The Last Exorcism: Part II

This is easily the most unfortunately named movie of the past few years.  How can there be another last exorcism?  It's either the last one or not.

 

Despite kinda enjoying the first "Last Exorcism" (the second to last exorcism?), the title had me in a negative mindset.  Plus, I only kinda liked that first movie and sequels are rarely better than the originals.  Turns out "The Last Exorcism: Part II" is that rare creature.

 

TLE:P2 (good acronym) starts off on entirely the wrong foot.  There's a pre-title prologue involving a man and woman trying to find the source of strange noises in their house.  It is a scene so heavy packed with jump scares that it quickly becomes obnoxious.  But after a few minutes of screeching violins and people calling each others names because they got separated in their own house and forgot that it's 2013 and they have electric lights, the movie actually starts.  And it's a solid movie.

 

TLE:P2 is ultimately a tale of unrequited love and a woman's journey to find her true identity.  The cool thing is while that sounds more like a Julia Roberts movie, just throw a demon in the mix and you get an interesting cinematic cocktail.

 

The story is pretty generic (not necessarily a bad thing in horror movies).  We follow Nell a few months after the events of the first movie.  She's in a mental institution.  She getting back to normal.  She's got a job, friends, maybe even a boyfriend.  The stage is set for her demon to return.

 

The best thing TLE:P2 does is to throw out the "found footage"/fake documentary thing right away.  Every minute of it is a real movie with actual cinematography.  And it grants the movie the ability to craft an atmosphere.  TLE:P2 is less scary as it is spooky.  It relies more on creepy lighting and unsettling images than gore or screams.  It feels like a movie from the early 90s.  It has many elements reminiscent of "The Prophecy" or "Candyman." 

 

Ashley Bell is great in this movie.  In the first movie, she was as good as people can be in the "found footage" format.  But here, she gets to explore a character.  She maintains an innocence that serve to make her demonic outbursts so unsettling.  I hope we see her in more roles.  TLE:P2 would not work without her skilled performance.

 

Now, trying to sell a horror movie as being light on the blood and being about love may not draw too many in.  There are plenty of horror fans who appreciate a movie that is a little more story-driven, but I encourage even those who think of the "Saw" series as great horror to check this one out.  The actual exorcism is performed by a voodoo priestess, a paramedic, and a guy who is basically old John Constantine.  And that's not even the coolest part.

 

6.5 out of 10