Horror Movie Review: The Last Exorcism Part II (2013)

Firstly, let me start by saying that this is a sequel to The Last Exorcism (2010) which, it turns out, wasn’t really “the last exorcism” but was actually “the second to last” exorcism but, based on this drivel,  should really have actually been “the last exorcism”.

Confused yet? Well, the paragraph above is about as tested as your mind will be if you are about to throw away a precious 87 minutes of your life on this nonsense.

The film starts with a quick flashback over the previous film to get the viewers who hadn’t seen it up to speed and then continues on from the first with Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) attempting to restart her life after her demons were excorcised in the first film. After being found being troublesome on a couples land in New Orleans, she ends up in a school for troubled girls where she receives treatment/therapy designed to help her realise that her demons aren’t real. Unfortunately for the school, they are, and thus ensues a predictable battle between Nell and the demon, Abalam, trying to reclaim her.

The film really drags for the first 30 mins or so and feels a little confused. I kind of felt like the film wanted to play on the possibility that the demon may be a figment of Nell’s imagination but this makes little sense as they show you the demon very early into the movie so you already know it is.

Filmmaker – “Oooh, is it real, maybe she is crazy. Ooh maybe there is no demon”

Me – “Um, yes, it is real, it is standing right there”

Filmmaker – “Ooh but maybe it’s not real, maybe she is crazy”

Me – “You’re an idiot.

Unlike the first movie, the sequel does away with the mock documentary camcorder style of filming for the more standard 3^rd person style and litters itself with attempts to jump scare people by sudden increase in music volume and flashing images on screen. In terms of horror, you get the typical crab like contortions of the possessed and that is your lot. There is no gore, no scary demons and even the deaths that occur all happen behind closed doors with perhaps a spray of blood appearing on the door window and the sound of someone dying letting you know a character is no longer in the film.

The only real showings of Abalam, the demon, are like in the image below –

Which is quite like (and slightly less scary than) a Lady Gaga outfit.

Ashley Bell works hard and should be commended for her efforts but was always on to a loser with this one. There a few nice little bit parts like Julia Garner (Martha Marcy May Marlene) who plays Nell’s friend and also Calder (David Jenson) and Cecile (Tarra Riggs) who play two exorcists but rather than expand on these more interesting potential stories, they are largely ignored.

All in all, the film is dull. There is nothing wrong with the acting or the filming or the music, it is just dull and to make matters worse, the ending was left quite open and gave the impression that there could yet be a third “Last Exorcism” to follow. Oh joy!

In case you haven’t noticed, I was not impressed at all with this film. It can now join the long list of films in my mind that really didn’t need a sequel and will probably end up with a 3rd part and then a collection of prequels. Do yourself a favour, watch the first film, it is okay, and then pretend this one doesn’t exist.