THE LAST EXORCISM PART II (Ed Gass-Donnelly). 88 minutes. Opens Friday (March 1). See listings. Rating: NN
The Last Exorcism Part II is a direct sequel to the 2010 original, so stop reading now if you haven’t seen the first, because here comes the spoiler.
Nell (Ashley Bell), the designated victim from the first flick, has escaped the horror in the woods and fled to a shelter in New Orleans, but it isn’t long before the creepy culties and supernatural manifestations start lurking and looming. They want her back.
This is where the monotony sets in. Too many scare scenes offer nothing but shock cuts and loud noises.
Lacking the unique characters, the faith-versus-fraud tension and the doubt over the reality of Nell’s possession that made LE1 lively and scary, Bell is left to carry the movie alone with a haggard face and careworn stance that make her look twice her age.
The grand finale, which you can take as a set-up for a sequel, or not, happens largely off-screen. I suspect the reasons were more budgetary than creative.
