‘The Last Exorcism’ can’t escape from its own demons

This Fall's big horror hit, "The Last Exorcism," is a movie intended to thrill, chill and get your heart pumping.

These goals were definitely accomplished.

Throughout this documentary-style film, the audience embarks on a trip full of self-doubt, lack of faith and moments of horrific discovery that couldn't be captured in an average narrative film.

The cameraman plays an active role in the plot, helping to portray a sense of fear and familiarity to the extent to where you may feel like you are a part of this exorcism.

Reverend Cotton Marcus, played by Patrick Fabian, is going through a phase of self-doubt about being a man of God.

Unsure if his beliefs are sturdy or if he's simply on "auto-pilot," this realization has shaken him to the core.

Cotton spends a lot of time discussing his disbelief in exorcisms.

Admitting to staging all of his own exorcisms with false "demonic" reactions, Cotton decides to pursue this last one with a camera crew to reveal the exorcisms as the scam he believes them to be.

As the possessed girl, Ashley Bell, and family are introduced, viewers learned the family has been struggling with the death of their mother.

This has left the father, played by Louis Hertham, untrusting of modern medicine and the son, resentful towards anyone in his path.

With cameras in their faces, the family reacts negatively toward the crew.

The son chucks rocks at the van and the father insists the cameras be turned off. Needless to say, it takes a little convincing from Cotton to allow the crew to capture the exorcism on camera.

The true horrors are revealed of the girl's doings. The camera films slaughtered livestock, gruesome pictures and the father's sense of fear in regards to his own daughter.

Cotton entertains the family with a staged exorcism, assuming that is all that is needed to receive his money.

After completion, the crew returns to a motel miles away and is followed by the possessed daughter, Nell. This shakes Cotton and his assumptions of exorcism's falsehoods.

Staying strong, he refuses to believe the answer in front of his face until his own life is put in danger by 16-year-old Nell.

Unable to find the answers alone, Cotton insists on bringing in the local pastor and suggests psychological help for the girl.

These seemingly flat characters drag Cotton and his crew into a situation they simply cannot escape.

With the plot development, suspense, characters and fear factor looking good throughout the entire film, you almost wonder where the production team lacked.

Well, this is answered in the last five minutes of the film, in which the climax, resolution and credits all blend into one huge mess.

The twists and turns are there, yes, but they're displayed in a way that almost makes your head hurt.

So many questions are answered that it becomes too mind-blowing and the ending almost makes you forget how enjoyable the movie had been up to that point.

If you're looking for a movie with the tools to put you on the edge of your seat, you've found it.

If you're also looking for a movie that will make you question everything you once knew about respectable resolutions, you're also in luck.

With a solid beginning and middle and an end that is no better than questionable, I find this movie to be watchable but not rewatchable.