“My Best Friend’s Exorcism” is the latest movie directed by Damon Thomas and written by Grady Hendrix, starring Elsie Fisher in the role of Abby, Amiah Miller in the role of Gretchen, and Chris Lowell in the role of Cristen. Abby and Gretchen share an inseparable bond as they have known each other since they were little kids. Their friendship is strengthened by their mutual love for music, roller-skating, and funky stickers. However, once kids enter high school, everything changes. Gretchen’s behavior starts to get odd. Abby begins to suspect that her best friend and the girl she adores the most in the world is harboring a devil. Abby also has no intention of letting a demonic entity harm her BFF. Abby recruits the unlikeliest of companions to aid her in her mission to rescue Gretchen. But will their bond be strong enough to withstand the devil’s temptations? Let’s find out!!
Spoilers Ahead
But I Don’t Want You To Move!!!
The movie begins with a telephonic conversation between Abby and her best friend Gretchen about their impending separation since Gretchen’s parents have decided to move out of the state. The scene shifts, and we see Abby giving her best friend a ride to the school, where they’re joined by Glee and Margeret. We are also introduced to Margeret’s paramour, Wallace, and together the group plans to spend the weekend at Gretchen’s Lake House. Now, what possibly could go wrong if you shove four curious teenagers into a room? Exactly the same thing happens with all the other teen movies. They try to contact ghosts using the Ouija Board. Later, they’re joined by Margeret’s paramour, Wallace, who offers them drugs which kind of ruin their girl’s night. They decide to go have a swim, but Margeret’s remarks about Abby’s skin upsets Abby, and she leaves the group to trek inside the jungle.
Gretchen catches up to her, and together they decide to explore the burned-down house in the woods. This is where everything goes wrong. While exploring, they come across a hideous-looking shrine that successfully manages to separate them both by mimicking their voices. Both Abby and Gretch realize something is wrong and run outside, but the latter is dragged inside the house. Abby, along with Margeret and Glee, goes back to rescue Gretchen, who blames Abby for leaving her behind and cries and begs to go home.
Gretchen!! You’re Not the Same
Gretchen’s behavior and attitude significantly changed after the night. She hears voices under her bed and appears to be not in command of her body and mind. She appears unhappy and irritated and has made it her life’s mission to bring bad luck and misery to all her three friends. In one scene, we see Gretchen taking a dump in the bin in the middle of the class, implying that she’s far from being alright!! She informs Abby that something from the house is stalking her. She says that at night he comes and sits on her chest and touches her, and she is helpless, but the very next day Abby under the possession starts attacking her friends.
She outs Abby’s infatuation with Brother Morgan and chides her in front of everyone that she isn’t beautiful and that’s why wears makeup to hide her real face. This greatly upsets Abby because she considered her to be her best friend and also the last person who would want to hurt her. After Abby, Gretchen turns to ruin Margeret. Gretchen dresses nicely and tries to flirt with Wallace in front of Margeret, and he complies. She also offers Margeret a drink to help her lose those extra pounds. Margeret took the drink without knowing that the drink would do her more harm than good. The drink manifests as a tapeworm inside Margeret’s stomach, which multiplies with every sip she takes. Margaret’s condition worsens as the parasitic worms in her stomach prevents her from eating. Now that Margeret is out of the way, Gretchen finally takes a shot at Glee by putting love letters in her locker, convincing the latter that Margeret loves her. Glee confesses her love to Margeret and gets rejected and humiliated. Moreover, she tries to kill Glee with a nut-filled brownie and stops her from using her epi-pen to counter the effect. Thankfully, Glee makes it through the attack unscathed, and the ordeal helps Abby see that Gretchen is being followed by an evil presence.
Abby becomes concerned about Gretchen’s changed demeanor. She takes one of her books and discovers the real Gretchen is in need of rescue. While slipping through pages, Abby comes across the name “Andras” and quickly realizes that it’s the same name she had spotted during their visit to the haunted house.
‘My Best Friend’s Exorcism’ Ending Explained: Was Abby Able To Save Gretchen?
Abby, hell-bent on saving her best friend’s life, seeks help from a sweet and pious man who advises her that exorcism is the only way to save her BFF’s life. Abby drives to Gretchen’s house and, unbeknownst to her, slips some drugs into her cola. Gretchen realizes something is wrong, picks up a knife, and scorches the whole house to find Abby. The fight ensues, and Gretchen beats the shit out of Abby but is soon knocked down after she takes a sip of the already-drugged cola. Abby ties Gretchen to the chair, and Cristen starts to prepare for the exorcism. Abby feels uneasy as he tosses salt on a bound Gretchen and attempts to end the suffering, but the room continues to tremble, and the lamps fluctuate.
Gretchen mutters Andras’ name, the same demon who has taken possession of her. Cristen is a little too excited to carry out the exorcism, and the audience soon realizes that this is his first time facing a real possession. Gretchen finally breaks free and tries to kill Abby again. Abby is outmatched and on the verge of defeat, but she still draws her Bible and prepares to fight, and finally extracts Andras out of Abby’s body. Angered, the demon tries to kill Gretchen, saying, “Gretchen Is Mine.” He still seems obsessed with Gretchen, even after failing to possess her body. Abby, though, prevents him from harming her friend. She diverts his attention and even suggests that he “possess” her to save her BFF’s life. Abby’s willingness to give her life for Gretchen is what ultimately rescues her from the devil and doom.
The closing scenes show Gretchen and her parents loading up the truck with their stuff, finally ready to move, and we see Abby driving by Gretchen’s home. Gretchen rushes up to Abby, and we can see from the look on her face that she and Abby will remain close long after they’ve said their goodbyes.
The Final Verdict
There are a few scary moments, but mostly the film is a very conventional teenage melodrama. The movie gradually becomes more horror-like in tone, but it rarely quite hits the mark. The movie investigates the parallels between rape and being possessed by a soul-hungry demon. Although this isn’t the first time a movie has used this analogy, and other films have dealt with this subject as well, it’s still fascinating. One refers to the desecration of skin and mind, and the other is inclined towards the destruction of spirit. Nevertheless, the majority of the runtime is spent covering typical teenage stuff like drugs, sex, kisses, relationships, and betrayals. These are fine, but the movie fails to interest its audience with its characters. The character of Christen is humorous and naive, which is something you don’t usually see in a horror flick. Although the movie may hold up for a single watch, the themes and characters aren’t very captivating, so it’ll be dead in a week or so.
At the end of the film, Abby and Gretchen’s relationship has gone through many peaks and troughs; however, it has never really ended. They only have one another to rely on. During Gretchen’s hardships, it was only Abby who never left her side and believed that she was the victim. Everyone wishes to have a friend like that, but only a few, like Gretchen, are blessed with it.
“My Best Friend’s Exorcism” is a Drama Comedy film streaming on Amazon Prime Video with subtitles.
