Bryan Bonner isn’t your average horror movie fan.
His work with the Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society gives him a unique perspective on things that go bump in the night.
So WWTW asked him to review “The Last Exorcism,” the new horror film hitting theaters this weekend.
A spectacular film for 77 minutes … even though it is 87 minutes long
I was asked to be part of the duo who both hosted and introduced “The Last Exorcism” at a screening in Denver.
We had the opportunity to explain to a large group of people that everything that they see on TV and Film is not always the reality behind the facts of the case.
Because this was a screening of the film there was an introduction by director Eli Roth, a producer on the film. I thought that this was genius – not only did we get to feel as if we were special in some way but he explained how people who used Twitter to discuss the movie could actually be quoted in future promotions of the film. This is definitely a new way to create a viral campaign.
The movie started and it was amazing how the documentary style felt so authentic. The characters seemed to be very real and their backgrounds were extremely detailed. Because of this I was interested in the main character, a preacher named Cotton (Patrick Fabian). It’s something which has been lacking in most of the characters in today’s special effects driven movies.
The writers of “exorcism” have apparently had some experience with the fraudulent dealings that are ever present in the field of the paranormal. This worked well with some of the stories that we had discussed before the movie about our own dealings with phony exorcists.
As the title of this review suggests, all but the last ten minutes of this film are great. Which makes you wonder, what happened? It reminds me of other movies that have had similar issues. Last year’s “Paranormal Activity” was such a departure from the standard “horror movie” that it was a breath of fresh air. Well… at least till the end.
This is an example of what happens when a large production company decides to “improve” the movie by creating a new ending. I am hoping that this is the case with “The Last Exorcism” and we can see the “directors cut” ending on the DVD.
While I will definitely recommend this movie to all fans of horror/suspense movies, I just wish the ending was able to stand up to the rest of the movie.
(Photo: Ashley Bell stars as ‘Nell Sweetzer’ in “The Last Exorcism.” Photo courtesy of Lionsgate)
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I like the idea that post-production “input” from the studio informed the poor plot resolution that WWTW and his colleagues mention.
Otherwise, I might have to acknowledge that few writers in the industry know how to complete a story – a trend I have noticed in other media, alas.