The Exorcism of Emily Rose [2005]
Director: Scott Derrickson
Actor: Laura Linney, Jennifer Carpenter, Tom Wilkinson
Before I say anything about this film, it’s important that everyone understands that The Exorcism of Emily Rose is based on the story of Annalise Michel, a German girl who died after an excorcism was performed on her, back in the 70s. You can say what you will, you can be as skeptical as you want to be, but that kind of makes the movie a bit more creepy, regardless of the truth behind the story. :)
Emily Rose is a girl that comes from a very small town, somewhere in the mid-west or perhaps New England, who is accepted to a college in “the city” (which city that is, is unclear) on a full scholarship. There she finds herself assaulted by an invisible force one night at 3 am. It’s the start of a string of attacks on her. These are attacks are physical, mental as well as spiritual, and while doctors tell her that she might be epileptic, she comes to the conclusion that this is a spiritual matter, rather than a medical one, and she decides to move back home. There the attacks turn into an actual invasion of her body by a malevolent spirit, and the family’s priest is asked to help. The priest ends up doing an exorcism, which fails, and Emily dies.
That’s where the movie starts, with the incarceration of the priest. The next hour and a half is basically a courtroom drama, which tells of the trial of Father Moore, the priest in question, as he tries to defend himself against the charge of criminal negligence resulting in Emily’s death. They tell the tale of Emily’s posession, which is a creepy one, while trying to refute the public defender’s claim that there was nothing spiritually wrong with Emily, but that this was simply a case of epilepsy, which could have been treated with the right medication.
The story and visuals really appealed to me, because I think Catholicism has a great mythological background, which makes for great tales of Good pitched against Evil. Like The Exorcist, this film is sober and bleak, not relying on visual effects to deliver the punch. The juxtaposition of the court room drama, and the drama unfolding in the flashbacks of Emily’s last few days are very, very gripping, and with an excellent cast of relatively unknown people, you are not tempted to deform the actor’s part to what you have come to expect of the actor. The casting was spot on, right down to the super-religious, slightly bumpkin family of Emily. Great film.
