Luke finds out…
Its not often that Alan Partridge is the go-to guy for sage-like wisdom.
Titanic, Titanic, Partridge screams back.
Save for the hundreds of hours bit, he could have been talking aboutThe Last Exorcism.
And a not very good one, at that.
Its an iceberg that threatens to sink the film.
That it doesnt is testament to the unexpected thrill of the journey up to that point.
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(Spoiler Note: The Last Exorcism does not contain any actual icebergs.
Just a metaphorical one.)
I use the word unexpected becauseThe Last Exorcismarrives on these shores with refreshingly little fanfare.
An Eli Roth presents banner ominously proclaiming its horror credentials was all that I had to go on.
Indeed, the greatest shock to be had within the films first thirty minutes is how funny it is.
The film is sparse in the best possible way.
There are no redundant characters taking up screen time and no unnecessary subplots to pad things out.
Yet, theyre equally adept at the horror too.
The first halfs lightness is balanced with a terrifically dark and disturbing second half.
Theres only one real jump out of your seat moment, Stamm preferring to build slowly and steadily.
All of which would have added up to a great experience but for that iceberg.
Maybe Im over-playing the ending.
Other reviewers might gloss over it and be more forgiving.
He probably wasnt as forgiving as Alan Partridge.
Rating:
3 out of 5
