Prime Time: My Best Friend's Exorcism (2022)

Writer Grady Hendrix has been developing a strong fanbase for a number of years. I have yet to get to his fiction work, unfortunately, but already count myself as a fan thanks to this superb non-fiction work, Paperbacks From Hell, a book all about the kind of books I used to grab at every car boot sale. I had forgotten all about them, and forgotten my love for them, but reading about those titles, and seeing some pictures of the lurid cover art, re-ignited a fire in me that had lain dormant for decades. And I know many others felt the same way.

But that book is not the source for this movie. To the surprise of nobody, My Best Friend’s Exorcism is based on the popular Hendrix book entitled . . . My Best Friend’s Exorcism.

Elsie Fisher plays Abby Rivers, a young woman who is best friend with Gretchen Lang (Amiah Miller). The two are inseparable, supporting one another as they prepare themselves for Gretchen moving away in the summer. This is their chance to make more memories together. In an unwise move, they decide to have a seance AND try acid. It isn’t long until things get spooky, Abby and Gretchen end up in a spooky, abandoned, building, and Gretchen becomes possessed by an evil spirit. Abby doesn’t initially realise this, she just sees her friend changing beyond recognition, but she eventually figures everything out. And an exorcism is required.

Adapted from the source material into screenplay form by Jenna Lamia, My Best Friend’s Exorcism is an upbeat and fun horror comedy. But, and it is a big but, I am saying this as someone who, as mentioned above, not yet read the book. I have already seen comments from other people, who have read and enjoyed the book, stating that this doesn’t do right by Hendrix, with the third act playing out more comedically than expected. I admit that I didn’t find anything scary, but I assumed from the title that the emphasis would always be on the comedy, and the juxtaposition of this horror happening to some teenage girls.

Director Damon Thomas handles everything well enough. The visuals are bright and clear, for the most part (things get darker for the exorcism scenes), there are a few well-placed ‘80s hits on the soundtrack, and the focus throughout stays on teenagers being teenagers, working with a script that works with the standard problems that feel like a much heavier burden when you are in high school (acne, popularity levels, bullies, hiding something you enjoy that has become uncool, etc). Thomas has spent many years working in TV, and has delivered a number of great small-screen moments that aim for a cinematic quality, and his (sorta) feature debut shows how comfortable he is in the director’s chair.

The cast also help a lot. Fisher and Miller are believable friends, different enough to show that their bond developed naturally some years before society would try to keep them divided. I have enjoyed Fisher in everything she has been in, and I will continue to watch anything she does. Rachel Ogechi Kanu and Cathy Ang are both good fun as Margaret and Glee, respectively, two peers who end up being seriously affected by a scheming, possessed, Gretchen. Others also do well, whether they are playing douchebag boyfriends or concerned parents, but the other person to single out is Christopher Lowell, playing Christian Lemon. His character is part of a religious group trying to keep youngsters from straying towards bad habits, and he ends up playing a major part in the third act. I enjoyed his performance, despite the fact that it felt out of sync with the rest of the film. It felt as if that was by design, similar to John Goodman barging in and bringing extra fun into Arachnophobia. Lowell is no Goodman (nobody can match him on his best days, frankly), but he is doing what is asked of him, and it amused me. 

I won’t rush to rewatch this, although I wouldn’t find it too painful if someone made me, but I will look forward to any future adaptations of Hendrix novels. He seems to come up with great concepts, and maybe I will have actually read his books before another film comes along. Which might give me a different perspective. In the meantime, this was good. It just wasn’t great, and I think a lot of people were hoping it would be great.

6/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews

Prime Time: Crooked House (2008)

Originally shown on TV in three episodes over three subsequent evenings, before being packaged presented as one omnibus a few days later, Crooked House is a polished and handsome ode to the classic horror anthologies of yesteryear. It's a blend of Hammer and Amicus with a nice spoonful of the M. R. James classics also mixed in. It's only real problem is being a bit too precious about the material, erring on the side of the classy when it could have been fun to have some more ridiculousness and bloodshed on display (if you're going to do an ode to Amicus, in particular, then it feels like a missed opportunity to not involved a dismembered hand at some point).

The tale is simple. Ben Morris (Lee Ingleby) has found an antique door knocker. When he takes it to a local museum, the curator (Mark Gatiss) recognises it as having once been attached to a notorious, cursed house, the recently demolished Geap Manor. He tells Ben a couple of tales from the history of the door knocker, one involving some poorly-chosen wainscoting and the other involved a ghostly bride, but those end up being nothing more than light distractions once the third tale starts to unfold. The third tale isn't one that Ben is told. It is one that he is part of, and he soon realises that a horror may be trying to reach through the many years of the past to get to him in the present.

Also written and co-produced by Gatiss, which is obvious as soon as you start to hear some of the wonderful dialogue being delivered, this is an interesting film, one that feels as if it is overstretching slightly while trying to straddle the large gap between the past and the present day. It's either coincidence or clever meta writing that has the content reflected by the presentation (knowing Gatiss, I would lean towards the latter there), but the fact that the end result ends up being successful is just as much down to the cast as it is to the writing and direction (from Damon Thomas).

The first tale has the most treats. Philip Jackson is the man having his home renovated, after making a fortune in a deal that ruined others, and drove one to suicide. The wainscoting that will drive him to distraction is made all the more effective thanks to the great performance from Jackson, who is full of bluster and self-importance. He is joined in a number of scenes by Andy Nyman and Julian Rhind-Tutt, both a lot of fun in their roles, and Beth Goddard steals a couple of moments as a widow pointing a finger of accusation at Jackson's character. The second tale doesn't really have any standout performances, and is the least enjoyable of the three we get here, but it does well with the atmosphere and imagery. Thankfully, Ingleby and Gatiss do great work, and Daniela Denby-Ashe also helps things along with her pivotal supporting role.

Although I wish there was a bit more here, in terms of the scares and blood, I also recognise that this is being crafted in line with the more traditional, and restrained, ghost stories that form the bedrock of a wonderfully spooky tradition (the ghost story at Christmas, which is why this was first shown on TV at that time of year). It's just a shame when the film/episodes veer between feeling like a wonderful homage and feeling like an academic exercise, the balancing act proving to be occasionally too much for Gatiss.

ALSO, a minor note, it would have been nice to see one of the tales have more of a seasonal feel. Not essential, but an extra layer of autumnal chill would have been most welcome. Maybe that's just me though, and maybe not helped by me watching this in the midst of summer.

7/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews