Sunday 6 February 2011

GOOD NIGHT IN: THE LAST EXORCISM (DVD) ***


"I love The Exorcist (1973). I hate when a decent director 'presents' a supposedly bone-chilling horror of demonic possession in the spirit of The Exorcist. I especially loathe imitations, so a horror shot in the fly-on-the-wall documentary style of Paranormal Activity (2007) in the spirit of The Exorcist doesn't really set the pulse racing.

Oddly disillusioned by years of defrauding poor believers out of their hard-earned cash, evangelist preacher Cotton Marcus has decided to put the record straight by starring in a fly-on-the-wall documentary exposing the con tricks of his demon-busting trade. So far so good.

A letter from a poor southern farmer begging for help in driving evil off his land presents Cotton with the perfect opportunity to expose the phoniness of his satanic ministry, until he has the misfortune to meet the farmer's young daughter, Nell, who may or may not be a little bit of a fruitcake.

It may borrow its best scares from Friedkin's classic, but The Last Exorcism still manages to sustain interest thanks to some cracking performances and the tried and trusted documentary feel which makes Cotton's journey so haunting. The final scene will annoy many, but for the most part this offers a realistic slant on an impractible premise."


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