Semi-Review: The Last Exorcism

Since our pals Rob and Maven covered this film extensively in fancy podcast form, it took me a while to see this film. Though they had warned me, the appearance of this film on numerous horror top ten lists fueled the fires of curiosity and, with the recent home video release, it seemed like the time to experience The Last Exorcism for myself. I have to say, we have chosen our correspondents well, friends. Maven and Rob were not only right on the money, I am proposing we go one step further and offer a service that may right the wrongs committed by this film. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

I'd like to reiterate and summarize the points made in the podcast review of this film:
1) Patrick Fabian is fantastic as the faith-challenged Rev. Cotton Marcus.
2) The authentic feel of the film is effective and creepy, and even surprising in some of the turns made by director Daniel Stamm and writers Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland. They should be immensely proud of 82 minutes of this film.
3) The Last Exorcism commits the single greatest act of cinematic suicide I've seen on film in the past year. The last five minutes of this movie dispense the preceding 82 for a finale that borders on the offensive. And not because of content. For the lack of thematic consistency it displays, the complete casting off of its star and a final shot that drains us completely of the tension and sympathy we had been building towards.

So, 82 minutes... fantastic. Last five... it's going to tick you off. But I would rather light a candle than curse the darkness, so here is what we at Last Blog propose. If you haven't seen The Last Exorcism, feel free to do so. At a point in the final act, you will see Cotton, the documentarian and the cameraman hide behind some bushes with a fire in the distance. This is when things go wrong. Stop the film at this moment. Come back to us here at Last Blog and say, "I want the better ending." You will then be provided, in the comments section, with a better version of the ending. I won't promise it will be a good ending, only that it will be a better ending than the one currently attached. You're welcome.