The Last Exorcism

 I love a good horror flick. My wife and I went to see The Last Exorcism and found that it was neither a horror flick, or a good flick. Where to begin? How about at the beginning.

We start out learning about the exorcist in this movie, named Reverend Cotton Marcus. He's a former believer who has lost his faith and now makes his living by charging people for fake exorcisms. Sound flimsy? Like an overcooked noodle.

So Cotton gets this letter pleading for him to come and take a demon out of a teenage girl in Louisiana. If you enjoy a Southern like I do, you only get a few despite a large cast- most of the actors sound like they're from Westchester County in New York. Reminds me of calling a Japanese steakhouse for reservations one time and dealing with a woman who sounded like she was from South Jersey. Not very authentic.

Cotton pulls a few parlor tricks to make the father of the girl think the demon has been expelled. He goes on his way with a fist full of cash, and this is where the Exorcism Express goes off the tracks.

The possessed girl winds up in Cotton's hotel room and the story circles the drain for a while before concluding with some sort of ritual sacrifice. It's unclear whether the possession is real or a trick by a demented cult and no explanation is given before the credits roll.

Mine was one of quite a few that expressed a sort of "You gotta be kidding me" at the film's abrupt ending.

If you're still reading, the real icing on the cake is the overdone shaky camera movements, a la Blair Witch Project. Some of the effects were pretty convincing and some were predictable and look like they needed a bit more time in post before being considered "in the can".

I'd name someone from the cast, but I'm not sure there's a recognizable name in the lot. As my wife and I discussed on the way home from the movies, the actors were all people who fit the definition of character actors. Basically, a "Hey, I know that guy from a commercial or something" kind of cast. And it showed in some of the acting, particularly with What's His Name that played the good Reverend Cotton.