1st watched 5/27/2007 - 6 out of 10(Dir-Ethan Wiley): Better than expected exorcism movie based on an actual event. In this movie, the demon doesn't just stay in the one body but tries to influence the entire ranch in an area called Blackwater Valley. The possessed girl named Isabella begins the movie being found in the woods devouring a live rabbit. Her response as to why it happens is a meek "he made her do it"(referring, of course, to the demon inside her). Initially the family doesn't know what's happening to her and wants to deny anything supernatural but their little girl is rapidly becoming something other than the person they know. Throughout the movie, little bits and pieces of the family's mixed-up life is revealed which is definitely unique for this type of movie. It's obvious that the demon wants to possess more than just the girl but also ruin the entire family and does this by revealing different episodes in their soap opera life to make them feel guilty about their past. The priest brought in to perform the exorcism is far from being an outside observer. He is a former lover of one of the daughters and has obviously been involved in the family's affairs for awhile. This gives the demon more fuel for it's fire(so to speak), but also gives the priest a greater reason to cure the girl. The ending of the movie was pretty disappointing, but the rest of the movie was actually a refreshing spin on this type of movie where the demon starts getting into everyone's heads -- making them do things that they wouldn't normally do. I also like the fact that they kind of showed you how the Catholics actually do the exorcisms and didn't skimp on the specifics. They also didn't throw in a lot of extra over-the-top gore or silliness that would make the story unbelievable. This movie was obviously made with less of a budget than other movies of this kind but they handled the story very well and made this actual event appear somewhat possible -- for this I commend the filmmakers and deem this a worthwhile movie.
Review of Blackwater Valley Exorcism
