Classics do a lot of good, but that good is typically exhausted in one fell swoop. Plus that bit of good is usually exclusive to the classic itself. This reigns especially true in horror, where one good thing leads to endless, terrible others. The Exorcist is regarded as one of the most effective and poignant works in horror history, it is just a shame that for decades it would lead to lukewarm attempts, some of which even share the same branding. Same goes for The Blair Witch Project, original and startling for its time, the shaky-cam method became one of those annoying ‘things’ that comes in swarms then hibernates for a few years. Which is why Daniel Stamm and Eli Roth’s The Last Exorcism has a bit of a fight ahead. Instead of seeming inspired by the greats, the film enthusiasts’ gut feeling places it in a parade of hopeless copycats. So forgetting everything, just everything, the champions of the genre and the stack of dirt that grounds them, is this handheld devil one you yourself should risk an encounter with?
Spoilers to follow.
Reverend Cotton Marcus is a good man, he’s lived his life as a liar and a thief but he’s never been out to hurt anyone. He is a shining star in his local community, an addictive priest and more curious a famous exorcist. However his holy water is more snake oil than the blessing of the lord, and starting now he’ll be the first one to tell you. After being rattled by a story of an exorcism related death, he wants to go on the record that the whole field is nothing but smoke and mirrors. To do so, Cotton has agreed to let a film crew document his last gig. Unfortunately for Marcus and his team, this final job goes a little bit deeper than the surface, and Marcus will be forced to confront his own faith after being so close to losing it.
