Quitting After One More Last One

Title:  The Last Exorcism

Actors/Director/Anything Worth Mentioning Right Away:  The guy who played Jeremiah Latsky on Saved by the Bell: The College Years is the main character in this movie.   He was also on Veronica Mars briefly.

Introduction:   I got this from the library FOR FREE.

Location:   Primarily in one house, but not really a phonebooth movie.

Plot:  A preacher, his lady friend and a camera man embark on a mission to give some girl an exorcism.  This preacher man has been doing these fake exorcisms for years, making a lot of money in the process.  He intends for this to be his last one, so in doing so he decides to expose how it is all done.   After his dog and pony show, the girl he supposedly exorcised shows up at his motel in the middle of the night and is apparently really possessed by a demon.  Now he must do the one thing he always claimed he could do but was really just faking.  It’s an intriguing and interesting twist on a plot that I’ve otherwise grown tired of already.

Acting:   It’s good.   They look into the camera a lot (see below), so it’s like they’re not really acting but kind of are, so it works.

Production:  This is all shot like a documentary, so it’s kind of a step above Quarantine and definitely nowhere near as bad as Blair Witch.   It just annoys me that they couldn’t have told this story without the preacher man constantly talking into the camera.

Sex/Nudity:  No, she’s a little girl!

Special Effects:   What’s funny is the preacher man reveals how he creates the effects that make you think the exorcism is real.   It’s pretty fun stuff.

Overall Verdict:  The Exorcist aside, the only movies I remember seeing recently about exorcisms are An American Haunting and The Exorcism of Emily Rose.   In my opinion, this movie blows both of those away.   I wasn’t expecting much going into it (until I saw Eli Roth with a producer credit), but it was quite interesting.   At one point the preacher man discusses how if you believe in God and the Bible, then you have to believe in demons.   It’s so true, yet so many religious freaks despise these movies and condemn them.   I definitely recommend this one.