The Devil Went Down to New Orleans (and Apparently Got Bored)
“The Last Exorcism Part II” is proof that not every horror movie needs a sequel — especially one whose entire charm came from pretending to be real footage. This follow-up takes the faux-documentary creepiness of the original and replaces it with… nothing. Just a normal, lifeless horror film that feels like a Lifetime movie possessed by a Redbox bargain bin.
Directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly, the film picks up where the first left off — though that’s like saying your hangover picks up where last night’s bad decisions left off. The found-footage aesthetic is gone, replaced by a glossy, flat, studio-polished look that manages to make exorcism look about as exciting as a tax audit.
The demon Abalam is back, the stakes are lower, and the scariest thing in the movie is the Mardi Gras mask budget.
Previously on “The Exorcism That Should’ve Stayed Last”
For those who missed the first Last Exorcism (lucky you), it ended with poor Nell Sweetzer giving birth to a demon baby in the woods while a fake preacher ran around yelling Bible verses and bad theology. It was creepy, chaotic, and weirdly effective — like “The Blair Witch Project” if everyone smelled like hay.
Now, in Part II, Nell has escaped her demonic trauma and is living in a halfway house for wayward girls in New Orleans. She’s been through hell — literally — but seems fine. She even gets a job as a hotel maid and makes some friends. You know, normal stuff for someone who was previously possessed by Satan’s awkward cousin.
Unfortunately, her peace doesn’t last long. Things start going bump in the night, mirrors get spooky, and her toaster probably needs an exorcism. Before you can say “demonic relapse,” Nell’s old pal Abalam is back — still clingy, still obsessed, still apparently incapable of finding a new girlfriend in 2013.
The Plot (and I Use That Word Generously)
The film begins with a promising image: a terrified Nell squatting next to someone’s refrigerator. It’s the most relatable thing she’ll do all movie. From there, she’s taken in by kindly therapist Frank, who runs a home for girls recovering from trauma. You’d think Nell’s history of speaking in tongues and birthing demons would raise a red flag during intake, but nope. This place takes everyone — even literal Hell’s ex-girlfriends.
Nell tries to adjust to her new life. She works, flirts with a co-worker named Chris (who’s as bland as unsalted crackers), and goes to Mardi Gras, where she’s surrounded by masks, crowds, and bad decisions — so, a normal Tuesday in New Orleans.
But soon she starts seeing things. Masked figures. Glimpses of her dead father. Paranormal weirdness that would make any normal person call a priest or at least move to Nebraska. Instead, Nell mostly just stares off into the middle distance, because Ashley Bell’s performance seems stuck halfway between “terrified” and “just remembered I left the oven on.”
When her friend Stephanie dies from what appears to be a seizure but is actually just lazy screenwriting, a creepy cult called “The Order of the Right Hand” shows up. They claim they can help Nell by performing an exorcism that involves — wait for it — transferring the demon into a chicken.
That’s right: the film’s big plan to stop evil is to make the devil into dinner. KFC’s got competition.
Poultrygeist: The Hen of Satan
The exorcism scene is the movie’s big centerpiece, but it’s so unintentionally funny you almost feel bad for laughing. The Order gathers around Nell, waving feathers and chanting nonsense, while the chicken clucks ominously like it’s auditioning for The Exorcist: Farm Edition.
Unsurprisingly, the plan doesn’t work. The chicken survives (animal rights activists rejoice), and the cult members die horribly. This proves once again that if your exorcism plan can be summarized as “put the devil in livestock,” you deserve what’s coming.
Nell’s New Hobby: Arson
Once Nell fully embraces the demon, the film shifts from horror to chaos. She kills her therapist, burns down the home for girls, and drives through New Orleans setting things on fire. It’s like Carrie meets Fast & Furious 6, but with none of the fun and all of the confusion.
Apparently, this fiery rampage is supposed to symbolize Nell’s complete surrender to Abalam’s influence — but honestly, it looks more like she’s just sick of the script. I half-expected her to turn to the camera and shout, “I’m doing this for the audience’s sake!” before driving into the credits.
The final scene has her smiling eerily as buildings explode behind her, suggesting that the apocalypse has begun. Or maybe she’s just really into fireworks. Either way, it’s over mercifully fast — and not a second too soon.
The Acting: Possessed by Mediocrity
Ashley Bell, bless her contortionist heart, tries her best to carry the film. She was haunting in the first Last Exorcism, twisting her body like a demonic yoga instructor. Here, though, she’s given nothing to do but frown, cry, and occasionally hiss like a deflating tire.
Julia Garner shows up as a friend named Gwen, because apparently she was required to do one bad horror movie before Netflix cast her in Ozark. She spends most of her screen time delivering exposition and regretting her career choices.
The rest of the cast ranges from forgettable to “was that person just an extra?” The demon Abalam, meanwhile, continues to be the franchise’s most consistent performer — mostly because he never has to speak.
The Direction: Exorcising All Suspense
Director Ed Gass-Donnelly seems determined to remove everything that made the first film unique. Gone is the gritty realism of found footage. Gone is the eerie slow build. What we get instead is a slick, soulless sequel that plays like a CW pilot for Supernatural: The College Years.
Even the scares feel recycled. Creaky doors. Sudden mirror reflections. A shadowy figure standing behind Nell for no reason other than contractual obligation. It’s horror by PowerPoint — technically there, but completely lifeless.
The only thing that truly terrified me was how long it took to end.
The Demon of Diminishing Returns
What’s most tragic about The Last Exorcism Part II is that it could have been something. The idea of exploring Nell’s trauma and the aftermath of possession had real potential. Imagine The Babadook but with Southern Gothic weirdness. Instead, we get a demon love story that plays like Twilight for Satanists.
Abalam doesn’t want to destroy Nell — he wants to be with her. Forever. Which is, frankly, less “horrific” and more “pathetically clingy.” The Devil, it turns out, is just another emotionally unavailable boyfriend who can’t take a hint.
Final Thoughts: The Exorcism of Entertainment
By the time the credits roll, The Last Exorcism Part II has exorcised everything that made the original work — the tension, the ambiguity, the faux-documentary realism — and replaced it with a flaming pile of clichés. It’s slow, silly, and about as scary as a church bake sale.
If the first film was a dark sermon about faith and deception, this one is the awkward follow-up sermon where the pastor forgets his notes and blames Satan for it.
Verdict: ★½☆☆☆
A sequel so unnecessary it makes the demon’s motives look rational.
The Last Exorcism Part II doesn’t just lack faith — it lacks effort.
The power of Christ compels you… to watch literally anything else.
