My Best Friend’s Exorcism
Rating – 2.5/4
*SPOILERS*
Best friends. We need them, we love them, and we’d do anything for them. Right? But what happens when one of them gets possessed by a demon? Then what do you do? And what do you do when no one believes you, especially the hardline Christians that include your best friend’s parents? You take matters into your own hands, that’s what. But does the movie have a good grasp?
Based on the horror comedy novel by Grady Hendrix and starring Elsie Fisher, Amiah Miller, Cathy Ang, and Rachel Ogechi Kanu, My Best Friend’s Exorcism follows Abby (Fisher) and Gretchen (Miller), two girls who have been best friends since childhood. They’ve shared everything, from a love of Boy George, to movies, to adventuring, and to getting in trouble. All in the backdrop of the Eighties at a strict Christian academy.
But during a girls’ weekend full of LSD, drinking, and partying, Abby and Gretchen stumble upon a mysterious cabin in the woods where a young girl was allegedly sacrificed to Satan. Suddenly, Gretchen is mysteriously attacked, goes missing, and upon her return, she’s…different. She’s cold, distant, mean, and quite possibly possessed by a demon. Isolated from her regular friends and family, only her best friend can save her.
I myself have actually read the book and loved it. I loved the comedy, the horror of being alone, and the recurring themes of friendship set in the backdrop of a super religious southern town. Being a fan of Eighties movies and shows like Stranger Things, I was interested in seeing how this would translate to the big screen.
Well…
For one, there’s the lack of horror. The demon that possesses Gretchen looks like the love child between Gollum and the Demogorgon and is rather silly. The movie also never lets us use our imagination and has to tell us every event. What happened to “show, don’t tell?” But what the movie really doesn’t take advantage of is the time period and skims over everything. Satanic Panic, attitudes towards drugs and drinking, religion, and the feelings of losing your best friend are only briefly touched upon. We don’t see the things we should, and see the things we shouldn’t.
Second are the characters. Abby and Gretchen are okay, but I wanted more of their friendship. They might watch movies and share similar interests, but they never felt like best friends. But then there’s Glee’s (Ang) and Margaret’s (Kanu) characters. Besides both being underutilized and underdeveloped, Margaret is obsessed with her weight and Glee is secretly a lesbian. Again, how about embracing the Eighties attitudes towards body image and sexuality? But it’s never really touched. Even Wallace, Margaret’s horny, dumb jock boyfriend isn’t prominent, unlike the book, and disappears without explanation.
With the missing material, it’s hard to connect to the story. It’s almost like the movie was too afraid to touch certain subjects. You can’t just go halfway and stop. You’ve got to fully commit.
And that’s the problem with the film. It feels only half-full and only scratches the surface of what it could be. It’s less of a complete story and more of the SparkNotes of the book translated to screen with the supporting bits erased. Everything feels brushed over and never explored fully. I understand that not everything in a book translates to film and things need to be changed or cut, but there was enough material here to make it work. Sadly, it didn’t.
But if there is one positive, it’s Amiah Miller’s performance as Gretchen. It’s entertaining, creepy, funny, and everything the movie should’ve been. She can go from a scared girl, to a downright BITCH in seconds. At her kindest, she’s a normal teenager. But at her evilest, she’s manipulative, charming, and unsettling. She might not be Regan MacNeil, but I can definitely buy that she’s possessed. The scene where she pisses in a trashcan in defiance of the teacher was the crowning moment. Miller might not have saved the film, but she perfectly understood the character from the book, and she has my applause.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism isn’t empty, but isn’t fulfilling. I wanted more. More friendship, more Eighties nostalgia, and a deeper exploration of its themes. While it was a mostly faithful adaptation, it left out too much for it to truly shine. The execution wasn’t bad, but didn’t fire completely. It might not be all bad and does have decent entertainment value, mainly from Miller, but only marginally so. It might not need any holy water or crucifixes, but could’ve at least used a few rewrites.