Daniel Stamm
L'Ultimo Esorcismo

Over the years, we have witnessed the mad proliferation of insipid "horror" films, stuffed with recycled ideas. Films already seen in the '70s, but also in the '80s, '90s...

All horror subgenres have undergone this sort of metastasis, this unprecedented "poisoning," born from a cinematic market that, like other sectors of the entertainment industry, now has the ultimate power over the production of certain types of works. But the amusing thing is that "The Last Exorcism" by Daniel Stamm (2010) also presents itself as an independent and low-budget film, and the film's "documentary style" seems almost to highlight to the viewer "see what great results we achieved without a penny." Now, overlooking the budget question, what's already inherently somewhat unbelievable is the decision to center the film around camera footage, after genre films like "The Blair Witch Project," "REC" and its sequels, and the various "Paranormal Activity" (just to name the most famous) have now cleared an idea that initially might have also been interesting. In addition to the questionable technical choice, the film in question once again "investigates" a subgenre that has already given everything (too much?) to cinema. "The Last Exorcism" does not open a new door among exorcism films, has nothing original, but borrows heavily from past works. Raise your hand if, seeing the scene on the farm, you didn't think of "The Exorcism Of Emily Rose" by Derrickson, perhaps the last work in the genre worthy of mention.

Another negative note is linked to the more than questionable acting performances. Except for the young Ashley Bell (who plays the possessed girl), the rest of the ensemble doesn't convince at all and almost gives the sensation of a film made for fun, lacking the right professionalism.

So, despite the pretense of presenting itself as an independent low budget, Stamm's "The Last Exorcism" draws heavily from past works and does so by relying on a proven formula for success. It is no coincidence that it grossed about 60 million dollars worldwide. Just a pinch of "marketing strategy" is enough to profit from an embarrassingly poor idea set.

May the devil preserve us from future fits of vomiting.