With Halloween only a month away, it’s time for the new horror films to come out to play. I was excited for this one in particular since I loved the novel it’s based on.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism, an adaptation of a novel with the same name by Grady Hendrix follows best friends Gretchen and Abby. After a night in the woods goes wrong, Gretchen starts acting strange. Things get from bad to worse and it is up to Abby to save her bestie’s soul.
Okay, I am just going to come out and say it. I am not impressed. Frankly, I feel a bit disappointed with what we have seen so far. In fact, I am annoyed that they showed some of the key horror moment “money shots” in the trailer. These moments were terrifying because of the reveals, but that has already been spoiled! Admittedly that is a problem with trailers, in general, these days. Still irritating.
That and from the get-go there are so many changes to the original plot. How the possession starts is different, the leads have different personalities in the book. If anything, they are almost flipped.
It feels like it leans more into the comedy aspect rather than the horror. Sure, there were a couple of jokes but My Best Friend’s Exorcism was, first and foremost, a horror story. I think it’s because this adaptation doesn’t go as hard as the original so they leaned into the comedy more. In fairness, you can get away with a lot more in novels than you can in films, so I should cut it some slack in that department.
Maybe I am being a bit harsh because I love the original novel so much. You know that old rule, the book is better.
In this adaptation’s defence, they certainly captured the vibes of the 80s. From the clothes to the music, it is perfect. They got the ideal actor, Chris Lowell, to play the Exorcist as he has the energy and charisma. Although he seems to be a bit more childlike here, I can see why they made that change. It does look like it will still be a good movie, but my loyalty will always belong to the novel.
Am I going to watch it? You know what, I think I will. I feel like I should at least give it a shot. It does look like a great film to watch with mates this spooky season. Yet I can’t help but pity anyone who watches it with me as I will most likely end up ranting on and on about “how that happened in the book”. Sorry in advance, folks!
Nerd Rambles 
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