- Title: The Exorcism of Emily Rose
- IMDb: link
I am hard to please when it comes to horror movies. I demand them to actually be creepy, scary and suspenseful which 98% of horror movies released these days sadly are not. My curiosity was aroused from the plot blurb for The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and the actual experience I had viewing the movie was shocking. Instead of relying on big budget special effects and buckets of blood as so many horror movies try today this film relies on suspense, character, plot, story, lighting, tone, and some of the simplest but most effective special effects I have ever seen in a horror film. This film is gripping; I wasn’t able to take my eyes off the screen. Nothing prepared me for what I was about to see.
As the movie opens Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson) is arrested and charged with the negligent death of Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter). Eager junior partner Erin Bruner (Laura Linney) is given the responsibility to defend this priest. Through the trial we get flashbacks and recollections of the character remembrances of Emily and what happened to her. Was it an untreated medical condition that led to her death as the prosecution claims or was Emily Rose possessed by a demon and her only chance of survival the exorcism Father Moore performed?
The structure of the film is remarkably clever. The story unfolds, slowly peeling away in layers, as a courtroom drama with the actual events shown in flashbacks. It tantalizes and teases us not giving away too much too soon. Since everything we are given is tempered through the eyes of witnesses we are never really sure exactly what happened to the young Miss Rose. Everything is flavored by the characters’ experiences: Emily’s parents gult, Father Moore’s failure, the doctor’s inaction. At the same time those remembrances are some of the creepiest scenes I have seen on film. Rather than use obvious special effects, the director decided to use tone and lighting to show the troubled and possibly demonic Emily Rose. Jennifer Carpenter excels in the small time she is given to show us the character of Emily before and after her possession. She is the find of the movie and provides some truly eerie moments; her body’s contortions just scared the hell out of me!
A final note, the movie is rated PG-13 but I would discourage younger viewers from watching this film. It is an R-rated film in every meaningful way, and I would caution parents about taking younger children to this creep-fest. I don’t say this in any negative way, the film is a great spooky little flick, but keep the kiddies at home.
A nice late summer surprise here for folks looking for a truly creepy movie. This isn’t you average slash and bloodbath horror movie and I can guess some fans of that style might be disappointed that the movie doesn’t rack up record body counts. Complain to someone else! This is a quality piece of work with some great performances and one of the best surprises of the year.