This is why horror producers should avoid adjectives like “last” or “final” in the titles of their films. While promoting the post-apocalyptic thriller The Day at the Toronto International Film Festival, Ashley Bell, star of last summer’s The Last Exorcism, told Bloody Disgusting that she just agreed to return for a sequel.
"It's The Last Exorcism For Realsies You Guys. That's the full title," Bell said to the site, beating all of us to the obvious (yet still funny) joke.
It’s hard to discuss where a Last Exorcism sequel could go without spoiling the end of the first one, so let’s just keep it to this. Bell will return as Nell Sweetzer, naïve daughter of a Louisiana country man who may be possessed by the Devil. It’s unclear whether original director Daniel Stamm will return, or if they’ll invite the charismatic Patrick Fabian back. (His skeptical preacher, Cotton Marcus, was a highlight of the first film.) We first learned of the sequel last month, but Bell was short on specifics, telling BD that she hasn’t seen or heard any details, and even if she knew, she’s "sworn to secrecy."
Stamm’s original Exorcism was a late-summer hit, earning $41 million against an estimated $1.8M production budget. Where do you think a new Exorcism could go? There’s always the prequel route, though given Nell’s age in the story, it would be hard for Bell to play much younger. Other found-footage movies like The Blair Witch Project have tried to extend their one-trick premise for the benefit of a sequel. We can only hope a second Last Exorcism (for realsies this time) has better luck.
