My Best Friend’s Exorcism isn’t exactly Halloween viewing. When I think Halloween viewing, I think of stuff that is darker, spookier – even if it does have jokes. MBFE is bright, cheery, and a hell of a lot of fun. This feels like “summer horror.” I don’t know why. In any case, it is a delightful film that you should watch, no matter what time of year it is.
Gretchen (Amiah Miller) and Abby (Elsie Fisher) are devoted best friends, despite their differences. Abby comes from a lower-income non-practicing Jewish family, while Gretchen comes from a rich, devoutly Catholic family. Both attend a tony private Catholic school (Abby on scholarship). They spend a girls weekend with Margaret (Rachel Ogechi Kanu) and Glee (Cathy Ang) at Margaret’s lakeside cabin. It’s a pretty typical weekend: the girls play Ouija; are pranked by Margaret’s boyfriend, Wallace (Clayton Royal Johnson), who then passes out LSD to everyone; they go skinny dipping. Abby doesn’t; she suffers from body dysmorphia and when she is teased about her looks, she runs off into the woods. Gretchen goes after her to calm her down.
While in the woods, the girls come across an abandoned cabin which is said to be the site of a ritualistic Satanic murder. They decide to investigate, and things get weird. It is freezing cold inside, and something smells rotten. They hear a giggle, so of course, they go deeper into the house. When they see a giant eye blink from a bramble of branches, the girls freak and run. They get separated, but finally find one another. Gretchen is mad that Abby left her alone.
Everyone goes home and assumes the weirdness was from the LSD. But Gretchen is still acting weird at school on Monday. During a school assembly by some Christian weightlifters, she starts trembling when they lift a giant cross. She vomits copiously during lunch. Eventually, Gretchen stops coming to school and Abby goes to visit. She tries to tell her best friend what happened, but can’t get the words out. Abby assumes she was raped and goes to both Gretchen’s parents and her school headmistress; both take the wrong message and offer zero help. Anyway, Abby finally figures out that Gretchen is possessed by a demon (not a spoiler; the title tells you that) and she must exorcise it.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism feels like if John Hughes directed a horror movie. The 1980s setting is perfect. The characters are weird enough to be fun, but not so weird as to seem unrealistic. Similarly, director Damon Thomas didn’t lean too hard into the 1980s aspect of the setting. It isn’t filled with 80s references that people who weren’t alive during the decade won't understand, nor is there a focus on showing off all the cool 80s props the set decorator got.
The script by Jenna Lamia, based on a book by popular horror novelist Grady Hendrix, does a great job of keeping the female friendships at the focus, and never letting Gretchen or, most importantly, Abby, get distracted by boys or makeup or petty jealousy. It tackles important issues such as women not being believed about sexual assault without actually making it an issue or a focus of the film. It made me believe in the power of female friendships again! And yet, it never felt like it was trying to jam a message down our throats.
Elsie Fisher and Amiah Miller were absolutely great as Abby and Gretchen. I didn’t doubt their devotion to one another for one second. Cathy Ang and Rachel Ogechi Kanu as Glee and Margaret are great as well, both friendly yet bitchy enough to be believably second-tier friends. A special shout-out goes to Christopher Lowell, who plays Christian Lemon, the Christian bodybuilder who helps Abby with the exorcism. He is hilariously dumb, full of himself, and totally obsessed with getting his protein on.
This wasn’t exactly a horror comedy, as there weren’t many laugh-out-loud jokes, but it was certainly light-hearted. Even the exorcism never got too crazy or full-on demonic. This movie has a lot more heart than most horror films have (and I’m not talking about the bloody, removed kind) but it doesn’t forget to pack in some scares.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism has something for everyone: strong female characters, spooky atmosphere, humor, heart, a bitchin’ 1980s setting. There is a lot to like here, and plenty to enjoy all year round.
Rating: A
My Best Friend's Exorcism has a limited theatrical release and releases on Amazon Prime Video on September 30th.