High school changes people we grow into our bodies and allow hormones to take the wheel, which a demonic possession metaphor slyly puts into perspective. My Best Friend's Exorcism highlights such an awkward phase in anyone's life when popularity can turn us into backstabbing, jealous, ego-driven monsters. Abby and Gretchen go from signing off phone calls with "LYLAS" (Love You Like A Sister) to embarrassing one another publicly, and you can feel the breakneck discomfort. The dynamic between all four girls tracks insecurities, power struggles, and maturation with enough relatability. Thomas has enough command over the ‘80s environments where it never feels too schticky, yet references can be a tad piled-on when attempting too hard to turn back time. It's an era when kids were more independent, given that Abby's father never leaves his recliner and Gretchen's more Reagan-era parents care more about an illegal acid tablet than their daughter's well-being. The dialogue loves to keep reminding us of the cultural period, like hairstyles and synthwave score choices weren't a giveaway. My Best Friend's Exorcism drenches audiences in ‘80s references early, from A-ha soundtrack beats to teen magazine friendship quizzes, distinctive Diet Pepsi cans – the works. Was Gretchen’s disappearance just a bad trip? Or is something evil behind her personality makeover? Abby fears her inseparable sister for life isn't herself anymore after Gretchen starts acting differently, and that's when a rift stemming from Gretchen's newfound bad attitude drives the four friends apart. One night at Margaret's lake house, they all ingest LSD and Gretchen disappears inside a supposedly haunted cabin.
Together with Margaret Chisolm (Rachel Ogechi Kanu) and Glee Tanaka (Cathy Ang), they're a well-rounded girl gang of on-screen stereotypes from Abby's self-conscious acne masking to Margaret's flaunting of PDA as the only member with a boyfriend. My Best Friend's Exorcism pulls its punches and relies heavily on digital effects even for puked drenchings, but nonetheless tells an easy-streaming story that lets teenage girls command the screen in a once primarily male-driven field.Ībby Rivers (Elsie Fisher) and Gretchen Lang (Amiah Miller) are your average religious school besties.
There's nothing outright scary à la The Exorcist, as teleplay writer Jenna Lamia focuses on 1980s nostalgia references that soften friendships run afoul by the devil. Damon Thomas' adaptation of Grady Hendrix's Quirk Books novel My Best Friend's Exorcism is young adult horror that leans heavier on “young adult” than theological “horror.” With exorcism in the title, all the subgenre expectations of spew sessions and possession outbursts are there - but forever as a gateway presentation.
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