.

The Last Exorcism

Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell

Directed by Daniel Stamm
Rolling Stone: star rating
5 3
Community: star rating
5 3 0
August 26, 2010

For a movie made from spare parts — take The Exorcist and attach to The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal ActivityThe Last Exorcism delivers the heebie-jeebie goods. In mock documentary style (the film purports to be found footage), director Daniel Stamm follows the Rev. Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian), a disillusioned minister, on his last case of demonic possession. His focus is teenager Nell (Ashley Bell), down at the eerily remote Sweetzer farm. Her daddy (Louis Herthum) thinks something is amiss, what with the livestock dying and all. Cotton is skeptical. He performs exorcisms but thinks they're a crock. Then stuff starts flying, including intimations of devil worship, incest and I better shut up before the devil gets me for spoilers. Fabian performs way beyond scary-movie duty as the Rev., blending laughs with goose bumps at the best times, meaning when you least expect it. Stamm and producer Eli Roth (Hostel) can be trusted to exceed the PG-13 limits at every turn. It's not just the hand-held camera that will shake you up. The Last Exorcism gives you good reason to be very afraid of the dark.

prev
Movie Review Main Next

ADD A COMMENT

Community Guidelines »
loading comments

loading comments...

COMMENTS

Sort by:
    Read More

    Movie Reviews

    More Reviews »
    Daily Newsletter

    Get the latest RS news in your inbox.

    Sign up to receive the Rolling Stone newsletter and special offers from RS and its
    marketing partners.

    X

    We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.

    Song Stories

    “All Along the Watchtower”

    The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

    Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

    More Song Stories entries »