The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Stars : Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Jennifer Carpenter, Campell Scott

Directed By: Scott Derrickson
Released by: Sony Pictures

Desperate times call for despaerate measures. For the family of Emily Rose, a devoutly religious 19 year old college student, the most desperate of times called for the most desperate of measures. In The Exorcism of Emily Rose, we see a representation of a supposedly true story, one of an attempted exorcism gone horribly wrong. Regardless of how closely the film sticks to fact, the very notion that even remotely similar events could have occured, is chilling. As a story, it is horrifying, as a movie, it is an engrossing, well acted fusion of genres that leaves even the most cynical of audiences questioning their beliefs.

Emily Rose (a stunning Jennifer Carpenter), is a 19 year old Catholic country girl, who goes away to college when she recieves a scholarship. Emily fits in well, finding a new circle of friends and a caring boyfriend, her life is headed in the right direction. One night, however, while her roomate is away for the weekend, Emily is attacked in her bedroom. Frightened and hysterical, Emily is taken to the university hospital, where once again she is assaulted, found writhing in agony on the floor. The question the rest of the film tries to answer, is by what, or by whom, was she attacked? Was it a supernatural force, a demon that possessed her mind and body that night? Or was it a rare medical disorder, which seemingly ticks all the boxes for her symptoms? Director Derrickson does not attempt to provide us with any specific answer to the question, but allows the facts to be aired for the audience to make their own mind up in a courtroom setting. On trial is Father Richard Moore (Wilkinson), who was called upon by Emily's family to save her, when in their eyes modern medicine had failed. Not long after a failed exorcism, Emily died in gruesome circumstances, and the charge against Father Moore is that of negligent homicide. Whether he is indeed guilty or not, the story of Emily Rose's death is an unsettling look at the constant battle between science and religion.

The use of the courtroom framing for flashbacks to the night of the exorcism is clever and effective. Testimonies often drift into the events they are describing, and the movie builds up a compelling tension this way, as we delve deeper with Emily's family and friends into the story of her gradual decline into the unrecognisable being we meet later. Laura Linney gives yet another top performance, as the hot shot defence lawyer hired by the Vatican to represent Father Moore. She seems a character representative of the film's audience, unsure of what she believes in, after all that she is exposed to. A ruthless, career driven agnostic before the case, she doesn't transform into the Virgin Mary, but she is not so confident in dismissing Father Moore's claims come the end of the trial. Tom Wilkinson is similarly well cast as Moore, still deeply haunted by his experiences, overwhelmed by the dissection of his existence and his faith, he is a man under attack from all forces, including those he cannot see. Of the other actors in the film, only Jennifer Carpenter has any real major part to play, as the unfortunate Emily. In a demanding role, Carpenter does well as the scared and frantic student, and in a part where it could be so easy to overact, she performs solidly and convincingly.

This is one of the best movies I have seen all year, and it's not hard to see why. Rather than camp horror and excessive melodrama, it added a previously unexplored dimension to its tale, with the unlikely genre duo of courtroom drama and horror, woking surprisingly well together. With a top cast, and a fascinating story to work with, the film delivers a very scary experience, without forgetting about keeping the plot together. The segues into horror are short and sharp, which gives them a bite rarely seen in horror films. Rather than becoming used to the horror and suspense, you can't help but become less immune to it as the tension escalates. A top class horror flick with an added dimension, it's well worth seeing. Whether religious or not, you can't help but have an opinion by the end, as to what really happened to Emily Rose.

out of ten

Reviewed by Nick Bailey

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