Review: The Last Exorcism (2010)

Produced by Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) and directed by Daniel Stamm, The Last Exorcism takes us alongside Reverend Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian), through his last exorcism that he has agreed to perform while being filmed by a documentary film crew to show how much of a scam the whole process really is. As the events unfolding at the farm grow more and more mysterious, Cotton can't help but question his doubts that demons exist in the world. The Last Exorcism can be best described as a blend of Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, and the Blair Witch Project. The film consists of three diverse elements: horror, suspense, and a relieving presence of comedy in the film's early scenes. Exorcism does a fine job of mood transition throughout the film's running time of 100 minutes. The beginning of the film is a vessel for encouraging the audience to become familiar and fascinated with Cotton's charm. The middle of Exorcism plants a question in the viewer's mind of whether what is going on is supernatural or a mental illness. And the end leaves the viewer either captivated or angry depending on whether or not they appreciate quality film-making, or are expecting a hollywood ending. Fabian, primarily spending most of his career on the television screen, brought to the big screen a character that I believe no one else could have delivered. This was a character with enough individuality to carry his own movie- it was simply a plus that the rest of the movie satisfied. The suspense and fear administered on the audience was almost too tense at times (just the way I like it), leaving viewers anticipating the unknown. There came a point near the film's end that I questioned if it was over (and I would have been fine with that), but it only improved and continued on a path that I could have only dreamed of as a horror fan. From the top-notch acting portrayed by both Patrick Fabian and the recently introduced Ashley Bell in the title roles, to the admirable direction and camera-work, I give this arguably flawless horror flick 4 stars.