes, the script, and how the concept of exorcism was relevant to the story. The final audio commentary, with former exorcism participants, provides views on the most-prevalent practice of exorcism, its process, and how it frees victims from demonic forces.

Up next is a featurette, “The Devil You Know,” presenting the making of the film. In this one, filmmakers talk about their choice of shooting the film in a documentary format. The director discusses his thoughts about Ashley Bell’s performance. Eli Roth talks about the script, the locations, and how the actors were selected for their roles. Ashley Bell provides her thoughts on exorcism and how she kept a diary detailing the practice of exorcism.

Next is an interesting interview segment, “Real Stories of Exorcism,” a series of interviews with actual victims and various academic analysts. Here we learn how the victims feel when they are possessed. The analysts offers their views on sexual abuse and how it splits a victim’s personality. I could relate to Nell’s mental condition after watching this bonus feature.

Following this, we get some audition footage with Ashley Bell, Patrick Fabian, Celeb Landry Jones, and Louis Herthum. In addition, We also get a 2009 Cannes Film Festival teaser trailer, a protection prayer, and a theatrical trailer.

Finally, Lionsgate has also included a DVD version of the film along with a digital copy that can be downloaded from the iTunes store.

Final Thoughts:

“The Last Exorcism” offers a realistic plot line along with Ashley Bell’s creepy performance that are presented to us in an unusual filming format. What’s more, the film presents a unique take on the prevalent practice of exorcism. After seeing the movie, I am sure you will question the existence of demonic forces and their relationship to psychological damage. Nonetheless, the film is interesting to watch because it credibly deconstructs the origins of Nell’s breakdown. Indeed, this film comes highly recommended.

Final Ratings:

Video = 8/10

Audio = 7/10

Extras = 7/10

Movie = 7/10