Starring: Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, Louis Herthum, Caleb Landry Jones, Tony Bentley, Adam Grimes
Directed by Daniel Stamm
Produced By Eli Roth
Rated: PG-13
Run Time: 90 mins
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
3 frames out of 5
Rev. Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) has come from a long line of exorcists in his family. He has seen all sorts of cases but mostly wants to expose exorcism for what it is – a psychological manifestation conjured up by someone that is disturbed in some fashion.
Cotton is a born entertainer so when he sets out expose exorcism; he is also suffering from a crisis of faith. He gets tons of letters each week and when one certain letter arrives from Louis Sweetzer (Louis Herthum) desperate to get the demon out of his daughter Nell (Ashley Bell), Cotton sees this as a perfect opportunity to make some extra cash & give the documentary film crew, Iris (Iris Bahr) and cameraman a good show.
When he arrives out in the desolate area that the Sweetzer farm resides on, Cotton is over confident, thinking this will be a cake walk job. He performs the exorcism with all of his fanfare leaving Nell and Louis think that Cotton has performed a miracle. Nell’s brother, Caleb (Caleb Landry Jones) knows that Cotton is a fake but goes along with the charade for his smug satisfaction. Cotton and the crew leave and all seems well in the Sweetzer household.
In the middle of the night, Cotton wakes to find Nell in his hotel room in a catatonic state. Cotton truly concerned and confused take Nell to the hospital to get her examined and hopefully admitted. He soon realizes that he is in way over his head but doesn’t want to perform another exorcism. Louis demands that another one be performed and that’s when things get really freaky. Nell’s artwork and behavior grow increasingly more bizarre as do the circumstances, players and situations that make up Nell’s life. Can Cotton & crew make it out with their lives or will their faith be restored in the supernatural?
This movie you will either love or hate it. For those with a more refined horror movie pallet, I found it to be a lot of build up with not a lot of release (horror movie blue balls to say) where you are anticipating something so horrifying and shocking but nothing truly scary or starling happens. I am not a fan of the horror genre. It never made sense to me why people would pay money to see sick and twisted things all to get a thrill. Turn on the news – you can get all of that for free. But I do understand the escapism element to the equation, so I concede. Regardless, if you are a fan of movies such as The Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity you will enjoy this. If not, and you were one of those who thought the aforementioned movies were lame, skip this one. Those that are more religiously or spiritually inclined may want to sit this one as it does go into some questionable material that may offend or freak you out.
Things to watch for: Crazy looking possession scene in the barn; Great performances by Patrick Fabian & Ashley Bell; the last scene of the movie which made it pay off.
Who should see this movie: Fans of horror movies in the style of Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity.
See it in the Theater or Rent it on DVD: Coin Toss – which ever floats your boat.
