‘Blair Witch’ can go to hell — ‘Last Exorcism’ puts fright in the pseudo-doc
The premature birth of his son triggered a crisis of faith for Cotton, who continued to function on automatic pilot. He felt his exorcisms benefited people psychologically — as long as they believed actual demons were leaving their bodies they were cured — but following an incident two years ago where a child died during one in Texas got Cotton out of the business.
As a parting gesture, he’s making a documentary to expose exorcism as a scam. For his last one, Cotton and a two-person crew head to Ironwood, La., where superstitious drunk Louis Sweetzer (Louis Herthum) thinks his 16-year-old daughter Nell (Ashley Bell) is possessed and has been killing their livestock.
As strange things start happening for real, The Last Exorcism becomes a whodunit, with Satan one of the suspects. There’s even a gay twist along the way to an ending that doesn’t tie up all the loose ends. I would have liked a few more questions answered before the perfect final shot, but it’s still a hoot.
DEETS: The Last Exorcism with Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Caleb Landry Jones. Rated PG-13. 90 mins. Now playing at wide release.
3.5 out of 5 Stars. For the entire review, click here.
