Thaindian News

By Meena Kar
Aug 28, (THAINDIAN NEWS) ‘The Last Exorcism’ has not only been one of the most talked about horror flicks in the last one week but also the most debated since its release. Netizens all over have asked several questions about the movie and especially the ending where things are shown to be going completely haywire. Considering that the poster of the movie said ‘Believe in Him’, there was an obvious indication that Satan was involved in the plight of Nell Sweetzer, the innocent 16 year old who was possessed. At the end, however, the film plunges into chaos and the ‘Mockumentary’ style of shooting makes it even more chaotic and claustrophobic for the audience.

‘The Last Exorcism’ is shot in the form of a documentary where a crew with a camera follow a priest named Cotton Marcus as he decides to undertake his last exorcism. He claims at the beginning of the movie that he himself thinks that exorcisms are a ’sham’ and nothing but a theatrical performance to fuel the superstitions of the ignorant. At the end of the film, his beliefs are seen to be shaken as the bizarre case of Nell Sweetzer takes a more sinister and complex turn.

Throughout the film the question looms whether Nell Sweetzer was actually possessed or it was a psychological disorder. In the last 15 minutes it is revealed that she was raped and pregnant and the local pastor eventually throws into the bonfire the ‘thing’ that comes out of her womb. The entire village is shown to be performing a Satanic ritual and the camera crew is apparently killed as well. The grainy video footage gives it a more myopic horror and finally the audience is forced to recognize the presence of an evil supernatural power.