The Kidd Vs. The Last Exorcism

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CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD

Over the years, The Kidd has found that people like their horror films to come in different ways. There are those of you who like the blood and the gore. You like the idea of one (or two) clearly defined killers who stalk their victims before violently killing them, often in some creative manner. You want things to leap out at you from off-screen, causing you to jump in your seat. You want your horror to be incredibly overt. Then there are those of you who want things a bit more subtle, a bit more psychological. You want the events to feel a bit more real, but terrifying at the same time, because you firmly believe that some scenario like this could happen. It isn’t so much about creating scare moments, but an extended feeling of fear throughout the film as things build. And there’s people in the middle who subscribe to both forms, but I’ve discovered that a lot of people like it one way or the other, rather unimpressed with what the other side is offering.

The more psychological horror has produced films like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY over the years, and THE LAST EXORCISM is very much in that style, using the handheld camera style of shooting what is essentially supposed to be in the format of a documentary. That’s right… it’s another one of those “found footage” type of movies to an extent, so, right off the bat, if that’s not your cup of tea… or, in this case, cup of horror… then don’t even bother with THE LAST EXORCISM. You’re not going to like it… in fact, you’ll most likely hate it, bitching and complaining about how you didn’t find it scary in the least bit. You probably also don’t believe in possessions or demons or exorcisms either, so why you’d even consider watching this film is beyond me. That’s why I’m here… to stop you before you even think about setting foot in a theatre to ruin the experience of those around you who have a shot at enjoying this.

As for the rest of you, well, you’ve got a shot at liking THE LAST EXORCISM, which at times is a remarkably effective horror movie. It has moments where it absolutely creates those chillingly terrifying moments that creep you out, because you entirely believe that things like this are possible and can and do happen more than we are let on to believe. You’re fearful, because what if you or someone you love could become possessed…? What if you found your daughter or your wife or your girlfriend or your mom covered in blood on a regular basis with the carcass of a butchered animal left behind, with your loved one having no recollection, no memory, no idea of anything that transpired…? That’s some frightening stuff right there, and it’s those types of events that, when played out, are the strength of THE LAST EXORCISM. However, on the other side of the coin, The Kidd found that THE LAST EXORCISM was unsure of what it wanted to be. Is it a film that wants to be “found footage” of “actual events”? Because, if so, while I can excuse the fact that the cameras capture everything perfectly, always framing the shots remarkably well under such a stressful environment, and getting the proper coverage of actions, reactions, etc., the use of music cues and an extremely minimal score winds up being distracting. I’m pretty sure that while an exorcism is being performed on someone thought to be possessed, you can’t hear the faint sounds of stringed instruments trying to ratchet up the tension. For similar films such as BLAIR WITCH or PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, it was often times the silence or the natural sound that aided in things feeling so creepy. It’s almost as if THE LAST EXORCISM is afraid of its own silence, feeling to need to interject some type of sound to prevent things from feeling too quiet. And that’s a shame, because, especially for a film like this and in this style, it is often that sound of silence that contributes to the audience feeling extremely unsettled.

THE LAST EXORCISM opens up with Reverend Cotton Marcus, a used car salesman of a preacher. He doesn’t often believe in what he’s preaching, but he’s willing to put on whatever performance possible to make sure that you do. He’s a showman of sorts, using card tricks and magic in delivering his sermons and getting his congregation all riled up within their own beliefs, that he’s merely doing his job. What he believes is irrelevant, because as a member of the church, it is your beliefs that matter to you. Therefore, if he can connect you to them, it’s all in a day’s work for him. Reverend Marcus is easily the type of guy you see on TV late at night, hocking red-blooded prayerkerchiefs, trying to sell you on the idea that Jesus can eliminate your debt or find you a job or buy you furniture, because he knows that’s what you want to believe is possible.

The Reverend is also in the business of exorcisms, something he doesn’t believe in either. To him, performing some form of an exorcism is nothing more than providing the “possessed” with a service. Those people believe that they are afflicted, ailed by some sort of evil, and he is healing them from what it is they feel is wrong with them. He’s a fraud. He’s cashing in on the weak-mindedness of people by expanding his Las Vegas show to their homes, rigging moving picture frames and smoking crucifixes and sound systems to create this charade of a successful exorcism, because it pays the bills and pays them quite well. People are willing to ante up all sorts of cash when their soul is on the line.

However, after reading about the church’s decision to open up an exorcism academy to train the clergy in performing these actions, Reverend Marcus has had enough. He had read an article about an autistic 10-year-old boy who was suffocated to death during an exorcism attempt, and relating that to his concerns for his own disabled son, it’s the fear of knowing that the same thing could be happening to more children in the future, as a result of something he doesn’t believe in, that he thinks is nothing more than people left alone with their own crazy minds running wild, that leads him to making a documentary.

Marcus is dead set on exposing possessions as being nothing more than figments of one’s imaginations, while, at the same time proving that an exorcism is nothing more than smoke and mirrors, which relies on a capable performer to present a believable show. This footage is meant to be the very last exorcism he’ll ever perform, as he blows the lid of the whole scam. This is going to be his last case, his final exorcism.

Patrick Fabian, who I haven’t seen in awhile, dating back to the days of his role on SAVED BY THE BELL: THE COLLEGE YEARS, is excellent as Reverend Cotton Marcus. He portrays the complexity of the Reverend remarkably well, mixing the genuine feel of a man who loves his son and is concerned for his future well-being with religious crazies running around with the douchebaggery of a preacher milking his congregation of every last cent they have for the collection plate. Watching him operate in exorcising demon, with a constant wink and a nod to the audience, makes him an interesting character, and while he is hardly anywhere near close to being a likable guy, he is a flawed man who lives within a lot of grey area.

Once Reverend Marcus and his film crew arrive at the farm of the Sweetzer farm, that is when THE LAST EXORCISM takes hold of the tension, and uses a nice slow burn to build its events and ultimately lead us towards what’s coming. We get exposure to Nell, the innocent-looking girl who seems genuinely terrified of what’s been going on around her. She knows she’s been waking wearing blood-soaked dresses, and she knows that the farm brutally loses an animal every time that happens, but that’s the extent of it. She doesn’t appear to be the type of person who’d be faking a possession, but, as far as Marcus is concerned, anything is possible with anyone when you’re bringing religion into it.

Ashley Bell is able to portray both sides of the coin fairly well, as the possessed-in-question Nell. The innocent child-like personality she displays seems a bit much at times for someone who is moving up there in the teen years. There is almost a childishness that should have been grown out of years ago, and, in dealing with an overbearing brother and a redneck brother, it’s hard to imagine someone remaining that sweet. Therefore, it’s a bit of a stretch to buy this “Golly-gee-whiz” type of character, but she does bring the creepy when it’s time to let the devil come out and play. Most of that is conveyed with her comatose demeanor during these moments, as her bouts of evil are built up and expanded upon with each new revelation. And I found her to be at her best more when it was time to show the bad side of Nell than when we were presented with the all-too-holy side that we’re supposed to feel sympathy for later.

With each new moment that Nell doesn’t seem right, the lines are further blurred as to what exactly is happening in THE LAST EXORCISM. Is the Reverend obtuse in seeing that this girl is truly possessed? Or are strange things afoot on the Sweetzer farm that would explain this type of behavior, proving Reverend’s stance on exorcism and possessions to be correct? With each new revelation throughout THE LAST EXORCISM, you’re forced to straddle the fence a bit, teetering between answers on both sides, as time progresses and the uneasiness continues to mount towards what you know will be an ending that will provide answers one way or the other.

There’s a great sequence with Nell taking possession of the camera equipment and parading around the house in her possessed state, which makes for one of the film’s more frightening moments. It isn’t often we’ve gotten to see events transpire from this first-person perspective, at least not through the lens of a camera, so that’s something done very well. In addition, you will get some absolute creepy imagery that will stay with you following the film, namely the various contortions Nell’s body is put through during these scenes of possession, be it bending over backwards or violently twisting her neck. There are definitely moments that stand out through the slow build that create a sense of dread for where things are going.

As the plot twists accumulate, and you’re left trying to figure out how this is ultimately going to be resolved, what direction we’ve been taken in this entire time, the ending sneaks up on you, and this is where your enjoyment of the movie will ultimately rest. Because the ending is a point of contention so divisive that whether or not you like THE LAST EXORCISM absolutely depends on how you feel about it. If you don’t like it, you are absolutely going to feel screwed by this movie, but, if you do like it, then you’ll love THE LAST EXORCISM and regard it as a solid addition to the horror family.

I’m actually sad to say that I hated the ending, which truly sucks, because, up until that point, I had really gotten into watching everything else. I was immersed in the characters and their situation. My brain was working overtime trying to figure out what the truth really was. And then the movie pulled the rug out from under me with the ending. I don’t want to give it away, because that’s the whole movie right there… but I will lend you a simile to understand my perspective. It’s as if you went to watch a basketball movie, and the entire film is built around this star player getting ready for the big game, for game 7 of the NBA Finals. He’s practicing with his team. He’s prepping for the biggest moment of his life with the championship on the line. He’s overcome so many struggles, so many obstacles to get to this point. And just when he’s about to walk down the tunnel to step onto the court and shoot the most important hoops of his life… he hangs a right turn, heads on down to the baseball stadium, and plays in that game instead.

WTF?!?!

Exactly. That was my feeling as the end of THE LAST EXORCISM played out, too. Because everything that has happened, everything that’s been built up, and everything that we’ve been heading towards for the entire film is completely disregarded, so we can go in a completely new direction after 1 hour and 35 minutes, with the last 5 minutes being something so completely different from the rest of the movie.

With the ending being far from definitive anyway, I would have preferred if THE LAST EXORCISM would have cut off about 5 minutes earlier, where it could have had a nice open-ended conclusion that left people wondering what the hell just happened. Instead, we get events that still leave us wondering what the hell just happened… and not in the good way.

THE LAST EXORCISM was completely ruined for me in those last few moments, and, as a result, I find it very difficult to recommend a movie like that to you, especially since I liked most everything else. However, how can I possibly tell you to invest yourself in a movie for that period of time, only to have them throw you a sweeping curveball at the end like that? And it’s not even a twist. A bizarre twist I could have lived with. It’s not a twist ending at all. It’s a completely different change of direction, as if they lost the reel for the last few minutes, so just tacked on the ending from a totally different movie. But you never know. You may find the ending perfect in your mind, and, as a result, have a completely different opinion of the movie as a whole. I can’t knock the majority of the movie prior to that, because I really was into THE LAST EXORCISM and was enjoying what I was seeing, which was a good piece of psychological horror. Therefore, if you’re curious to see the film or feel compelled to watch it, there are far worse things you could check out. However, just be aware that your opinion of THE LAST EXORCISM will be shaped by where you come down on the last 5 minutes. So be prepared to be satisfyingly pleased or incredibly disappointed.

Tags: movie reviews • The Kidd Vs • the last exorcism