Exeter (2015)

Number Rolled: 31

Movie Name/Year: Exeter (2015)

Tagline: An excellent day for an exorcism.

Genre: Horror

Length: 91 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: Blumhouse Productions, GO Productions, Vicarious Entertainment

Producer: Brandt Andersen, Jason Blum, Michael Corso, Anthony Gudas, Vincent Hogan, Rick Lehman, Marcus Nispel, Vincent Oster, Trent Othick, Michael E. Phillips, Scott Sandler, John Santilli, Steven Schneider, Shaun Smith, Tim Smith, James Swarbrick

Director: Marcus Nispel

Writer: Kirsten McCallion, Marcus Nispel

Actors: Stephen Lang, Kevin Chapman, Kelly Blatz, Brittany Curran, Brett Dier, Gage Golightly, Nick Nicotera, Nick Nordella, Michael Ormsby

Blurb from Netflix: During an all-night party in an abandoned mental asylum, a half-dozen teens start dabbling in the occult -- and inadvertently summon a demonic spirit.

Selina’s Point of View:

I had this film on my “Movies to Look Out For” list when it came out. After it got to Netflix, I began hearing awful things about it.

As I’ve said in the past, I don’t immediately judge a film based on what people have told me. However, it’s difficult to ignore as much bad feedback as I’d seen for this movie. Still, I wound up looking forward to watching it.

I actually liked it.

It WAS a recipe film, but it was still decent. The suspense was well done and kept me in a constant state of creeped out. In fact, I kept hearing noises outside, so I had to close my window because they were making me jump out of my skin.

It likely didn’t help that I had to go to a funeral before watching this movie.

Pro tip: watching a possession-based film right after something like a funeral is either a terrible idea or a great idea depending on just how freaked out you want to get.

This film allowed me to revisit an actor that I only learned about a few months ago, Kelly Blatz (Fear the Walking Dead, When Duty Calls, Glory Daze).

My first exposure to Blatz was in 4 Minute Mile. I was impressed with him at that point, so I was excited to see his portrayal of the main character in this movie. He didn’t disappoint. For the most part all the acting was good, with only minor exceptions. None of those exceptions were caused by Blatz, though. I believe he’s going to be getting plenty of work in the future.

In the end, I don’t think the ‘bad’ buzz about Exeter was correct. It might not have been groundbreaking, but it was still a good film that kept me thoroughly entertained despite my exhaustion and difficult day. There was even a touch more comedy than I expected. (Not a lot of comedy, mind you. Just a few bits of dialog here and there.)

I would recommend Exeter to anyone that’s a fan of straight horror.

Cat’s Point of View:

I remember finding the previews for this movie rather interesting. The more films I’ve seen Kelly Blatz (Aaron Stone, Skyrunners, April Showers) in recently, the more it’s reinforced that I wanted to watch this one.

One thing I really enjoyed about this movie was that it was laced with comedy. Dark humor keeps a good gore-fest from being too heavy. Where our last movie was decidedly lacking in such due to its kid-friendly nature, this movie delivers in spades. It’s not too over the top, though. You won’t see blood geysers or anything – but it’s pretty graphic in some spots.

I’ve decided that Stephen Lang (The Nut Job, Gridlocked, Into the Badlands) is just awesomely creepy. This isn’t the first time he’s played a ‘man of the cloth.’ He delivered a rather intense performance as Increase Mather in the TV Series, Salem (2014-).

I had to do a bit of a double take at Rory, played by Michael Ormsby (The Brothers Solomon, Sweet Nothing in My Ear, All Kids Count). I swear he looks like a young Jason Mewes (Noobz, The Last House, Yoga Hosers). I kept expecting the kid to say something Jay-like.

This movie tries to put on several hats at once. If its scope was a little narrower, it might have been more successful. That being said, I think that if any of the components were missing; it would be a fundamentally different movie.

There were a few things that bugged me, which kept this film from rating higher. Some of the occult references were off base, there was a goof that had me twitching enough to take me out of the moment, and it felt like there was a plot hole.

That plot hole might just be my own failure at putting the puzzle together correctly. I’ll probably watch this one again just to see. I still really liked this movie and wouldn’t mind recommending it.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 23%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 2.5/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3.5/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 2/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3.5/5

P.S. There is a scene after the credits.

Movie Trailer: