The recent Prime Video horror movieMy Best Friend’s Exorcismis not only a fun adaptation of the novel by Grady Hendrix, which was published in 2017, but it also has layered characters and a flawless depiction of the emotional experience of being a teenage girl. Gretchen Lang (Amiah Miller) and Abby Rivers (Elsie Fisher) would do anything for each other and Abby is shocked when a demon takes over Gretchen. This changes Gretchen’s whole being and personality.
My Best Friend’s Exorcismtakes a new approach to demon possession, creating a mean girl character out of Gretchen Lang (Amiah Miller) that will remind movie fans of the beloved and well-drawn characters of the hit 2004 filmMean Girls.
RELATED:Every Upcoming Grady Hendrix Book-To-Screen Adaptation
Thetrailer forMy Best Friend’s Exorcismshared the main premise of Abby and Gretchen’s connection and the weird situation that they find themselves in. After watching the film, it’s clear that besides a dose of nostalgia and picture perfect depiction of the 1980s, the story also has a lot in common with the characters ofMean Girls. In both movies, a group of teenage girls are obsessed with popularity and fashion and makeup, hoping that everyone thinks that they look cool and measure up. The films approach the mean girl persona in different ways with different genres.
Thebest movies about demonic possessionoften feature the same visual depiction of what happens to the character who is going through this. Horror fans are used to seeing people’s mouths hanging open and their bodies being pulled in different directions. It can be unnerving to see, that’s for sure. In many cases, the character is lifted up off a bed and moved toward the ceiling, and it’s awful to see how they have lost control. InMy Best Friend’s Exorcism, Gretchen wakes up in the middle of the night and sees her comforter on the floor, and she tells Abby that it feels like a man is pressing down on her chest and making it impossible for her to move.
WhileThe Exorcistis a perfect horror movieand has unforgettable scenes, Gretchen’s changes make for an impressive, well-crafted film worthy of praise. Gretchen becomes a totally different person and begins tormenting her friends and making their lives hell. This is brilliant as it’s a way for the movie to explore how cruel teenagers can be to each other and how everyone is insecure and trying to get through these tough and awkward years. While therehasn’t been many teen horror movies recently,My Best Friend’s Exorcismexamines the pitfalls of popularity and fitting in while showing audiences some truly brutal scenes.
Gretchen tortures the people who she was so close to and used to love spending time with, giving Margaret Chisolm (Rachel Ogechi Kanu) weight loss pills that aren’t FDA-approved, which results in several massive tapeworms leaving her body. Gretchen is especially cruel when she uses Glee Tanaka’s (Cathy Ang) crush on Margaret and tells Glee to share her love for Margaret, which Gretchen knows will go poorly. Gretchen also switches between completely ignoring Abby and embarrassing her at a school event when she jokes about Abby masturbating while thinking about a young teacher.
Gretchen’s reign of terror isn’t unlike Regina George’s.Rachel McAdams would love aMean Girlssequeland that’s definitely something that fans of the film wish would happen. Regina makes Gretchen Weiners (Lacey Chabert), Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried), and Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) follow her every move and listen to her no matter what. Cady gets taken in and realizes that she was sold a bunch of lies about popularity and coolness as being part of The Plastics is actually demoralizing and upsetting.
WhileMean Girlsshows how easy it is to get caught up in things that don’t matter,My Best Friend’s Exorcismis like the horror movie version with a very similar message. In both movies, sweet main characters Cady and Abby learn what actual, real friendship is and realize that they can be themselves instead of pretending all the time. The Prime film is agreat horror comedybecause it makes audiences laugh while saying something important about teenage girlhood. Abby, Gretchen, Glee and Margaret just want to be loved and cared for and comforted, and they all realize that they need to treat each other better.
Teen supernatural horror moviesare able to get to the core of the teenage experience while proving scares and kills and all the elements of the genre.My Best Friend’s Exorcismis a new take onMean Girlsthat feels contemporary even though it’s set in 1988. The message is still relevant: friendship can be a bright spot in a high schooler’s life and it can also be a nightmare. Thankfully, in both this great new film andMean Girls, the characters find a way to be themselves and move on happily.
