Fabian plays the Rev. Cotton Marcus, who takes along a documentary crew to a rural farm in Louisiana to document what he thinks will be another rather humdrum routine "exorcism" on one of the many crazy fanatics who write to him, claiming they are possessed by the devil. For years he has made out like a bandit by convincing believers he is doing away with their demons, but for this "final" gig he has decided to do a tell-all movie about the experience and lift the veil on the curtain revealing all the tricks of the trade. Unfortunately, he didn't know what he was getting into when he arrives at the farm of Louis Sweetzer (a fine Louis Herthum) who is convinced his teenage daughter Nell (Ashley Bell) is possessed by Satan. As the "exorcism" progresses, Cotton discovers this may be the real thing, and his documentary turns into a terrifying ride on which he must not only try to save Nell but also himself.
Employing a "Blair Witch"–like approach to telling his story, director Daniel Stamm is armed with an expert script from Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland that makes all this silliness seem utterly plausible: "The Last Exorcism" feels so real it will have you covering your eyes frequently during its hour and a half. What makes the film cook are a couple of performances that stand with the year's best by any definition. Fabian clearly has studied preacher-actor Marjoe, known for a fire-and-brimstone documentary made on his own exploits in 1972 as he toured the revivalist circuit. Fabian brings a lot of that spirit as our guide into this holy terror, expertly weaving from arrogant showman to a guy who finds his act careening out of control into something he never dreamed possible. Fabian gives an enormously entertaining tour de force performance. Opposite him as the object of the exorcism, Bell is equally brilliant, oozing backwoods authenticity and convincingly portraying a young girl whose demons would make even Linda Blair's Regan jump out of her skin. Scenes between the pair are truly chilling in every way, and Stamm's device of letting it play as a film within a film gives great credibility to the performances. The fine cast also includes Caleb Landry Jones as Nell's creepy brother.
In a film full of surprises, there is perhaps none more pleasant than how much "The Last Exorcism" turns out to be a terrifying, well-made, and expertly acted movie.
Genre: Horror. Written by: Huck Botko, Andrew Gurland. Directed by: Daniel Stamm. Starring: Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, Louis Herthum, Caleb Landry Jones.