“MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM” (2022) BRINGS THE THRILLS, CHILLS & LAUGHS TO PRIME VIDEO

Final girls have been a huge part of horror movies throughout the decades. From Nancy in “Nightmare on Elm Street”, Sidney from “Scream”, and even Laurie from the “Halloween” franchise. All these badass and strong women have fought evil, then come out victorious after a horrific final battle. We all root for the final girl in a film. Because of this, more female-driven horror movies have been on the rise for many years.

There are great ones like the “Descent” movies, “Ginger Snaps”, and the classic “Jennifer’s Body” movie. All these have been way enjoyable and really show how strong women are when it comes to dealing with a killer on the loose. No one wants to be added to the growing pile of bodies in a horror movie. We all want to root (for the most part) for all the characters in a horror movie to survive, but sadly that is not always the case. It makes you feel more connected to the final girl when she walks out of the shadows with a look of relief that things are finally over.

We really need more female-driven horror movies. With the small amount out there, they have always been something I have enjoyed. There are of course the ones I mentioned like “Gingersnaps” which is my favorite, but there are movies like the one I watched recently that made me want more of these female-driven horror movies. I recently got the chance to watch “My Best Friend’s Exorcism”. This movie stars Elsie Fisher, Amiah Miller, Rachel Ogechi Kanu, Cathy Ang, Clayton Royal Johnson, and Christopher Lowell. It is directed by Damon Thomas and written by Jenna Lamia. The synopsis for this movie is as follows:

“Surviving the teenage years isn’t easy, especially when you’re possessed by a demon. It’s 1988, and best friends Abby (Elsie Fisher) and Gretchen (Amiah Miller) are navigating boys, pop culture, and a paranormal force clinging to Gretchen like a pair of neon leg warmers. With assistance from overly confident mall exorcist Christian Lemon (Christopher Lowell), Abby is determined to compel the demon back to the pits of hell – if it doesn’t kill Gretchen first. At turns horrifying and hilarious, “My Best Friend’s Exorcism” pays homage to 1980’s pop culture with a totally timeless tale of terror and true friendship. Based on Grady Hendrix’s best-selling novel.”

I will say that I loved every minute of this movie. The characters are well-written and extremely well-performed by the cast. The jokes in this movie land at every point and the homage to the 80s. Not only that, but it is also such a great female-bonding horror movie. You have bonding moments to set up the movie to get to know your two main characters, but you also feel that bond is even stronger before the credits roll, ending the movie. It really is a true “girl power” movie by showing us that the bonds of womanhood and friendship are stronger than any evil out there. Every character in this movie brings their own unique comedy to this movie. They all do so well, and I got to say overall I was really impressed with this movie. Not only that but the acting was very enjoyable and the way every actor portrayed their part really showed that they were bringing it every time the camera rolled.

There were a lot of memorable parts in this movie for me. From start to finish it made me nostalgic for the 80s, the pop culture back then, the 80s teen drama that comes with high school, and really just the fun that the era brought. I would say one of my favorite parts (without spoiling things of course) would be when the exorcism for Gretchen (portrayed by Amiah Miller) is being done by Abby (portrayed by Elsie Fisher) and Christian Lemon (portrayed by Christopher Lowell). Christian ends up saying “Nope, I’m out” when his dead mother is shown by the demon possessing Gretchen. The way he exits is quite funny. Really any scene with him and Abby is so much fun.

Not only that, but when Abby is left alone to perform the exorcism herself, she ends up shouting things like “The power of Boy George compels you”. I got to say that is by far the funniest line in the whole movie. It is one of those parts that you laugh so hard you have to rewind it a couple of times just to keep enjoying it. It totally caught me off guard and usually, that is the best kind of laugh I will get from a movie with some comedy in it. I love the unexpected hilarity that comes with scenes like that, and it gets extra points from me when it happens. Plus, there is nothing wrong with the greatness that is a good horror comedy.

Horror comedies are a great way to enjoy some of the “lighter side” of horror and usually, the cast, as well as the story is very enjoyable. It is one of the reasons I enjoy all the aspects of horror. There are a lot of great horror comedies out there like “Idle Hands”, “Shaun of the Dead”, “Cabin in the Woods” and so many more. I would put this movie up there in my top 5 favorite horror-comedies for sure. This movie deserves a lot of recognition and then some for being a well-done movie. It is most likely going to be one of those movies I will enjoy more than once. It may be one of those I will end up adding to my Halloween rooster as a mix between gruesome horror movies and the ones that are more light-hearted like this one. It may seem like this is one of those b rated horror comedies just by looking at the movie art of this, but it is far from it. Clearly, this is a high recommend from me and I really hope you all get a chance to enjoy it.

“My Best Friend’s Exorcism” is now available on Prime Video. Be sure to add it to your watch list this Halloween season.

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