My Best Friend’s Exorcism
Female friendships have served as the backbone of some of the good horror picture show — Tatum and Sidney inScream , Lily and Amanda in the criminally underratedThoroughbreds , and the group at the center ofThe Craftall come to mind . These friendly relationship can sometimes swear out as a battleground , one as small as the competitiveness over social status or one as all - encompassing as the battle for a friend ’s soul . Jennifer ’s Bodymay be one of the best examples of this as Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried duke it out over Fox ’s Jennifer and her appetite for teenage male child . My Best Friend ’s Exorcism , Prime Video ’s adjustment of the Grady Hendrix novel of the same name aim by Damon Thomas , evokes some , if not all , of these films in one path or another . The film has just about everything — mean girl humor , gross - out organic structure repugnance , 80 nostalgia , and satanic panic , making for a devilish ride that , while less than the sum of its parts , is still a scarily good fourth dimension .
Abby ( Elsie Fisher ) and Gretchen ( Amiah Miller ) are near friends , reprize the mantra " lylas " ( love you like a baby ) to each other when they say goodbye on the phone and when they are about to take the dip into a drug - fuel trip at Gretchen ’s parent ' lake house . During this foreboding acid misstep , Gretchen and Abby explore a creepy lakeside venue that contains some kind of communion table andsomethinghappens to Gretchen when the pair get separate . Gretchen is clearly marred by whatever come about to her and parade sign of hostility , depression , and aversion to spiritual iconography . When Abby sample to intervene on Gretchen ’s behalf , she is see with electrical resistance from Gretchen ’s parents , school official , and her friends , forcing her to take matter into her own hands when it comes to the demon that is possessing her best friend and work mayhem on Abby and her ally ’s life .
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My Best Friend ’s Exorcism ’s big effectiveness is Elsie Fisher , something that should n’t come as surprise to anyone who has seen her excellent work inEighth GradeandBarryseason 3 . Fisher is slowlyestablishing herself as a Scream Queen , star in this twelvemonth ’s forgettableTexas Chainsaw Massacrelegacy sequel as well asCastle Rock . Here , Fisher takes some of what she learned fromEighth GradeandTexas Chainsaw Massacreand amplifies it , navigating the awkward period of high school while trying to save her best protagonist ’s psyche from a demon .
Miller ’s Gretchen is a worthy opponent to Fisher ’s Abby . Gretchen oscillates between the warmth of young friendship and the mean girl antics of , well , a soul - feed daemon , with flair . When the demon inside Gretchen comes after their Quaker Glee ( Cathy Ang ) and Margaret ( Rachel Ogechi Kanu ) , Abby is the only one who can see what ’s really start on . She enlists the help of a Christian fitness instructor , flirt dopily by Christopher Lowell , who knows a bit more about exorcisms than he on the face of it should , and who provides some much - require humor in the back one-half of the film .
It takes some time to get to the actual dispossession , and it ’s here whereMy Best Friend ’s Exorcismshould’ve surpass . The heart of the film is very much Gretchen and Abby , but with Margaret and Glee out of the picture , it ca n’t avail but feel like something is omit . My Best Friend ’s Exorcismfinds its forte in the dynamic between the four girls at its center field and one ca n’t help but wish that had carried through to the climax of the film . Still , the dispossession is equal parts hilarious and terrorize thanks to Abby and Gretchen and the demon inside the latter .
My Best Friend ’s Exorcismis light of jump - scares , but it makes up for it with a committed commitment to body horror , admit but not throttle to tapeworms and pig carcase . It may not be the traditional horror shudder some are looking for , but its dedication to its 80s setting and the friendship at the warmness of the celluloid are what helpMy Best Friend ’s Exorcismfeel like the rare horror book adaptation that complements its reference textile rather than ripping it to shreds .
My Best Friend ’s Exorcismwill be available to stream on Prime Video September 30 . The motion-picture show is 97 minutes long and is stag R for teen drug use , language , intimate reference and some wildness .
My Best Friend ’s Exorcism is a supernatural horror film directed by Damon Thomas , based on the novel by Grady Hendrix . Set in the 1980s , the story revolves around mellow school supporter Abby Rivers and Gretchen Lang as they cope with a ominous monomania that threatens their attachment . As extrasensory events intensify , Abby seek out unconventional methods to save her friend from the sour strength at gambling .
My Best Friend’s Exorcism is a supernatural horror film directed by Damon Thomas, based on the novel by Grady Hendrix. Set in the 1980s, the story revolves around high school friends Abby Rivers and Gretchen Lang as they grapple with a sinister possession that threatens their bond. As paranormal events escalate, Abby seeks out unconventional methods to save her friend from the dark forces at play.
