The Last Exorcism (2010) - review

I don't hear a lot about this film in all honesty which may be because I was in kindergarten when it came out and maybe all the hype was back then, or its just a hidden gem. This found footage/Exorcism film is really good in my opinion and I'll be honest, I don't love found footage films all that much.

This film is a sort of mock-u-mentary style following preacher Cotton Marcus and his two other camera-crew as they embark on one last exorcism case in order to prove the power of suggestion right and that there is no further need for exorcisms on the mass scale that Vatican seems to be addressing them at. Cotton gets emails and mail a lot regarding possible possessions in homes and things so randomly he picks one up and decides that he's going to follow it wherever it goes so he can prove, on camera, that exorcisms are all about the power of suggestion. So this makes sense as to why this is all being filmed and why they keep rolling for the entirety of the story. Obviously, stuff goes wrong and the possession does turn out to be real and the decrepit farmhouse setting for the film really adds to ambiance and of the maybe this is something much more real than ghosts and demons, aspect to Cottons' assessment of the story.

Everything from the sound design, set design and costumes makes this film so good to watch and really immerses you into this world and the peril this young woman is in. It's like an ongoing mystery too with some drama involved and thriller aspects. The end is very spoilery though and where the majority of the horror vibes increase dramatically.

I really recommend this film if you haven't seen it already and while it isn't a perfect film by any means, it's one of my favorites and probably my favorite found-footage style horror film ever (yes even beats the Blair Witch Project). I don't love found footage films if you didn't already know since they always seem too forced in their story or the plot feels infinitely more forced just because they have to get something on camera or discuss what happens on camera and it just doesn't mix well but this film makes it known why they are filming, where they are allowed or not allowed to film, work around of certain things, and the motivations of the character's actions.

The spoilers as usual, are below here so scroll at your own risk!

Theatrical release poster fro The Last Exorcism (2010)

This film goes from 0-10 really really quickly and that makes it really feel paid off for the time we spent figuring everything out, piecing stuff together and watching the family dynamics shift with each clue being uncovered. The plot twist that there's a demon cult and Nell is pregnant with a demon baby and there's a fire and everyone dies is just nuts but it makes sense and pays off so incredibly much with that finale!

The actress who plays Nell is incredible and deserved so many awards for this horrifying and naive young woman she plays! The actor playing Preacher Cotton Marcus also deserves praise due to his conviction and the motivation that he's convinced possession isn't real and that maybe not even God is real is really interesting to think about a preacher having those doubts and exploring them only to confront the worst part of the whole thing, the devil is certainly real so by elimination, God must be too. You can even watch this realization happen in real time towards the finale when Cotton heads outside and you can seem him stop and realize what's happening right now and that all of these forces are truly real.

I love the plot twist that Caleb was involved with the cult and everything evil all along which makes his first appearance in the film kind of redeeming since he was actively trying to warn Cotton and his crew about staying away from all of the crazy cult stuff. It also makes him trying to protect his sister in the middle of the film all the more depressing as he's probably just trying to keep her alive so she can deliver the demon baby. It makes re watches so much more interesting to think about after all the plot twists and things.

This is why I give the Last Exorcism a 7/10