The Exorcism of Emily Rose-
Unrated Edition
(Sony Region 1 NTSC DVD)
(2005)
review by Head Cheeze

There are two kinds of films that really scare the hell out of me; well done ghost stories and films about demonic possession. I don’t especially like the thought of intangible antagonists, and the scared little Catholic kid in me is especially frightened by the ones who operate under the auspices of the devil himself. I mean, after all, we’re talking about the ultimate bad guy, here; the poster child of evil whether you believe in him or not.

And...well...I guess I'm one of them there believer types.

Emily Rose is based on the story of Anneliese Michel, a young German woman who “starved to death” after purportedly suffering nearly a decade’s worth of demonic possession. The film tells us Emily’s (Carpenter) story over the course of the trial of Father Moore (Wilkinson), the priest entrusted with her exorcism, and the man that the prosecution holds responsible for her death. The state prosecutor (Scott) argues that Moore’s influence misled Emily and her family to eschew her doctor’s diagnosis of epilepsy and, instead, embrace the idea that her ailment was not physical, but spiritual. Moore’s lawyer, Erin Bruner (Linney), argues on the priest’s behalf, despite the fact that she’s an agnostic and doesn’t believe in any of this nonsense. However, as she gets drawn deeper into the case, her beliefs are challenged by events that not only have a profound effect on the case’s outcome, but on Erin, herself.

People who pick up Emily Rose expecting either a cookie-cutter horror flick or a visceral shocker in the mold of 1974’s The Exorcist will both be sorely disappointed, for this film is neither. It’s more intelligent than it is scary, as Emily Rose moves along at a quietly deliberate pace, with most of the action set in the courtroom, making it nearly as much of a legal drama as it is a horror film. The film is scary, but in a much more primal way, with many of its horrific build-ups leading to nothing more than quiet realisation, and only the occasional poke to keep audiences on their guard.

Instead of obvious shocks and clichés, director Derrickson chooses to underscore his film with consistent tension and an inescapable sense of dread. I especially appreciated how Derrickson’s script presented the story from both sides, with flashbacks to Moore’s version of the events providing the film with its horror quotient, and the prosecution’s argument giving us the sort of “facts” that help us sleep at night.

The performances from Linney and Wilkinson are expectedly solid, but I have to say I was especially impressed by the twenty-five year old Jennifer Carpenter in the unforgiving role of Emily. The actress managed to convincingly run the gamut through emotions and expressions; from wholesome to harried, terrified to terrifying, Carpenter nails the role, and makes the character all the more tragic.

This "Unrated" DVD from Sony doesn't really add enough to the film that I would think its original PG-13 rating would be in jeopardy, and, to be honest, I couldn't see much of a difference from the theatrical release, but that's just fine by me. That version worked well enough!

The set sports a commentary track with director Scott Derrickson, a pair of featurettes, one of which examines the history behind the film (although I'd have loved to have seen a meatier documentary on the subject), as well as a deleted scene, and trailers.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose is an absorbing and oftentimes disturbing tale that wisely avoids the well-trodden path first cleared by The Exorcist and, instead, presents a familiar story in a new and riveting fashion.