As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to enjoy scary movies. I still don’t really care for the slasher type that much, but I do enjoy suspenseful movies. I first heard about The Exorcism of Emily Rose several months ago. I was interested in seeing it, though I thought I’d have to wait and rent it. I recently had the chance to see the movie.

Erin Bruner was a successful criminal lawyer on track to become a partner at her law firm. She was requested for a high profile case involving Father Moore, a priest that had performed an exorcism on Emily Rose with the approval of the Catholic Church. Emily eventually died and Father Moore was charged. The Catholic Church was staying out of the case, though they did request Erin since she worked for the law firm that handled things for the Church. Erin started talking to people about what had happened to Emily in the months leading up to the exorcism and her death. The prosecution went with the angle that Emily had a medical condition and that she would have been fine if she had continued with medical treatment. Father Moore warned Erin that there were evil forces surrounding the case. She did notice some strange things happening.

If I remember right, The Exorcism of Emily Rose was promoted as a very scary movie. I really don’t think it was. There were creepy moments in the movie, most of which were used in the trailer, but I wasn’t scared when watching the movie. The Skeleton Key worked better at being scary. I though that this movie was more of a drama than a scary suspenseful thriller. That didn’t mean I was bored with the movie. I thought it was very interesting. I was guessing about what would happen several times because suspense was added in some scenes. The marketing for this movie really played up the creepy factor in the movie to make it look like it would be really scary. The website for the movie also played up the creepy elements. People hoping for a scary horror movie could end up very disappointed since this really isn’t either of those. There were some scenes that could be disturbing for some people to see. The movie was rated PG-13 and definitely isn’t for children.

The movie took place after Emily’s death. The very first scene showed the medical examiner arriving at the Rose family home and then Father Moore’s arrest. Once Erin agreed to take the case, she spent time researching what had happened and what she would use as a defense for Father Moore. Erin talked to him and Emily’s family. Emily was only shown in flashbacks. They were handled well and it was clear when one was used. Emily’s story was also shared through testimony during the trail, which did set off a few of the flashbacks. The trail was handled in a way that kept it interesting. Questions were raised about exactly what had been wrong with Emily and why she had died.

Religion played an important part in what went on. Emily and her family were devout Catholics. Emily’s first incident happened when she was in college. She was taken to a hospital and a medical diagnosis was made that could explain some of what Emily had experienced. Medical treatment didn’t seem to help, so the family turned to their priest for help. They believed that Emily was possessed by demons and an exorcism was her only chance. Father Moore received permission from the Catholic Church to perform the exorcism. The Church refused to become directly involved in the cast after Emily’s death, though they get Father Moore a lawyer. Erin worked for the Church’s law firm. She didn’t have strong religious beliefs and didn’t believe in demons or possession, but she took on the case and worked up a defense for Father Moore. Ethan Thomas, the prosecutor, was very religious though not Catholic. He didn’t believe in possession and tried to keep Erin from presenting any evidence that would support that theory. None of the characters were trying to shove their beliefs onto anyone else. The religious aspects of the movie could bother some viewers.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose was based on a true story. I knew that before seeing the movie, though I didn’t know that much about the real people involved. I did some research after seeing the movie. Anneliese Michel was a young woman in Germany that was believed to have been possessed by demons in the 1970's. She went away to college, where strange incidents started. She was diagnosed with epilepsy, but the family decided to consult a priest. The Catholic Church gave the priest permission to perform an exorcism that ultimately didn’t help her. Her parents and the priest were charged with her death. The names and locations were changed for the movie. It was set in the United States, though I can’t remember hearing which state it was set in. I also don’t remember seeing or hearing any dates for when the movie was set.

The movie was about what happened to Emily. However, she really wasn’t a main character and was only in a little bit of the movie. What was learned about her came mostly from the flashbacks or through things that other people said about her. A very short flashback showed Emily when she learned she had received a scholarship for college. The time she was in a flashback was when the first incident was shown. As future incidents were shown, Emily was deteriorating. Jennifer Carpenter did well with the part. She was very expressive during the strange events Emily had to deal with.

Erin seemed to be the character that had the most to do throughout the movie. She was a good lawyer that was hoping to become a partner at her law firm. She had won a high profile case that had received a lot of media attention, so she was well known. She had certain beliefs when she started on the case that did evolve as she saw some strange things. Laura Linney was really good in the part. I have seen her in several different movies and I do tend her like her. Father Moore was the man on trial, though not a lot about him was shared. He truly believed that Emily was possessed. Tom Wilkinson was good in the part. He had a small part in Batman Begins. Ethan Thomas was really only shown during the trial. The only thing that was really known about him was he was religious and he didn’t believe in demons or possession. Campbell Scott was fine in the part.

CAST

Jennifer Carpenter - Emily Rose
Laura Linney - Erin Bruner
Campbell Scott - Ethan Thomas
Tom Wilkinson - Father Moore

Scott Derrickson - Director

The Exorcism of Emily Rose really isn’t a scary movie, but I do think it is enjoyable. The movie told a story about an exorcism in a different way that I do think worked. It is worth seeing, especially for people that like Laura Linney.

Laura Linney Movie Reviews
Mystic River ~ Absolute Power ~

Recommended: Yes