Demonic possession is a popular subject in the world of Horror. It is an inherently frightening idea - the thought that some outside, evil force supplanting you or someone you love. It makes for great, scary fiction. There are, however, an awful lot of people that take the idea very seriously. For some, demonic possession is a very real phenomenon - an event that can only be remedied by ritual and prayer. This can cause severe damage, of course. Very real and treatable psychological disorders get turned into cases of God vs. the Devil - often irreparably harming the victim. Most Horror films don’t bother with this fact, of course. Skeptics in these films are usually just “blind to the truth” and it is only the heroic actions of the priesthood that save the day. One film that departed from this was 2005’s THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE.
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THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE stars Laura Linney as Erin Bruner, a lawyer who is assigned to defend Father Richard Moore (Tom Wilkinson) who is charged with negligent homicide. The prosecution claims that Father Moore performed an exorcism on a young woman named Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) which led directly to her death. The prosecution intends to prove that Emily suffered from a variety of psychological illnesses and Father Moore’s involvement cause her to be neglected medically. Emily’s story is told through flashbacks - detailing the suffering she endured until her ultimate death.
Although the film holds out the possibility that Emily was the victim of superstition and neglect, the flashbacks are told mostly from Father Moore’s perspective. The events are interpreted through his filter, so the trappings of this film will be familiar to most Horror fans. Strange visions, terrifying voices, creepy coincidences are all here. It is very well made, if not exactly new. Director Scott Derrickson moves the story along at a nice pace and a sure hand. Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, and Jennifer Carpenter are all excellent in their roles and turn in very real performances.
The standout element in the nuts-and-bolts of the film is Christopher Young’s truly terrifying score. Because there isn’t a lot in the possession story that we’ve not seen before, the music is required to work overtime to drive most of the mood and provide a lot of the scares. And boy, does it ever. Christopher Young is a master of 20th century compositional technique and he draws on every trick in the book to send a shiver up our spine. And he does this while still finding room for a tragic, heartbreaking theme for Emily herself. It is a tour-de-force of film scoring and a criminally underrated example of what a great Horror score can be.
THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE is refreshing in that it is just as much a courtroom drama as it is a demonic possession film. It is a movie that at least entertains the possibility that the real demon in these possessions are outdated superstitions. That the real danger in these cases is not the Devil, but frail, fearful, and unenlightened humanity. That the film falls short in a fuller exploration of this does not take away the fact that THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE is a good, creepy film where the creepiness comes from the human characters as much as the supernatural.
Parental Guide: Keep children away. Some really intense stuff for early teens, too. Best keep it at 16+.
THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE fun facts -
The film is based on the case of Anneliese Michel. A German woman who’s exorcism resulted in her death. The two priests who performed the exorcism were convicted of manslaughter, but served only suspended sentences.
A lifelike prop doll was built for the moment when Emily is found contorted on her dorm room floor, but went unused when it was discovered that Jennifer Carpenter could perform the contortion herself.
This film is the inspiration for a current urban legend floating around University of Minnesota. The legend holds that Pioneer Hall is the dorm where the student Emily Rose is based on was first possessed.
Anneliese Michel’s grave is now the site of pilgrimage for some Catholics who honor her as an unofficial saint.
Father Moore - “Once you’ve looked into the darkness, I think you carry it with you the rest of your life. “
Ethan Thomas - “Your priest broke the law and now a young girl is dead. If he‘s a man of God, then personally, I think he‘s even more subject to the laws of moral behavior and punishment.”
Emily Rose - “You think you can force me out, priest? Try. I dare you.”