As the modern horror film continues its plummet to new lows (or highs depending on your gag reflex) of violence, profanity and general boldness, there is one corner of the genre that has remained endearingly well-mannered- the exorcism film. Of course, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist bestrides this sub-genre like a foul-mouthed, church bothering behemoth and in its shadow, lesser films don’t really know what to do with themselves. This has led to quite a lot of by the numbers efforts that feel more apologetic than demonic.
Stepping in to turn the tide is The Last Exorcism; a film which has an irresistible confidence about it. It pulls off the neat trick of balancing the quainter aspects of the material (the unfeasible “golly gosh” innocence of the girl in peril and her subsequent penchant for bad language and bone cracking) with a set-up that gives the whole thing a chilling realism.
We join a film crew as they follow a Catholic preacher on one last job. Played by Patrick Fabian, Reverend Cotton Marcus is an engaging presence; a lapsed Catholic still going through the motions of deliverance to earn a living, he feels like a showboating nod to The Exorcist’s great unbeliever Father Karras. While at first Cotton is unapologetic in his belief that he is just giving these people the placebo they need, he soon finds himself in an ethical quandary when his ritual does more harm than good and the shadow of abuse rears its head.
So, there are some interesting and pertinent ideas going on here but more importantly, The Last Exorcism also delivers on scares. Thanks to REC and Paranormal Activity, the found footage format is flavour of the month and here, apart from a few “who’s holding the camera?” exterior shots it works extremely well to give a modern twist to the subject matter. As we are forced into the point of view of the terrified cameraman as he feverishly searches the darkened farmhouse interiors the effect is ruthlessly efficient and genuinely scary.
The Last Exorcism feels like a film with the ambition not only to give the audience the shivers but also to have some kind of longevity in the horror canon.