The Last Exorcism Part II

 

Let's be honest, when it comes to movies about exorcisms, pretty much everything that can be done in them has been done.  The movies inevitably revolve around the same themes or scenes - A young woman is possessed by some kind of demonic entity.  Throw in a lot of booming noises and monstrous laughter on the soundtrack, while the woman looks around scared, wondering if she is losing her mind.  Make sure to throw in a lot of religious imagery. (Crucifixes are a must.)  And obviously, end with an exorcism to expel the demon, but make sure there's at least room for a sequel in case the opening weekend box office is strong.

Unlike other genres of horror, the exorcism movie is pretty rigid in its structure, and has to contain at least these core elements.  It's this sameness of the genre that lets The Last Exorcism Part II down.  On the whole, the movie's not exactly good, but it's not the worst thing out there.  I've seen much worse.  But boy, is it ever rigid and predictable.  It so slavishly follows the example of past movies just like it that it doesn't matter if there's a good performance or two in here.  It also doesn't help that the movie's just not that scary.  Here is yet another horror film that relies solely on loud noises for its shock and jolt value.  Strip away all the loud noises and the booming demonic laughter that seems to come from the walls, and you're left with very little.

The one interesting thing this movie does do is change its format from 2010's The Last Exorcism.  If you recall, that was a "found footage" film, along the lines of the Paranormal Activity franchise.  Even though this film is intended as a direct continuation of that film, it is now a traditional narrative-driven movie, without any handheld camera gimmick.  We're reunited with sweet, frightened heroine Nell (Ashley Bell), who is still pretty shook up by the fact her family used her in a satanic ceremony to give birth to a demon baby at the end of the last film.  We don't really find out what happened to that baby, but we do follow Nell as she is discovered by authorities, and sent for a very brief stay at a mental hospital.  When she arrives, she's catatonic and prone to sudden bursts of screaming, but a quick jump cut later, and Nell is suddenly healthy enough to leave the hospital, and live at a home for troubled young women.  At the home, Nell makes friends with some of the girls, gets a job cleaning rooms at a local hotel, and is ready to leave her past behind her.

We never really get a sense of Nell's treatment.  We see her talking to the kindly old man who runs the home about her problems once in a while, but outside of that, she seems free to roam the streets of New Orleans with her new friends or by herself, and even strike up a possible relationship with a guy from work (Spencer Treat Clark).  Her efforts to lead a normal life are soon put to the test when it appears that the demon who once possessed her is not exactly willing to let her go.  He harasses her on the phone, on the radio, at work, and even pays unwelcome visits late at night when she is trying to sleep.  Nell is starting to lose all hope, but when it all seems lost, a random black woman who she's only met once before runs up to her on the street, and explains that she knows what's wrong with her, and how to fix it.

You know, I'm starting to regret the fact that I called Beautiful Creatures a strong title holder for the silliest movie of 2013 just a couple weeks ago.  Had I known what The Last Exorcism Part II had in store for me, I would have held my tongue.  This is a hard movie to take seriously at times, especially late in the film, when Nell goes through a religious ritual designed to draw the demon out of her body, and have it enter the body of a nearby chicken.  Sadly, the movie denies us the pleasure of seeing a chicken possessed by an ancient evil. (Now THERE'S a horror movie I would like to see.) The one thing that holds everything together and held my interest is the lead performance by Ashley Bell.  She does a great job of drawing sympathy out of an obviously thinly written character.  If she's able to sell material like this, I would love to see her tackle a more complex character in a real movie.

 

Outside of her performance, nobody gets to make much of an impression, as the screenplay seems to introduce side characters, then toss them aside without any explanation.  Most of this movie revolves around Nell looking afraid as loud noises explode all around her.  Eventually, we do get the promised exorcism, but I don't know if it will be the "last", as the ending seems to heavily hint at the possibility of a Part III.  This is fairly disposable junk with a strong lead performance, some decent production values, and that's about it.

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