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The Exorcism Of Emily Rose [2005]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

A surprise hit when it was released in September 2005, The Exorcism of Emily Rose tells a riveting horror story while tackling substantial issues of religious and spiritual belief. It's based on the true story of Anneliese Michel, a German student who believed she was possessed by demons, and whose death during an attempted exorcism in 1976 led to the conviction of two priests on charges of negligent manslaughter.

As director and cowriter (with Paul Harris Boardman), filmmaker Scott Derrickson adapts this factual case into a riveting courtroom drama in which questions of faith, and the possibility of demonic possession, take the place of provable facts in the case of Father Moore (superbly played by Tom Wilkinson). A small-town Catholic priest, Moore has been put on trial for the post-exorcism death of Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter), a college student who, like her real-life inspiration, believed she was suffering from demonic possession. As an agnostic defense attorney (Laura Linney) argues the father's case against a Methodist prosecutor (Campbell Scott), flashbacks reveal the exorcism ritual and Emily's ultimately fatal ordeal, and Carpenter's performance is so frighteningly effective that it's almost painful to watch.

From here, the film remains deliberately ambiguous, leaving viewers to ponder their own belief (or lack of it) in the supernatural. It lacks the extreme shock value of The Exorcist, but by leaving room for doubt and belief in a legal context, The Exorcism of Emily Rose gains depth and resonance in a way that guarantees similar long-term appeal. --Jeff Shannon


The best horror film I've seen in years
Review date: 2008-08-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

I like to think of myself as a bit of a horror fan, but can say quite honestly that I haven't seen a really good scary film in quite a few years. To sum up, this is the first film made in the last 20 years or so to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. And more than once! I agree with the reviewer who said it makes you check mirrors, wonder why the door's creaking and peek out of the curtains...
It has something of the late 70's/early 80's horror classics, the Biblical and supernatural elements being what's missing in most modern horror films (the gore of the Saw and Hostel films, mutant in-bred locals of films like Wolf Creek and strange creatures of films like The Descent, Jeepers Creepers and Creep do little for me in this respect). This film puts me in mind of the Omen trilogy, the first 2 Amityville films and not surprisingly the original Exorcist. You can imagine this happening, it's a universal horror and that's it's power.
I'm not saying the film is perfect; there's a little too much courtroom and not enough of the flashbacks, or indeed what may be happening to Erin at 3am every morning, I feel this in particular could have been developed a little further. It's in these scenes where the scary stuff is and what made this film rivetting for me. Overall, a nice surprise and I'm wondering why it took me a few years to get round to seeing it. I just wish my daughter wasn't called Emily Rose...

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Reviews


Do you believe?
Review date: 2008-08-05 Rating: 8 out of 10

I could not disagree more with the most recent review,as I found the film to be neither mind numbingly boring nor dull.
In fact I found the film to be absorbing,with an intelligent script,first class acting,and one that challenges the viewer to consider the possibility that there may be more to life than the scientifically/medically verifiable.


mind numbingly dull and boring
Review date: 2008-07-31 Rating: 2 out of 10

This movie has to be the stupidest movie ever made. What was the point? the whole movie is in a court room and you only actually get to see emily rose a handful of times. i hate this movie so much that i might kill somebody. dont bother buying it

Intriguing mix of Court Room and chiller
Review date: 2008-06-20 Rating: 8 out of 10

With such a recent plethora of movies based on torture and gore to achieve their chills, it is refreshing to find a movie that retains some intelligence and still manages to get a few spine-chilling moments, with barely a speck of blood or guts to be seen.
First and foremost, this is a court room drama. And yet there is an interesting twist, because the subject is one based on belief, not on facts.. and it makes for some interesting moral questions. The movie starts at the tail end of events as the priest is taken into custody. A young woman, Emily Rose, has died in his care following an exorcism. Was it neglect on his part keeping her from medical care for a psychotic epilepsy condition, or were his efforts justified and in fact medical intervention nullified the effects of the exorcism? We are led through the events in flashback throughout the course of the trial, sometimes to eery effect, as the priest refuses to cut a deal and insists on telling Emily's story to a jury.
At the centre of the movie is the relationship between Laura Linney's jaded and agnostic defence counsel and her client the priest played by Tom Wilkinson. The two leads play with conviction, but Jennifer Carpenter's physically demanding role of Emily Rose should not be overlooked.
Admirably, the tone is not one of full on shocks and scares - there is a neutrality which gives you space to make your own mind up, and yet allow you to see events as the Father Moore and Emily saw them. It's this intelligence towards the subject which sets this apart from most other recent horror movies and makes this worth watching.


Good thought provoking film based very loosely on true-life events
Review date: 2008-03-04 Rating: 6 out of 10

I did some research on the true story behind 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' after watching the film. The possession was on a German girl and shokingly I found that the true events were much worse than the film's version. The girl suffered for something like 8 years and during that time she refused to eat because the spirits wouldnt allow it, beat and bit members of her family, began eating spiders and flies and even began drinking her own urine. It was also mentioned that she was infact possesed by several demons including Lucifer, Judas Iscariot, Nero, Cain, Hitler, and Fleischmann, a disgraced Frankish Priest from the 16th century, and some other damned souls which had manifested through her. By the time of her death she was suffering from pneumonia, a high fever and was also totally emaciated. It started at the age of 16 and finished when she was 24. The exorcisms were recorded and aparently in the real court, the tapes were played - one of them seemed to be demons fighting over who would leave her body first. The parents and exorsists were sentenced with man-slaughter and sent to prison for 6 months.

Compare this to the films version, the film actually looks quite mild. I have a few problems with the film.

A) There is too much of this film that is based in the court room for this to be a horror (although there are some disturbing scenes). In the end this film is more a very thought provokative drama

B) I don't believe that this should claim to be based on true events. The real events were in Germany with a girl named Anneliese. And since the whole film is about the court case after her death, and the outcome was the complete opposite to what happened in the film.

What suprises me most about this film is that the films events were softened for the big screen compared to the real-life events. Usually I would have thought that Hollywood would if anything exaggerate the horror of what happened to make the story more exciting.

However saying all that, after the initial disappointment of realising this wasn't a gruesom horror film, I was still kept interested throughout the film and obviously touched as it is a very sad story. So much so that I went internet surfing to find the true story behind it all.

I would recommend to all those who like sad stories or court dramas. I would not recommend to anyone who is looking for a horror or anything like the Exorcist.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Lorena Gale
Duncan Fraser
Aaron Douglas
Tom Wilkinson
Katie Keating

Creators:
Tom Wilkinson (Primary Contributor)
Aaron Douglas (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
EAN: 5035822913134
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL,
Release date: 2006-03-20
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 117 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2005
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Hindi (Subtitled)
Language: Italian (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Italian (Dubbed)

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