If you believe in God, then you must believe in the Devil. That is the powerful and thought provoking tagline for The Last Exorcism and in some ways, is absolutely true.

For the Reverend Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian), he capitalizes on people's fear of the Devil and tricks them into giving him their money. In one of his final "cons," Cotton decides to take a documentary crew with him and explain all the details regarding the exorcisms he performs. Typically he uses some smoke and mirrors to make the people believe that the Devil has been cast out and everything returns to normal. This final exorcism of his isn't like the rest though. If you don't believe in God, you will by the end of this film.

The film claims to be "found footage" much like The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, and many others. This means that the camera will continually be out of focus or off frame and that there will be a lot of running around involved. It does give the film more of that real feeling but in the end, it's just another movie. 

There are only a handful of characters in the film and most of them can be forgettable. Patrick Fabian plays your stereotypical evangelical minister we've seen on early morning public access channels. Everything he says and does is over the top and even in the most dire of situations, he manages to crack a joke every now and then.

The real credit goes to Ashley Bell who plays the possessed Nell. Her acting ability coupled with the shaky camera effects will make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. One scene involves her contorting her body in what seems like impossible positions and from what I've read, there are no CGI or special effects used. Bell's performance convinces you that what is happening on screen is real and frightening.

The Last Exorcism is the latest in a long line of  films depicting people possessed by demons or the Devil yet it still manages to create those gasping moments and leave you with chills that night. The execution could have been a little better with more scenes like the barn ritual. Regardless, you'll come out looking over your shoulder for the man with the pointy tail and pitchfork.

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