My Best Friend's Exorcism review - the perfect horror-comedy film

Summary

As horror comedies go, this film is golden. It’s the perfect balance of light-hearted teen drama and scream queen horror.

This review of the Prime Video film My Best Friend’s Exorcism (2022) does not contain spoilers.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism is a cooky horror-comedy film set in the late ’80s during the so-called Satanic Panic, and it is a touching story of high school friendship mixed with demonic possession. This film is an adaptation of the 2016 comics of the same name, written by Grady Hendrix, and I know it has eager fans ready to watch and, hopefully, not be disappointed. The film stars Elsie Fisher (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022) and Amiah Miller, who play “super best friends with a supernatural problem.” It’s a must-watch this horror season, especially if you’re not brave enough for true horror but still want something scary-ish but fun to watch.

The title is a play on the film My Best Friend’s Wedding, which is excellent as we’re throwing the typical girly stereotypes out of the window and bringing in the more dark and creepy horror themes of the supernatural. We’re given the stereotypical geeky, uncool girl and the popular, cute blonde being unlikely best friends. The popular girl is possessed, and the shy nerd rises to be the hero. We have Abby, a non-believer at a private Christian high school, who then must save her best friend Gretchen, who is possessed by the devil after a night out in the woods goes terribly wrong. Filled with many horror tropes, it’s fun to pick out the clichés.

I’m always happy to see female protagonists. The acting is excellent; both deserve credit for pulling this off and not making the film cheesy or cringe. You care about the characters, their friendship, and their battles. This film covers many serious topics, including rape, suicide, and murder. Female sexuality is a running theme in this film, with references to homosexuality “being a bad thing” — an outdated joke back in the 80s, which is firmly not accepted now. This film has themes of self-discovery and self-worth, typical of high-school flicks, and mixed with the classic horror stereotypes; they blend together well. Ultimately, this film is about friendship, self-image, religion, and the love of 80s music and horror, which makes for a great Halloween flick. With a funny credit sequence, this film is the perfect horror-comedy film we’ve needed this year.

What did you think of the Prime Video film My Best Friend’s Exorcism (2022)?

You can watch this with a membership to Prime Video.