The Exorcism Of Emily Rose

Rating: 4/4 (Fascinating and scary)

Emily Rose is found dead after an exorcism is performed on her by Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson). Is Father Moore guilty of murder? That is the intriguing question placed before the courtroom jury in the movie The Exorcism Of Emily Rose. The movie is based on the true story of Anneliese Michel, a German woman who was supposedly possessed by demons and was subject to an exorcism.

Emily Rose is a happy rural teenager who gets a scholarship to study at university. While at university, she is possessed by demons, who make her psychotic and send her into seizures. She returns home to her father’s farm house, where Father Moore, the local parish priest attempts an exorcism on her. The exorcism fails and Emily’s health further declines in the following days, leading eventually to her death. That is at least the story that Erin Bruner (Laura Linney), Father Moore’s defense attorney tries to present. Representing the people is Ethan Thomas who tries to prove that the plight of Emily was a medical condition of psychotic epileptic disorder and that Father Moore killed her by interfering with her medical diagnosis.

From the very first opening scenes, this movie totally had my attention. The horror of Emily Rose is slowly depicted in flashbacks while her case is argued in court. The scary scenes fit snugly into the courtroom drama leading to a totally chilling experience. I found the plot to be very intriguing, as both the sides of religion and medicine are not completely sure that they are right. Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson have acted well, resulting in their characters being very compelling. The cinematography is bare, sparse and chilling. This is a fascinating scary movie.