In 1988, best friends Gretchen and Abby are inseparable, but something is about to change their friendship forever. Together, they navigate the familiar horrors of feminine adolescence, such as body image, fitting in, and of course, demonic possession. During a lake trip with two other girls from school, Gretchen unwittingly becomes the host of a demon. Now Abby must figure out how to save her best friend before it's too late.
Following Paper Girls and A League of Their Own, Amazon is premiering another piece of women-led media. My Best Friend's Exorcism will be chock-full of pop culture references relevant to the era and campy homages to classic horror. This heartwarming, hilarious, and hair-raising film has already been compared to a wide array of works across a multitude of genres, including Beaches, Heathers, and The Exorcist, for its focus on female friendship, black comedy, and horror. The teen horror comedy My Best Friend's Exorcism begins streaming this Friday.
Where Can I Watch My Best Friend's Exorcism?
My Best Friend's Exorcism is an Amazon Prime Video original and will be available on the service starting September 30, 2022. The film is available exclusively for Prime Video subscribers, so the film will not be available to rent on-demand on any platform nor will it be making its way to Blu-ray and DVD (at least it won't be anytime soon). In case you haven't been an Amazon Prime member in the last 12 months, you are eligible for a 30-day free trial. If you are currently enrolled at a university, you will be eligible for Prime Student which, if you sign up, you will get your first 6 months free, from there a subscription is $7.49 a month, half the price of the standard Prime subscription of $14.99 a month.
What is My Best Friend's Exorcism Based On?
My Best Friend's Exorcism is based on the 2016 novel of the same name by author Grady Hendrix. Hendrix is best known for writing science fiction and horror. Besides My Best Friend's Exorcism, the author's most successful work is Horrorstör. Horrorstör is a horror comedy novel about an IKEA-like furniture store. The book includes illustrations of the products sold by the fictional store that slowly become more and more horrific as the novel progresses. As of 2020, a film adaptation of Horrorstör is set to be produced. The film has been optioned by New Republic Pictures, who have previously produced Academy Award-winning blockbusters, such as the biopic Rocketman and the war drama 1917.
The script for My Best Friend's Exorcism was adapted from the novel by writer Jenna Lamia. This is Lamia's first feature film as a screenwriter, but she has previously written for successful TV shows like 90210, Awkward., and Good Girls. The movie was directed by Damon Thomas, who has previously directed episodes of beloved TV shows such as Killing Eve, Penny Dreadful, and the pilot for the British version of Dirk Gently.
Who Has Been Cast in My Best Friend's Exorcism?
The film stars Elsie Fisher as Abby, an average and uncool teenage girl. Fisher broke out in a big way when she starred in the lead role of Bo Burnham's directorial debut Eighth Grade, she later appeared in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot and played the supposed daughter of Misery antagonist Annie Wilkes, Joy, in Castle Rock. The young actress is also an established voice actor, voicing Agnes in the Despicable Me films, as well as roles in The Addams Family (2019) and Sophia The First. Abby has been best friends with Gretchen since her E.T.-themed 10th birthday party, where Gretchen was the only attendee. Amiah Miller plays Gretchen, who begins to exhibit strange behavior after a night of skinny-dipping. Reportedly, this was changed from the book, in which the girls take LSD before the possession. My Best Friend's Exorcism will be Miller's third horror movie after David F. Sandberg's first film Lights Out and House on the Lake. Abby and Gretchen's other friends, Glee and Margaret, are played by Cathy Ang and Rachel Ogechi Kanu, respectively. Ang voices Golden Glider in the HBO Max Original Harley Quinn and will reprise the role alongside Kite Man in Noonan's, a new DC Comics animated project, which was announced earlier this year. Rachel Ogechi Kanu previously appeared in the TV movies Tracking a Killer and Cheer For Your Life.
Where Can I Watch More Movies Like My Best Friend's Exorcism?
Heathers - Often referenced as a darker precursor to Mean Girls, Heathers is a 1988 black comedy starring Winona Ryder. Veronica Sawyer is in a clique of four girls, the only one not named Heather. Veronica grows tired of the Heathers' petty and cruel behavior and begins to grow closer to the edgy and mysterious JD, played by Christian Slater. Unfortunately for Veronica, JD is an evil, black hole of a human being who drags her further and further down into a web of murder and lies. In recent years, Heathers has been adapted into both a musical and a television show, but the original cannot be topped. The film uses a beautiful pastel goth color palette to represent the sickly sweet kindness of this vapid community and the darkness lurking underneath. Screenwriter Daniel Waters wrote the film while working in a video store and originally wanted Stanley Kubrick to direct. Waters intended Heathers to be a satirical jab at the John Hughes films that dominated the box office in the 80s. Many of the topics touched on are still relevant to teens today, like peer pressure, suicide, and virtue signaling. Heathers was released the same year My Best Friend's Exorcism is set, and the two teen black comedies immediately drew comparisons for their dark depictions of the 1980s high school experience.
Jennifer's Body - Diablo Cody and Karyn Kusama's sapphic cult masterpiece Jennifer's Body has found its footing in recent years after a disastrous marketing campaign aimed toward male audiences and mixed critical reviews upon release. In the film, Megan Fox plays Jennifer, the head cheerleader who starts eating boys after a botched satanic sacrifice. This botched ritual occurred when an indie band mistook her for a virgin. Amanda Seyfried stars as Jennifer's childhood best friend Needy, who seems to be the only person seeing the unnatural things her best friend can suddenly do. The soundtrack features popular emo and pop punk bands of the 2000s like Panic At The Disco and All-Time Low and Fox's costumes have become iconic to Y2K fashion. Diablo's quick-witted dialogue and nuanced view of adolescence in both Juno and Jennifer's made her a leading voice in the millennial era of filmmaking. Though much more sexually charged than My Best Friend's Exorcist, both films inspire a conversation about teenage girls' friendships through demonic possession.