The Last Exorcism
Lionsgate | Release Date: August 27, 2010
6.2
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 181 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
90
Mixed:
57
Negative:
34
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6
MahmusOct 26, 2020
The ending ia dumb and unnecessary, but for most of the film's runtime, it's a real breath of fresh air for both the exorcism and found-footage genres.

Ashely Bell gives the best possesed performance in an exorcism movie since Linda Blair inThe ending ia dumb and unnecessary, but for most of the film's runtime, it's a real breath of fresh air for both the exorcism and found-footage genres.

Ashely Bell gives the best possesed performance in an exorcism movie since Linda Blair in The Exorcist. That is a really huge accomplishment.

Definitely reccomend it if you can look past the awful ending, because it's still one of the best exorcism movies not directed by William Friedkin.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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6
feardrinkerSep 11, 2010
A character-driven thriller that will bore anybody who enjoys the current generation of slasher movies. Yes, if you can't wait for the next installment of Saw/Hostel/Rob Zombie's Whatever, you will probably dislike this movie intensely. IfA character-driven thriller that will bore anybody who enjoys the current generation of slasher movies. Yes, if you can't wait for the next installment of Saw/Hostel/Rob Zombie's Whatever, you will probably dislike this movie intensely. If you're considering renting this once it comes out on video, you've been warned.

Having said that, I enjoyed this movie right up until the end. Without including any spoilers, I'll just say it is dissappointing and feels like a concession to someone with control over distribution. The acting is good all-around, and this backwoods family consists of a very frightening possessed girl, creepy older brother, and simple-minded and very religious/superstitious father. Once the characters are established and plot set in motion, you can sit back and enjoy the wierdness as things unfold. I may not have liked the ending, but at least the filmmakers had me curious enough to sit through to the end.… Expand
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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6
trilbySep 19, 2010
WHAT THE HELL was that ending all about and how come it had a soundtrack when it was a "found" video camera??? Right until the last 5 minutes i really enjoyed this film. It was a perfect mix of hocum horror and popcorn fodder humour. It was aWHAT THE HELL was that ending all about and how come it had a soundtrack when it was a "found" video camera??? Right until the last 5 minutes i really enjoyed this film. It was a perfect mix of hocum horror and popcorn fodder humour. It was a ride..and then...just as it built up to a the time old suspenseful good v evil climax....again...what the hell? I looked around the faces of people in the cinema and to a man they all looked totally bemused. I still am.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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4
EMelo01Sep 1, 2010
It ALMOST hit the nail on the head.... but it didn't. It has potential for a decent horror film but it lacks... Horror!! The best parts are in the trailer, and the gory parts are for you to figure out. (PG-13) I give this movie a 4 justIt ALMOST hit the nail on the head.... but it didn't. It has potential for a decent horror film but it lacks... Horror!! The best parts are in the trailer, and the gory parts are for you to figure out. (PG-13) I give this movie a 4 just because of the girl. She did some good possession acting. But other then that, you're not missing much. There's something about this moc-doc that's just hard to believe, maybe it's because I'm watching it in a theatre and not discovery channel. Go rent the original Exorcist; it cost more money to make.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
grindhouse83Sep 25, 2010
Slightly disappointed in the lack of genuine scares, but it's a creepy enough addition to the genre, with solid performances, great music and a strange off-beat humour (a warning though - avoid if you are an immature teenager with no respectSlightly disappointed in the lack of genuine scares, but it's a creepy enough addition to the genre, with solid performances, great music and a strange off-beat humour (a warning though - avoid if you are an immature teenager with no respect for others and lack patience to enjoy a gore-free, old-fashioned horror movie!)… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
shooter17Sep 22, 2010
OK thriller. Took too long to get into the action of the main plot line...but once there it was very good (unfortunately that lasted only ~30 minutes). The ending was a major disappointment. Not going to spoil it here.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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4
JustinSmithSep 26, 2010
The Last Exorcism starts out with an interesting premise, but falls apart as yet another poorly rehashed mash up of The Exorcist (1973) and Rosemary's Baby (1968).
Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) is an evangelist and an exorcist, or at leastThe Last Exorcism starts out with an interesting premise, but falls apart as yet another poorly rehashed mash up of The Exorcist (1973) and Rosemary's Baby (1968).
Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) is an evangelist and an exorcist, or at least he used to be. Cotton has grown tired of the hub-bub, and after the accidental death of a child at the hands of another exorcist, Cotton questions his faith and calls it quits with the exorcism game. But not before hiring a camera crew to follow him to his last exorcism, where he intends to show how it's not demons, but smoke and mirrors trickery that works on the mind of the "possessed". Responding to a plea from the reclusive and ultra-religious Sweetzer family, Cotton finds Nell (Ashley Bell), a shy and soft spoken 16-year-old girl who is supposedly possessed, her brother, Caleb (Caleb Landry Jones), who is initially less than accepting of Cotton and his crew, and their father, Louis (Louis Herthum), a widower who keeps his kids on a short leash in an effort to protect them from the evils of the outside world.
If you can get past the shaky/often out of focus cam (with camera techniques like that, I'd never hire these people to shoot a documentary), the movie has potential. Cotton's "banana bread" sermon is something to behold, as he proves just how psychological and in-the-moment his sermons really are. Once at the Sweetzer's farm all this changes, the film follows a few patterns we're familiar with, however, approaching it from the point of a faux-documentary presents new challenges and opportunities, the greatest of which is overcome when the possessed Nell gets the camera while Cotton and his crew sleeps. It's easily the best scene in the film.
Ashley Bell's ability to contort herself and flash a genuinely creepy grin, add to the natural no-special-effects-needed creepiness of the film. While Patrick Fabian is fun to ride along with as Cotton Marcus since he's simultaneously working to help Nell and expose exorcism for what he claims it really is, a hoax.
Nearly every reviewer has commented on the poor ending, and I have to agree that while the film is okay throughout, it suffers from "second ending syndrome" where the filmmakers couldn't leave well enough alone and had to add one final plot twist. This happens in far too many films and borderlines on deus ex machina (which perhaps only screenwriter Charlie Kaufman can pull off). A similar fate befell The House of the Devil (2009), which suffered from its pacing and lack of content, but had a great ending, that is, before "second ending syndrome" got the best of the filmmakers, and completely destroyed it.
Replacing the overly shaky/out of focus camera style, cutting, and promptly burning, the ending, and punching up the script, could make The Last Exorcism worth viewing. But as it stands now, instead of wasting time and money on these mashed up rehashes of classic works of cinema, go directly to the source, and seek out the classics upon which they are birthed.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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5
KivaJul 10, 2013
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Last exorcism was like a documentary.That's what reminded me. It had no suspense and terror until the last 20 or 30 minutes and in the first 45 minutes we don't even know if the girl is actually possessed or not. I liked the fact that it shows that exorcists can be a fraud. However the film was stupid and not interesting. I liked the girl's performance. The end was the best for that movie and I have to admit that i really want to watch the second part though the first one was not really good… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
smijatovFeb 4, 2012
Like many other films, The Last Exorcism has joined the storm of "documentary" style films. At first, to be honest, it seems rather annoying - the whole thing, not just the fact that is a documentary-style film. The acting looks forced, whichLike many other films, The Last Exorcism has joined the storm of "documentary" style films. At first, to be honest, it seems rather annoying - the whole thing, not just the fact that is a documentary-style film. The acting looks forced, which is true throughout most of the film, since the actors are trying to look as if they are not acting. The notable exception is Ashley Bell, who plays the role of the possessed girl, which she does excellently! Nothing but words of praise for her. And, apparently, she did all the acrobatics with her body herself, no CGI -- she's a ballet dancer, hence extremely flexible (just an interesting fact!). Overall, the story is rather interesting, and when you think you've got it figured out, it shifts and completely changes your perspective. As I said before, at first it seems predictable and boring, but the film builds very nicely and is actually a rather interesting, intelligent horror. It does leave the audience with a ton of questions, which might be intentional, but one cannot be really sure. It has lots of thrills, though, they are not properly dispersed throughout the whole film, but are built one onto another throughout the film. While that may not provide entertainment non-stop, it becomes rather effective. Overall, pretty good, scary horror, without too much gore, but lots of thrills. Worth the while!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
gegenskiAug 29, 2010
Sometimes scary, many times just plain blah...a little slow, but at times it was even funny...but what did totally make it horrible?? THE ENDING WAS TOTAL C&$P!!!!
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
TheSkaAssassinSep 2, 2010
It was a good movie til the ending. First and second acts were very well done, but all that great build up falls beyond flat in the final act. The characters work, the scenery works brilliantly, the plot works more or less, but all that isIt was a good movie til the ending. First and second acts were very well done, but all that great build up falls beyond flat in the final act. The characters work, the scenery works brilliantly, the plot works more or less, but all that is useless in the end. I am horrified at the critics. How did this get such good reviews?… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
jaxmanjoeSep 7, 2010
The film fed on the idea that the mind and people around a subject can cause the belief that one is possessed. It also leaves you wondering whether the victim in this case is one of these cases or an actual case of possession. It walks a fineThe film fed on the idea that the mind and people around a subject can cause the belief that one is possessed. It also leaves you wondering whether the victim in this case is one of these cases or an actual case of possession. It walks a fine line of religious doubt that is both engaging and suspenseful. Unfortunately, it takes its excellent premise and decides to destroy it in the last ten minutes of the movie. Extremely disappointing ending to an otherwise engaging film. I don't recall the last time a movie so destroyed itself in so little time as this one.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
sailoraideJan 8, 2011
The POV mock-documentary style horror has become something of a favorite of mine. I've never quite understood the denouncement of these films simply because they aren't real. Movies are about suspending reality and this style is no different.The POV mock-documentary style horror has become something of a favorite of mine. I've never quite understood the denouncement of these films simply because they aren't real. Movies are about suspending reality and this style is no different. I remember watching The Blair Witch Project for the first time. I was absolutely convinced that it actually happened. That made the film 100x more enjoyable. While nowhere near as thrilling as Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity, The Last Exorcism is a worthy successor in the genre.


The movie follows Reverend Cotton Marcus, an admittedly fake exorcist and charismatic preacher, as he creates a documentary about his life. As part of the documentary, he selects one of the many requests for his services to be filmed in full. The Last Exorcism follows his efforts to fool a family who believes their little girl is possessed by a demon and eventually leads to a not-so exciting outcome.


As far as thrills go, there are enough to keep a viewer interested. However, I found myself slowly losing focus on the film as it went on. That is to say, it starts strong but finishes weak. In fact, the ending is so predictable and ultimately unsatisfying that my enjoyment of the first half of the movie almost felt wasted. This is really too bad because the film itself has an interesting subject and is really well-developed right up until the end. But as they say in sports, it's "what have you done for me lately," and the final few minutes of the film really ruined it for me.


Still worth watching, but do so with tempered expectations.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
j30Nov 10, 2011
This one prevented me from sleeping easy that night. Although it's not the best documentary-style horror movie we've come accustom to, it still had the same effect that the first Paranormal Activity had me.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
worleyjamersDec 8, 2012
I love mockumentary style films; there's something about that style of film making that's extremely interesting and appealing. Add to that a eerie setting and solid lead performances and you get a good film, right? Meh...while there are someI love mockumentary style films; there's something about that style of film making that's extremely interesting and appealing. Add to that a eerie setting and solid lead performances and you get a good film, right? Meh...while there are some elements of the film that I really liked, there were some inconsistencies that ultimately made this film less effective and it tried to be. There were some nice twists, but the ending didn't add up at all.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
AReviewsJun 20, 2013
"The Last Exorcism" is terrifying and good with an original plot, it is a well made movie, but it has a boring build up and a late climax, but with great performances especially from Ashley Bell and her creepy back bend.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
Meth-dudeSep 3, 2017
While the movie had it's problems, it was still very watchable. The acting was okay for the most part, the effects were well done and the found footage style was original. While I wasn't a big fan of the found footage style they opted to doWhile the movie had it's problems, it was still very watchable. The acting was okay for the most part, the effects were well done and the found footage style was original. While I wasn't a big fan of the found footage style they opted to do for the movie and I'm also not a big fan of the ending, the movie was thoroughly enjoyable. Also, they could've chosen a real 16 year-old girl instead of a 25 year-old one, because i had a hard time believing that she was this young girl entering womanhood. Anyways, if you like possession movies and found footage films, you may appreciate this one.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
FilipeNetoJun 28, 2018
In this film, an evangelical pastor performs his last exorcism, after a lifetime of lies in which he made false exorcisms and cures to make money. What Cotton Marcus did not expect is that his last exorcism was, in fact, the only one whoIn this film, an evangelical pastor performs his last exorcism, after a lifetime of lies in which he made false exorcisms and cures to make money. What Cotton Marcus did not expect is that his last exorcism was, in fact, the only one who would face a real evil that he did not even believe in. From the beginning, the film makes clear that we are seeing a mockumentary, unfinished and with false image editing in the style of "found footage" movies so, when you see the camera shaking this is purposeful. The film also makes great criticisms of evangelical churches, having the courage to say something we all know but rarely can we say out loud: many churches (not just evangelicals) exist only because of the money, transforming themselves into industries of fraud and extortion who treat God as if He were a lawyer or doctor with an office, where He only attends on prepayment. On the other hand, many people with psychological problems or health disorders believe they are possessed or threatened by demons without this really being their problem. Based on these premises, the film shows how a false exorcist deals with a case of true possession, for which he is not minimally prepared because of his lack of faith and opportunism. Although the film is slow at first, this delay is necessary to explain the whole context of what is going to happen next, and for the audience to be stuck with the two central characters. The exorcism was intense and realistic, much closer to a true exorcism than most horror films that approached the subject. The open ending is purposeful, adapting to the film's style and leaving room for the sequel that was made, years later. However, it can leave many people disappointed because it's not very plausible in the way it ends. Patrick Fabian did very well in the role of Pastor Marcus, being perfectly capable of showing his inner conflict, his doubts and his utter unpreparedness to deal with Nell, the possessed young woman, played by Ashley Bell. Young but promising, she was both loving and adorable and perfectly terrifying, when possessed. In short, this is not a perfect movie and is far from having an exceptional quality, but it was a good effort, has merit and courage. It's worth watching.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
HellHoleHorrorJul 20, 2023
It is well written and is scary with lots of atmosphere. The sound design is especially great. But, there are simply too many horror ‘documentaries’ that came out around this time and this makes it forgettable. Plus the ending is an anticlimax.
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