The Last Exorcism

Review by Anthony Morris

By now we all pretty much know what to expect from a mockumentary-style horror film : creeping suspense, building unease, characters slowing breaking down in front of the camera and an ending that wraps it all up in a short burst of WTF-isms. 

But that's not the case with The Last Exorcism.

This harks back to an older, cheesier tradition of horror, where things go firmly over the top well before the end and happily stay there.

Actually, it's not like the beginning of the film is all that subtle either...

Reverend Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) has been performing exorcisms in the American south since he was a child, but after a crisis of faith he no longer believes in what he's doing. 

Determined to expose exorcisms for the sham that they are, he teams up with documentary makers for one last job to show off the dodgy tricks of his trade. 

"One last mission" are hardly rare in film, but there's a lot of humour in Marcus' cynical approach to his work, so by the time he gets to the creepy out farm-house in the middle of nowhere (where a young girl may or may not be possessed) we're firmly on his side. 

It'd spoil things to reveal all the twists that follow : let's just say that things aren't what they seem, and not just when it comes to Marcus' various tricks for a convincing exorcism. 

The suspense here comes largely from trying to figure out exactly why all the strange stuff is going on, in fact, subtlety goes out the window pretty early on. Before you know it, satanic graffiti is covering the walls and spooky kids are drawing everyone dying in a gruesome fashion on the walls. 

The Last Exorcism certainly has its jump-in-your-seat moments but it's more of a traditional roller-coaster horror movie than a sustained mood piece like the Paranormal Activity films.

That said, if you ever wanted to know how to make smoke come out of a crucifix, The Last Exorcism is the film to see.

3.5 out of 5

The Last Exorcism
Australian release: 25th November, 2010
Official Site: The Last Exorcism
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx
Director: Todd Phillips