The Last Exorcism Part 2 (2013)

As my week rolls on, I am moving closer toward my 1000th post here at The Ringmaster’s Realm. While I am not sure what flick will receive that honor, I am keeping an eye toward the future. Hopefully, I can find some type of decent indie flick to fill that spot. Until then, I must continue to push forward. My next selection is the 2013 sequel, The Last Exorcism Part 2.

Plot/ As Nell Sweetzer tries to build a new life after the events of the first movie, the evil force that once possessed her returns with an even more horrific plan.

I was not a huge fan of the first film. Yes, it was somewhat entertaining and had potential, but that potential was never realized. This movie was definitely an unneeded sequel and a film that had more than its share of issues. On top of that, it also lacked the spirited marketing campaign. Sure, there were some positives. The acting was solid and the cinematography was good, but the overall positives went away after that.  There was something missing in this movie, even in the unrated version that I watched.  The storyline felt forced and disjointed, there was no atmosphere or tension, and there was never any scares or terror. Honestly, it was one of the lamest sequels I have watched in some time. To me, this was a terrible attempt at a horror movie by a group that had a solid budget ($5 million). If you want to watch something involving and exorcism, check out the Discovery Channel, you may be able to find something with some more teeth. 

The Last Exorcism (2010)

After some debate between Resident Evil, Piranha and the Last Exorcism, I ended up deciding on the Last Exorcism. It had been a while since seeing something in the theatre and felt it was time. Reading no reviews and armed with popcorn, it was time to see what Eli Roth had in store. Although, it would be nice to see more stuff, if only there was a like-minded horror fanatic in the local area…

Plot / A troubled evangelical minister agrees to let his last exorcism be filmed by a documentary crew. There is really nothing about an exorcism. The Reverend Cotton Marcus never even performs a true exorcism; he is a fraud trying to prove there are no such things as demon possessions. He just watches this girl be possessed by a demon, and does not do anything.

This is a great example of what a perfect marketing campaign can do, especially when the promos and posters are deceiving. In all, I found the story very sound and entertaining. However, it was the overall lack of scariness, gore or any type of horror elements that turned me off. As I mentioned as soon as I saw it, if I turned on Discovery, I could see something similar without spending money on a ticket. For that, I guess the filmmakers should be applauded, Yes, there are some religious inconsistencies, and some of the acting is a bit too much. Nevertheless, there are some good points with character development in the beginning that are at fun. Some of the physical ailments that inflict Nell are pretty good and there is enough comedy thrown in to make it laughable. To me, this wasn’t a terrible horror movie, but, in reality, it was not a horror movie in the first place. This is actually a decent film for the Netflix cue; add some popcorn and it will be an entertaining 90 minutes on your couch.