There's hell to pay in 'Last Exorcism'

The Rev. Cotton Marcus is the protagonist of the low-budget horror flick "The Last Exorcism," but he seems to have stepped out of American literature. He's an uncommonly complex character, a Baton Rouge preacher who has lost his faith but still believes in doing good. Flannery O'Connor or Harold Frederic, let alone some fledgling filmmakers, would have been proud to create him.

Filmed in a documentary style, "The Last Exorcism" follows Cotton (Patrick Fabian) as he decides to expose himself as a fraud. To that end, he visits Lou Sweetzer (Louis Herthum), an isolated farmer who believes demons have possessed his teenage daughter, Nell (Ashley Bell). No problem: Cotton checks the four-poster bed ("This'll shake nicely"), stocks his MP3 player with monster noises and puts on a thoroughly convincing show.

The story doesn't end there, of course. What follows is a gripping, psychologically astute mystery as Cotton tries to uncover what's really happening on the Sweetzer farm. Director Daniel Stamm effectively builds an air of dread; he also cleverly casts us as the nervous cameraman, who is heard but never seen.

Inspired by the Oscar-winning 1972 documentary "Marjoe," about a career preacher who really did reveal the tricks of his trade on camera, "The Last Exorcism" is more than just a cash-in on "The Blair Witch Project" and "Paranormal Activity." Writers Andrew Gurland and Huck Botko deserve credit for Cotton, though it's Fabian, a relatively unknown actor, who brings him so winningly to life.

The film's ending is a hasty mess, but that doesn't negate all the fun that comes before. Like one of Cotton's parishioners, you'll likely find forgiveness in your heart.