It’s surprising that Mike Flanagan has yet to helm a found footage film. Why do I say that? I say that because the Oculus director is a staunch supporter of the aforementioned filmmaking technique and has historically praised plenty of features shot in the POV filmmaking style. Flanagan keeps a running Letterboxd list that features his favorite horror films, and a surprising number of the selections are found footage. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum and The Outwaters are two that come to mind right off the top of my head. Another such example is Daniel Stamm’s somewhat divisive found footage horror The Last Exorcism.
That’s right, Mike Flanagan counts The Last Exorcism among his favorite horror films of all time. Perhaps he digs the unorthodox approach to exorcism cinema that eschews convention and puts the viewer right in the heart of the action. Or perhaps, like this critic, he digs lead actor and certified snack Patrick Fabian’s rugged good looks. Who are we to judge? And more importantly, why would we?
If you’ve slept on this one because of the found footage fatigue that was setting in by 2010, perhaps now is the perfect time to give it a shot. The flick is currently available to stream for free on Prime Video, after all. So, what have you got to lose?
After years of gulling the faithful, cleric Cotton Marcus (Fabian) feels remorse and decides to expose his chicanery by filming a documentary. With a crew in tow, Marcus arrives at the Louisiana farm of devout Louis Sweetzer (Louis Herthum), who believes that his daughter, Nell (Ashley Bell), is possessed. When the usual stunts fail, he realizes that he is face-to-face with real evil and must summon true faith to protect Nell, the others, and himself from demonic power.
So, there you have it, dear reader, Mike Flanagan loves The Last Exorcism and you may find yourself similarly taken with the picture should you opt to check it out. If you’re keen to do so, you can find the flick on Prime Video presently.
Stay tuned to the site for more enticing updates, asides, and recommendations from your favorite genre cinema heavyweights as we unearth them. In the meantime, if you would like to keep up with my shenanigans on social media, you can find me on Threads as @FunWithHorror.
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