The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

Director:

Scott Derrickson

Writers (WGA):

Paul Harris Boardman (written by) &
Scott Derrickson (written by)

Release Date:

9 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror

Tagline:

What happened to Emily?

Plot:

A lawyer (Linney) takes on a negligent homicide case involving a priest (Wilkinson) who performed an exorcism on a young girl.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Lawyer | Exorcism | Negligent Homicide | Trial

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Laura Linney	...	Erin Bruner
Tom Wilkinson	...	Father Moore
Campbell Scott	...	Ethan Thomas
Jennifer Carpenter	...	Emily Rose
Colm Feore	...	Karl Gunderson
Joshua Close	...	Jason
Kenneth Welsh	...	Dr. Mueller
Duncan Fraser	...	Dr. Cartwright
JR Bourne	...	Ray
Mary Beth Hurt	...	Judge Brewster
Henry Czerny	...	Dr. Briggs
Shohreh Aghdashloo	...	Dr. Adani
Steve Archer	...	Guy in Bar
Arlene Belcastro	...	Praying Woman #2
David Berner	...	Karl's Crony #1

Also Known As:

The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel (USA) (working title)
Untitled Scott Derrickson Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, including intense/frightening sequences and disturbing images.

Runtime:

119 min | USA:122 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | German | Greek | Hebrew | Latin | Aramaic

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | Australia:M | Taiwan:R-12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Portugal:M/12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Mexico:B15 | Indonesia:Dewasa | Germany:12 | Czech Republic:15 | France:-12 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:14 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | USA:Unrated (DVD) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41453) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | South Korea:12 | Germany:16 (uncut DVD version) | Japan:U | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

D Block, Buchanan Building, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Screen Gems

Trivia:

Based on the true story of Anneliese Michel, a young German woman who suffered a similar fate to the fictional Emily Rose in the 1970s, and "The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel", an account of the subsequent court case by expert witness Felicitas D. Goodman. Michel's parents and the two priests who performed her exorcism were prosecuted, and ultimately jailed for manslaughter. The most significant differences are that Michel periodically fasted for several months as part of her exorcism and remained on medication until her death, while the fictional Rose refused to eat due to her delusions and was taken off her medication by her carers.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: The stop button is pushed on the tape recorder during the courtroom scene, but the tape continues to play for a few more seconds.

Quotes:

Father Moore: It scared the hell out of me.

Movie Connections:

Version of Requiem (2006)

Soundtrack:

Prelude, Op. 3, No. 2 in C Sharp Minor

Not without its flaws, but a cut above most horror films

For the most part, films which were intended to frighten the viewing audience usually succeed in instead producing involuntary laughs. So it was nice to see a 'horror' film that not only has a brain for a change, but actually succeeds in being frightening. It may help that the film is allegedly based on true events, which gives credibility to the storyline, and prevents the movie from having those annoyingly gaping plot holes. And indeed, the heading "Based on a true story" doesn't come off as a glaring lie. There are indeed events happening in the film which are questionable as to whether they actually occurred in real life, but the beauty of 'Emily Rose' is that most of the film is retold by various characters, so the events described are as the character perceived them. In this way, the film doesn't distance its audience by declaring that "well, demons were in the film which was 'based on a true story', so demons must actually exist".

But in many ways, 'Emily Rose' is different from almost every past horror movie in the sense that it doesn't make really obvious attempts to frighten its audience. Instead, director/co-screenwriter Scott Derickson seems content to make us think. There are several questions raised in the film regarding religious beliefs and the public's general perception of them, but these are all handled in an objective and impartial manner. And as for the scare factor, since the filmmakers aren't overly obvious in trying to scare the audience, the film actually is frightening at several points - again, unusual for a horror film. The frightening events regarding Emily Rose's exorcism are all the more frightening as they don't seem horribly staged and predictable. (although the cheesy demonic animation, as shown in the trailer, could have been done far better) It's true that composer Christopher Young seems unable to resist the horror movie cliché of having horribly over-dramatic music which builds to a climax at the most frightening moment, but for the most part the movie is able to surpass the usual horror clichés.

It helps of course that the cast all deliver quality performances, the obvious standout being Jennifer Carpenter as Emily. Her possession scenes are nothing short of incredible, the sheer torment she seems capable of portraying is utterly captivating. Laura Linney also shines in the lead, giving a powerful and affecting performance as the attorney of the convicted priest who performed Emily Rose's exorcism. As said priest, Tom Wilkinson also manages to impress, delivering a quietly effective and very human performance. My only complaint is that the characters of Campbell Scott and Colm Feore were really badly written, coming off as the typical antagonistic figures, and nothing more. Both give satisfying performances, despite their one dimensional characters, especially Feore, who has always been talented at taking terribly written characters, and giving them life and personality nonetheless.

So The Exorcism of Emily Rose may not quite be the very best of its genre, but it certainly proves to be one of the more intelligently made ones. The director seems to have for once taken that extra step, and put aside the endless thrills and shocks in favor of making us think a bit. There are some cheesy effects, such as the demonic visions, but there are some genuinely frightening parts, especially the actual exorcism scene, mainly due to the chilling and captivating performance from Jennifer Carpenter as the title character. The principle cast members, Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson also give strong performances, bringing many layers to their characters. Quite the quality piece overall, and one worth seeing.

-8/10