A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Positive Role Models
none
Teens drink and use drugs.
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Diverse Representations
very little
Some racial and ethnic diversity in the secondary characters.
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Horror movie violence and imagery, as well as physical and verbal teen bullying. After becoming possessed by a demon, a teen girl encourages her friend to drink tea that's filled with tapeworm eggs that later hatch and writes a fake love letter to cause a friend to confess her love to her friend, resulting in gay shaming. The lead character gets dunked in a dunk tank and humiliated at a school fair. While possessed, a teen gets up in front of the class, sits down, and urinates (not shown, heard). Talk of rape -- lead character believes that her friend was raped by the boyfriend of another friend; a nun during a class lecture refers to alcohol as "rape juice."
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
some
References to sex and innuendo. Teen girl talks about how she would "do the pizza guy." Teen girls look through a yearbook and talk about who the "hornie*st guy" is. A performance by a faith-based weightlifting team at the school includes an unintentional reference to sex. Talk of masturbation. Implied dream of one of the teen girls fantasizing about kissing one of the teachers, a priest-in-training.
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Language
a lot
Strong language throughout, including "motherf--ker" once and "f--k" used several times. Also, "c--ze," "s---ch," "bulls--t," "s--t," "d--k," "crap," "ass." hom*ophobic slurs. Middle finger gesture.
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Products & Purchases
very little
Domino's Pizza boxes prominently shown in one scene. Large storage can made to look like a Diet Pepsi can in background of another scene.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a lot
Teens take tabs of acid at a sleepover. Teens drink. Cigarette smoking by parent.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that My Best Friend's Exorcism is a comedy-horror-thriller based on a novel in which a teen girl must save her best friend from demonic possession. Expect a fair amount of horror movie violence and imagery, as well as some verbal and physical bullying, including gay shaming. A teen girl encourages her friend to drink tea that's filled with tapeworm eggs that later hatch. While possessed, a teen gets up in front of the class, sits down, and urinates (heard but not shown). References to rape: During a class lecture, a nun refers to booze as "rape juice," and the lead character initially believes that the reason her best friend is acting so strange is that she was raped by their friend's boyfriend. Characters use strong language throughout, including "motherf--ker," "f--k," crude slang, and hom*ophobic slurs. Teens take LSD at a sleepover, and some teens drink alcohol. There's also sexual innuendo, references to sex and masturbation, and cigarette smoking by an adult. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
In MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM, Abby (Elsie Fisher) and Gretchen (Amiah Miller) are 16-year-old best friends who attend a Catholic school. Together with their friends Margaret and Glee, they go to Abby's family lake house to party and skinny dip. But after Margaret's sleazy boyfriend Wallace shows up with LSD, Abby and Gretchen sneak off to explore a rumored haunted cabin in the nearby woods. After hearing scary sounds and feeling separated from each other, they emerge, but Gretchen starts acting strangely. She acts out in school and tries to find ways to manipulate and humiliate her friends. After one humiliation too many, Abby looks in Gretchen's notebook and fears that the exploration of the cabin led to something sinister. She must find a way to get her friend back from the demon that has possessed her.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in My Best Friend's Exorcism. Was the bullying necessary to the story, or was it too much? Why?
This movie is set in the 1980s. How did it try to capture the pop culture and fashion of the decade? What are some other movies and TV shows set in the '80s that also reflect nostalgia for that time?
This movie was based on a novel. What would be the challenges in adapting a book into a novel?
Why are stories about exorcisms so popular? What do you think is the appeal?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: September 30, 2022
- Cast: Elsie Fisher, Amiah Miller, Rachel Ogechi Kanu
- Director: Damon Thomas
- Inclusion Information: Female actors, Female writers
- Studio: Amazon
- Genre: Horror
- Topics: Book Characters, High School
- Run time: 96 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: Teen drug use, language, sexual references and some violence.
- Last updated: May 14, 2023
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