Recently, I've realized that i've watched 3 movies directly about exorcism, so I'm going to get all Linda Blair up in here and spin some heads. First we got THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE, which was *cough cough * "based on a true story" (BARELY based actually), then the German film REQUIEM which was actually the basis for the first film, although this one is almost directly related to the true story. Lastly, I'll throw in THE LAST EXORCISM (*cymbal crash*).
THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE, ** 1/2 (2005)
Based on the story of a young German girl with epilepsy who allegedly became possessed by a demon in the mid 70s, this film ultimately has nothing more than the thinnest of corroborations between those actual events and a whole lot more with every other typical supernatural horror movie that involves crucifixes and a bunch of screaming. There are a few decent things about the movie, such as plentiful intelligent dialogue that actually does a decent job at bringing up valid religious and social issues that directly effect the way we view science, religion, and mental illness, as well as very solid acting from Tom Wilkinson and plenty of great courtroom melodrama ('Objection! He is...' etc.). However, that's more or less it. The rest of this film suffers heavily from an extended running time (there is NO reason why it needed to be 2 hours long) and an endlessly dreary and predictable cycle of standard horror movie motifs that are recycled ad nauseam. My biggest complaint is about actress Jennifer Carpenter (Emily Rose, who else?), who spends the entire movie basically screaming at the camera and contorting her face into absolutely ridiculous facial poses that are so distracting that I literally laughed out loud during one of the movie's most "intense" moments because her face looked like a deflating blowup doll (I was waiting to hear the air hiss out of her mouth). The rest of the movie spends way too much time on a boring LAW AND ORDER-type subplot about an up and coming lawyer trying to make partner at a law firm and even more time on a ton of ridiculously intrusive CGI demon faces that are peppered throughout the rest of the film for no real purpose other than to scare anyone who hasn't already seen the exact same thing in countless other supernatural horror movies.
REQUIEM, *** 1/2 (2006)
This German film is the very realistic and low key interpretation of the same story that THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE was (very) loosely based upon. However, forget the court room drama, devious lawyers, CGI ridiculousness, obnoxious facial contortions, and the 2 hour running time. Instead, what we are left with is an almost direct and as factually accurate as possible depiction of the real life story of Anneliese Michel, a young German woman whose religious background, medical history, and untimely death were the basis for both films. Whereas the Emily Rose movie forces the viewer at gunpoint to basically acknowledge the presence of evil demons, REQUIEM opts for a much more sedate and meaningful look at what may or may not be a case of extreme mental illness. Unlike its more opulent and inflated counterpart, this movie offers a very quiet, realistic, and at times boring look at the life of a 21 year German pedagogy student (played by an incredible Sandra Huller) whose life unravels as she begins to experience symptoms that could be interpreted as either extreme psychosis or demonic possession. Be warned: there are no fancy special effects or typical horror hysterics, just a powerful and depressing look at human nature and all of its spiritual and mental frailties.
THE LAST EXORCISM, **** 1/2 (2010)
I can not say enough nice things about what a breath of fresh air this movie ended up being when compared to the endless stream of utter shit that has been pumped out into the horror movie genre in the past few years. This film has been quite controversial, not only because of its completely awesome (and banned) movie poster, but also because of its ending, which I will refrain from discussing for fear of spoiling it. Lead actor Patrick Fabian is absolutely wonderful as an incredibly charismatic charlatan who basically makes a living by taking advantage of extremely devout and religious Bible Belt churchgoers and performing exorcisms on those who claim to be 'possessed.' Since he obviously has some moral scruples about his line of work, he allows a documentary team to follow him on his last "exorcism," during which he slowly debunks and reveals the tricks of his trade. All I can say is that what starts off as a mockumentary about fake exorcisms ends in a place where very few recent horror movies have managed to traverse: a long lost land where horror movies are actually scary. It also manages to intelligently address several topics (including mental illness, religious hypocrisy, social isolation, and spirituality) effortlessly without ever being obvious or preachy. Overall, this movie is a love letter to the great 70s horror classics, topped off with an extra side of mid 80s Satanic panic atmosphere. Extra accolades for Ashley Bell and her awesome nightgown / Doc Martens fashion combo.
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