JP Nunez
I was really excited about My Best Friend’s Exorcism. The premise alone had me hooked, so I requested a screener before I even saw the trailer. Then, when the trailer finally came out, I got even more pumped for this movie. It looked like a hilarious horror comedy that would perfectly blend uproarious laughs with one of my favorite horror subgenres, so I absolutely couldn’t wait to check it out.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism was directed by Damon Thomas, and it stars Elsie Fisher, Amiah Miller, Cathy Ang, Rachel Ogechi Kanu, Cynthia Evans, and Christopher Lowell. It’s set in the late 1980s, and as the title suggests, it’s about a teenage girl named Gretchen who becomes demonically possessed. At first, her friends aren’t sure exactly what is wrong with her, but it soon becomes clear that they’re dealing with something beyond their wildest nightmares. Gretchen alienates them all one by one, and it eventually falls to her best friend Abby to find a way to expel the demon.
On the whole, My Best Friend’s Exorcism mostly worked, so I have to say that I did have a good time with it. However, throughout the majority of its runtime, there was one key ingredient missing, so even though I liked it overall, it was still a bit of a mixed bag. Let’s start with what this movie gets right.
First, we have the main characters. Right from the get-go, Abby and Gretchen are hands down the best thing about the film. They’re played excellently by Elsie Fisher (Abby) and Amaiah Miller (Gretchen), so I immediately bought into them and their friendship. These two girls go through a wide range of emotions and tones throughout the film, and the actresses totally nail every single one of them.
The great performances make these characters really likable and relatable, so they’re an absolute joy to watch whenever they’re on screen. I found myself pretty invested in them and their story, so even though My Best Friend’s Exorcism didn’t always work for me, I could always count on Abby and Gretchen to elevate it and carry it through its weak spots.
The rest of the cast is also pretty good, but they’re not given nearly as much to do as Elsie Fisher and Amaiah Miller. Sure, they do a good job with what they’re given, but they simply don’t get the chance to flex their acting muscles quite as much. I enjoyed their performances for what they were, but nobody else in this movie really got the chance to stand out.
Next, let’s talk a bit about the horror. As far as scares go, My Best Friend’s Exorcism is pretty middle of the road. It doesn’t do anything super inventive (in fact, it riffs on The Exorcist a lot!), and I didn’t find it particularly frightening, but the scares are executed well enough that it’s not too much of a problem. I’d say it’s enjoyable enough when the horror comes to the fore, but if you want this film to reinvent the demonic wheel, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.
That being said, the way the possession storyline works itself out here is actually pretty cool. Unlike a lot of possession victims in movies, Gretchen isn’t just confined to her bedroom or even her house. Instead, My Best Friend’s Exorcism takes a more Jennifer’s Body-esque approach and lets Gretchen go out into the world to spread her demonic mischief, and I quite enjoyed seeing her do that.
In particular, the way she alienates one of her friends, a girl named Margaret, is pretty clever. At first, you don’t even realize what’s happening. You think she’s doing one thing, but then she quickly changes gears, and her plan becomes something else. It’s simple but smart, and I didn’t see it coming until the filmmakers wanted me to.
Last but not least, we have the comedy. Unfortunately, this is where My Best Friend’s Exorcism fell flat for me. To be fair, the movie does have some really funny moments. Most notably, there’s a scene where a group of “muscles for Jesus” bodybuilders called the Lemon Brothers perform at Abby and Gretchen’s school, and I got a huge kick out of them.
They do a lot of the typical stuff you’d see in any strongman show, but unlike most performers in that field, they use their feats of strength as metaphors for what God can do in people’s lives. It’s hilariously corny, and as a Christian myself, I thought this was a really great spoof of some of the more cringeworthy aspects of modern Christian culture.
Aside from that one scene though, the comedy in My Best Friend’s Exorcism felt pretty anemic. Sure, it had some other laughs besides the Lemon Brothers, but it wasn’t nearly as funny as I wanted it to be. Instead, a lot of the jokes and gags came across as eye-roll-inducing and silly, so they took me out of the movie quite a bit.
And that’s a real shame because, with better comedy, this film could’ve been great. It has excellent lead characters, and the horror is good enough, so if the comedy would’ve worked, My Best Friend’s Exorcism would’ve been one of my favorite movies of the year. But unfortunately, the comedy fell fairly flat for me, so in my book, this film never rose above the level of merely good. Sure, I enjoyed watching it, but it didn’t make any sort of lasting impression on me.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism will be released on Amazon Prime on September 30.
