A fairly good mix of POV camera and exorcism mashed together into one frightful whole!
Well, that was something! Before I even start this review, I have to say that I was totally into this movie. Not at one point did it lose my interest. And I think it's pretty good overall, I just have a few nitpicks. I do think that the movie works as well as it does due to it's length. I also noticed that there seems to be a strong divide between critics and users on this movie on rotten tomatoes. This in no way influenced my review, as I didn't check the site until AFTER I watched the film.
We are introduced to Reverend Cotton Marcus and his family. It seems to be the normal nuclear family, and Marcus' dad has been performing exorcisms for awhile...indeed it seems to have been passed down through generations. Just one problem though, Marcus kind of believes it's all hokum. He says that even though he doesn't believe, he's been doing it for so long, it just kind of comes naturally to him, so basically why not do it; it puts food on the table after all. But his opinion changes when an exorcism gone wrong results in the death of a child. He then feels it is up to him to prove that exorcism's are all fake. So with the help of a film crew he sets out to do just that.
Choosing a random piece of mail (because it's primitive he says) he sets out to the Sweetzer farm to help poor Nell. Livestock is being mutilated, her dad is an alcoholic mess, and her brother is just plain weird. And then there is Nell herself...a quiet 16 year old girl who may or may not be possessed by a demon. Needless to say, when Marcus stages a fake exorcism for the camera and Nell doesn't get better...forgive the expression but ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE! Things get increasingly unnerving as it throttles forward towards it's fiery climax...and probably not how you think it would. Is Nell possessed, or simply just acting out due to her father repressing her sexuality. You just have to watch to find out.
There are some good performances here and some just so/so. At first I had a hard time liking the Rev Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian). He just seemed so full of himself, but we learn as he learns...so it works. And I definitely liked the performance given by real life contortionist Ashley Bell as Nell. She conveys child-like innocence as well as demonic posturing with ease. Less successful are the performances by her brother and the sometimes annoying camera crew. They are just kind of there and don't really make much of difference until the end.
Sound plays a big part in this picture, with the demonic growling, screaming, etc. It really adds a ton of ambience to the proceedings. I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending though. It kind of feels tacked on and I didn't really buy it. At the same time, there are a few things that shocked me about it, so I guess it's ok in some respects. But, these are really just nitpicks and the film is very well made for a low budget affair, with some good performances throughout. I really did not get bored at any time during this film and i'm not the biggest fan of the movie The Exorcist...so take what you will from that. I just thought this was an engaging look at a man that has lost his faith, and what happens when that faith is challenged. This is an especially good Halloween pic.
8.5 out of 10
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