If you take to the internet and try to find out how many films concerning exorcism there are in existence, you will be quite surprised; there are far fewer than you think. Even fewer of these are films that concern purely exorcism , many will just have included incidents of demonic possession or the undead. However, there is a very good reason for this.

From the moment the credits rolled on the Exorcist, many knew the horror genre had changed permanently. Not only was this arguably the most frightening film to grace the screen, Friedkin added some aspects that had rarely been included in horror, emotion, reason and heart. Despite bringing her daughter to every medical authority she could find, Chris MacNeil is forced to turn to the local priest when all other options are exhausted, only to discover a horrible truth; her daughter is possessed.

With The Exorcist firmly in the public conscious, not only were many afraid to touch the material again, there almost seemed like there was no point. No other film would be able to explore the issues involved and surrounding the Catholic Church and its demons like that, there genuinely was nowhere for them to go.

Both the Last Exorcism and The Last Exorcism Part II have proved that point entirely. espite the original approach in the first film by treating the subject matter almost like a documentary, the second film has placed the franchise firmly in the back in the realm of cliché. If you have not seen the original, unfortunately in this case it might provide an important background for the second instalment. On top of that, it is just a much better film.

The second film picks up pretty much exactly where the last film ended, Nell has escaped the cult who have been using her to worship the damned and is taken in by a small home that look after lost girls in New Orleans. At first, she seems genuinely happy and is adjusting to her new life, but it seems the demon that has haunted her has tracked her down. Nell is reaching the end of her sanity when she is approached by a medium who promises she can help. However, when she tries to find someone who can perform an exorcism on Nell, the evil force reveals its plan.

The main thought to take away from this is that the title is very misleading as this seems very far from being a “last exorcism.” Besides that, the plot is entirely ludicrous, a film that has clearly been designed to cash in on its previous instalment with little or no thought given to the current one.

Ashley Bell gives a reasonably fine performance but nothing to write home about, her character permanently playing the timid frightening girl which just becomes boring after a period of time. Almost every cliché in the horror book has been used to create enough jumps throughout the feature, but the last twenty films descend into the absolutely mental.

Cheap and gimmicky, horror films are refusing to put in even the slightest of efforts, often creating a trailer that is much better than the finished product.

Just rent the Exorcist again.