With the release of a teaser poster, The Last Exorcism has gone from being completely off my radar to squarely within my cross hairs.
As my boy over at The Brand New Cool points out, this poster is so creepy it almost makes watching the film pointless. Color me cynical or impressed, perhaps a bit of both, but some part of me thinks this is probably going to be the film’s signature moment of horror, or will at least be related to it.
I can’t exactly pinpoint what quite makes this poster so eerie. The girl bent backwards with the bloodstained dress is obviously a frightening image on its own, but any horror fan has seen much, much worse. Something about the starkness magnifies it beautifully, though. No excessive effects in play to distract from the central image. Washed out gray color scheme. It’s cold and distant and bold and startling all at once. I’m torn on whether or not the crucifix adds anything to the poster, or if it distracts, or if it’s harmless, but otherwise, this is damn near perfect.
I’m unfamiliar with the work of any direct contributors to the film. Eli Roth is apparently producing, but his level of involvement is unknown as yet. This might be awesome, or it might disappoint, but for the moment it certainly has wrested my attention. Well played, Last Exorcism.
EDIT: The trailer was released a few weeks back. Decided I might as well add it here instead of creating an entirely new post. The “mockumentary” approach is a bit of a turnoff, but I’m still willing to give it a chance to impress.
