''My Best Friend's Exorcism'' is a 2022 American

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

comedy horror Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary genre, literary, television genre, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three ty ...

film directed by Damon Thomas from a screenplay by

Jenna Lamia Jenna Lamia is an American actress, writer, and audiobook narrator. Career Acting Lamia began her acting career in New York City, where she appeared on Broadway in Eugene O'Neill's ''Ah, Wilderness!'' at Lincoln Center. She soon moved on to tele ...

, based on the 2016 novel of the same name by

Grady Hendrix Grady Hendrix is an American author, journalist, public speaker, and screenwriter known for his best-selling 2014 novel '' Horrorstör''. Hendrix lives in Manhattan and was one of the founders of the New York Asian Film Festival. Life and career ...

. The film stars

Elsie Fisher Elsie Fisher (born April 3, 2003) is an American actress. She is known for her starring role in Bo Burnham's comedy-drama film ''Eighth Grade'' (2018), for which she earned a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Pict ...

, Amiah Miller, Rachel Ogechi Kanu, and Cathy Ang. The film was released on

Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service prim ...

on September 30, 2022.

Plot

In 1988, high school

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

s Abby Rivers and Gretchen Lang are longtime best friends. Gretchen is moving away with her family over the summer, which saddens Abby, but Gretchen assures her they will always have each other. Together with their friends Margaret Chisholm and Glee Tanaka, Abby and Gretchen spend a weekend at Margaret's family's lake house. One night, they all ingest

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

provided by Margaret's boyfriend Wallace Stoney and, with the exception of Abby, go skinny-dipping in the lake. When Margaret makes an insensitive comment about Abby's acne, Abby walks away, with Gretchen following her to comfort her. Abby and Gretchen venture into an abandoned shack across the lake where a ritualistic Satanic murder supposedly occurred. Inside, a sinister tree-like creature with a single giant eye scares both girls and they run. Abby finds a way out, while Gretchen is dragged away by an unseen force. Realizing Gretchen is not with her, Abby rushes back to the shack with Margaret and Glee to find Gretchen in a state of shock. Gretchen is upset that Abby abandoned her. Back at school, Abby worries about Gretchen's uncharacteristically aloof demeanor. During a performance by the Lemon Brothers, a trio of Christian bodybuilders, one of the members, Christian, notices Gretchen's ghoulish appearance. Over the next few days, Gretchen continues to behave erratically, projectile vomiting during lunch and urinating in a trash can while in class. Abby drives to Gretchen's house to check on her. Gretchen's father does not want her to leave the house, but she ignores him and jumps into Abby's car. As they drive, a distraught Gretchen reveals that ever since "he" (whose name she does not disclose) attacked her at the abandoned shack, "he" has been visiting and watching her every night. She swears Abby to secrecy about this. Abby, assuming that Gretchen was raped, tries to alert both Gretchen's parents and the school headmistress, but they all rebuff her. When Abby suggests to Glee that Wallace raped Gretchen, Margaret accuses Abby of jealousy, while Gretchen scolds her for telling people about her situation. Consequently, Abby is shunned by the other girls. The school hosts a carnival, where Gretchen humiliates Abby by dunking her in a

dunk tank A dunk tank, also known as a dunking booth or dunking machine, is a common feature at Canadian and American fairs, fundraisers, and celebrations. It consists of a huge water tank with a volunteer sitting on a collapsible bench above. When the ...

and revealing that she fantasizes about one of their teachers. Abby storms off and Gretchen follows her, attempting to laugh it off, but Abby angrily ends their friendship. The demon possessing Gretchen drives her to self-harm, and later that night, it further torments her. The following day, however, Gretchen walks into class as a completely new person and resumes taunting Abby. Gretchen proceeds to terrorize Margaret and Glee by exploiting their insecurities. Knowing that Margaret is self-conscious about her weight, Gretchen gives her a diet shake that supposedly inhibits appetite. Margaret gradually becomes ill, until an enormous tapeworm eventually crawls out of her mouth. After manipulating Glee into coming out as a lesbian, Gretchen feeds her a nut-filled brownie, deliberately causing a severe allergic reaction. Margaret and Glee are both hospitalized. Determined to save her friend, Abby turns to Christian, who confirms Gretchen is possessed and reluctantly agrees to help perform an exorcism. Abby and Christian kidnap Gretchen and tie her to a bed at Margaret's lake house. As Christian sprinkles salt and

holy water Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...

on Gretchen, Abby says she learned that the demon's name is Andras. The process appears to work until Andras takes the form of Christian's deceased mother. Terrified, Christian abandons Abby halfway through the exorcism. Gretchen escapes her bonds and attacks Abby, but Abby stabs Gretchen with a fire poker, before Gretchen flees to the abandoned shack where she was possessed. Abby follows, reciting special moments they have shared in order to compel Andras. Gretchen finally vomits out Andras, who emerges as a small skeletal creature and attempts to repossess her. Using an old bottle of liquor and a lighter, Abby sets Andras on fire. Abby and Gretchen embrace. As Gretchen and her family prepare to move, she and Abby say their goodbyes. While they are unsure if Andras is truly gone, they promise to stay in touch and reaffirm their sisterly love for one another.

Cast

Production

In November 2018, it was announced that Endeavor Content had acquired the film adaptation rights for Hendrix's book. Christopher Landon and

Ellen Goldsmith-Vein Ellen Goldsmith-Vein (born 1963) is an American television and film producer. She is the founder and CEO of the Gotham Group, a management company. As the only woman to own her own management company, with over 40 employees, Goldsmith-Vein was th ...

were announced as producers. Damon Thomas was announced as director. In April 2021,

, Amiah Miller, Rachel Ogechi Kanu, and Cathy Ang were cast of the film.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began in early April 2021 in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Reception

References

External links

* {{IMDb title 2022 comedy horror films 2020s American films 2020s buddy comedy films 2020s English-language films 2020s female buddy films 2020s high school films 2020s supernatural horror films 2020s teen comedy films 2020s teen horror films Amazon Prime Video original films American buddy comedy films American comedy horror films American female buddy films American high school films American supernatural comedy films American supernatural horror films American teen comedy films American teen horror films Films about exorcism Films based on American horror novels Films set in 1988 Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state)