The Last Exorcism Part II

The Last Exorcism Part II

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	2013
Founder	Ed Gass-Donnelly (director and co-writer)
Headquarters	New Orleans , United States
Products	Supernatural horror film

The Last Exorcism Part II is a 2013 American supernatural horror film directed and co-written by Ed Gass-Donnelly. The cast includes Ashley Bell, Julia Garner, Spencer Treat Clark, and Louis Herthum. Serving as a sequel to The Last Exorcism, it premiered on March 1, 2013. The narrative centers on Nell Sweetzer’s efforts to reconstruct her life while confronting the resurgence of the demon that once possessed her. Unlike the original, this installment does not utilize the found footage approach.

With a production budget estimated between $4 and $5 million, the film earned $25.4 million globally. Despite its box office success, it was met with predominantly unfavorable reviews from critics.

Plot

Jared and Lily, a couple, find Nell Sweetzer—possessed by a demonic presence—living in their home near the refrigerator. She is admitted to a hospital exhibiting signs of catatonic behavior. After spending several months at therapist Frank's New Orleans residence for girls and taking on work as a chambermaid under her employer Beverly, Nell’s mental state improves and her disturbing nightmares subside. While attending a Mardi Gras celebration with friends Gwen, Daphne, and Monique, Nell becomes aware of unsettling occurrences, including masked observers tracking her movements. Her demeanor darkens as she senses the demon known as Abalam is making a return.

Following the unnatural seizure-related death of Stephanie, Nell discovers from Cecile, her former nurse, the existence of the Order of the Right Hand—a clandestine group monitoring her. Nell’s friends uncover a YouTube video containing footage from The Last Exorcism, thrusting Nell into unwanted online notoriety. Chris, a coworker at the hotel who harbors feelings for Nell, takes his own life after viewing videos that challenge Nell’s claims about her pregnancy. Cecile seeks assistance from the Order; members Calder and Jeffrey attempt an exorcism by transferring the demon into a sacrificial chicken. The demon’s strength overpowers them, compelling Calder to administer a lethal dose of morphine to Nell.

The demon manifests as Nell’s double and other figures, urging her to accept its symbolic hand. When Nell briefly loses her pulse, Calder, Jeffrey, and Cecile assume she has died. Ultimately, Nell embraces the demon’s hand; this triggers a fire that kills all three Order members inside the house. Subsequently, Nell kills Frank and sets fire to the girls' residence, leaving her friends trapped inside. As she flees in a vehicle, she ignites multiple buildings and cars, fulfilling an apocalyptic prophecy.

Development

On August 23, 2011, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that plans for a sequel were underway. An audition notice dated April 20, 2012 indicated the working title was Beginning of the End: The Last Exorcism II, which was later shortened to The Last Exorcism Part II. Ed Gass-Donnelly returned as director with Damien Chazelle (known for Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench) penning the screenplay. Ashley Bell reprised her role as Nell Sweetzer. Production was overseen by Eli Roth.

Filming

Principal photography took place primarily in New Orleans, Louisiana, spanning from March 19 through April 21, 2012.

Release

The movie debuted in Russia on February 28, 2013, followed by its United States release on March 1, 2013. It did not receive theatrical distribution in Sweden or Australia; instead, it was released directly to video in July 2013 in those countries. Initially assigned an R rating by the MPAA, edits were made to obtain a PG-13 rating; all excised scenes were restored in an unrated version.

Home media

The film was made available on DVD and Blu-ray starting June 18, 2013. The Blu-ray edition includes exclusively the unrated version, which reinstates approximately one minute of additional footage. This extended cut enhances certain scenes and portrays a more explicit depiction of Chris's suicide.

Box office

During its debut weekend, The Last Exorcism Part II generated $7.7 million in revenue. Its total domestic earnings reached $15.2 million, while international markets contributed $9.9 million, culminating in a global gross of $25.1 million. Although this surpassed the production budget by more than $20 million, it fell short of the original film’s impressive $67.7 million gross achieved on a modest $1.8 million budget.

Critical reception

The movie was not previewed for critics prior to release and predominantly received unfavorable critiques. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 16% approval rating from 70 reviews, with an average score of 3.58 out of 10. The critical consensus remarks that the sequel abandons the found footage approach in favor of "earnest but tedious psychological terror."

In The Hollywood Reporter, Frank Scheck described it as an "unimpressive follow-up," while commending Ashley Bell’s "memorable, unsettling performance," likening it to Sissy Spacek’s role in Carrie. Conversely, Christopher Runyon from Movie Mezzanine criticized the film, suggesting that no element reflected thoughtful craftsmanship.

Nonetheless, some critics responded more favorably; Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times referred to it as an "effectively unnerving, slow-burn supernatural horror tale."

Cancelled sequel

Although box office results were moderate, discussions about a third chapter took place, with Ashley Bell anticipated to return as her character. She mentioned ongoing talks and pointed out a surprising twist at the conclusion of Part II that could serve as a foundation for a sequel.

Despite these conversations, development on a third installment never advanced beyond preliminary planning stages.