The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Scott Derrickson

Writers (WGA):

Paul Harris Boardman (written by) &
Scott Derrickson (written by)

Release Date:

9 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror

Tagline:

What happened to Emily?

Plot:

A lawyer (Linney) takes on a negligent homicide case involving a priest (Wilkinson) who performed an exorcism on a young girl.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Lawyer | Girl | Exorcism | College

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Laura Linney	...	Erin Bruner
Tom Wilkinson	...	Father Moore
Campbell Scott	...	Ethan Thomas
Jennifer Carpenter	...	Emily Rose
Colm Feore	...	Karl Gunderson
Joshua Close	...	Jason
Kenneth Welsh	...	Dr. Mueller
Duncan Fraser	...	Dr. Cartwright
JR Bourne	...	Ray
Mary Beth Hurt	...	Judge Brewster
Henry Czerny	...	Dr. Briggs
Shohreh Aghdashloo	...	Dr. Adani
Steve Archer	...	Guy in Bar
Arlene Belcastro	...	Praying Woman #2
David Berner	...	Karl's Crony #1

Also Known As:

The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel (USA) (working title)
Untitled Scott Derrickson Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, including intense/frightening sequences and disturbing images.

Runtime:

119 min | USA:122 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | German | Greek | Hebrew | Latin | Aramaic

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | Australia:M | Taiwan:R-12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Portugal:M/12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Mexico:B15 | Indonesia:Dewasa | Germany:12 | Czech Republic:15 | France:-12 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:14 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | USA:Unrated (DVD) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41453) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | South Korea:12 | Germany:16 (uncut DVD version) | Japan:U | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

D Block, Buchanan Building, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Screen Gems

Trivia:

Since this film's release, a persistent urban legend has sprung up amongst students at the University of Minnesota. According to the legend, Pioneer Hall, an allegedly haunted dormitory, was where Emily Rose was first "possessed," as seen in the film. However, as Emily Rose is a fictional version of Anneliese Michel, a German woman who never attended the U of M, this legend is obviously false.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: The stop button is pushed on the tape recorder during the courtroom scene, but the tape continues to play for a few more seconds.

Quotes:

Dr. Cartwright: That girl was not scizophrenic, she was not epileptic, or any combination of the two. I've seen hundreds of people with those problems. They have terrible afflictions, of course, but they don't scare me.
Erin Bruner: But what you saw in Emily that night? It scared you?
Dr. Cartwright: God, if i'd known, i never would have been there. I examined that girl before i drove back to the city. She was lucid and completely aware of the seperate entity inside her. When she wasn't in it's grasp, she was totally herself and completely normal, which conradicts the medical statement...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Version of Requiem (2006)

Soundtrack:

Prelude, Op. 3, No. 2 in C Sharp Minor

Very thrilling, but the ending leaves you longing for more

Yes, I know, we've seen too many mediocre horror movies in the past few years. Yes, I'm fed up with horror stories that are "based on true events", too, but don't write this movie off too soon. If you ignore the assertion that this has all happened in reality and just accept that you're in for a supernatural movie, you'll have a gay ol' time with "The Exorcism Of The Emily Rose".

The first thing to mention is that there has never been a combination of horror movie and courtroom drama before, and while some reviewers have stated that the two genres don't go together well, I have to disagree. The courtroom setting added a lot of suspense to the story and horror movies always work best when there is suspense added to the spooky and creepy elements. And boy, does this movie have some creepy scenes.

The four main actors do a fine job and the restrained direction is pretty atmospheric too, except for some minor fashionable shots that are probably not going to age very well (for example, one time Scott Derrickson reverts to Darren Aronofsky-cam, which is already getting old). Anyway, the main attraction is the story itself, and as I've said, it's fast paced and exciting - at least until the third act. Up until that point it's hard to watch the screen at times because Derrickson uses his shock scenes so effectively and steers clear of any jump-clichés. Then a certain climax is reached, the movie reduces its supernatural elements and relies maybe a bit too much on the courtroom drama aspect. On the plus side Derrickson avoids going over the top like so many other horror movies do including embarrassing CGI-orgies in their showdowns. On the other hand, it is exactly that relatively quiet ending that prevents "The Exorcism Of Emily Rose" from becoming a real classic. One just has the feeling that the priest and the trial made a whole lot of fuss about nothing, because there's no real solution in the end.

"The Exorcism Of Emily Rose" has enough chilling moments not to be overshadowed by "The Exorcist", the big Kahuna of the exorcism genre, but it's not going to be remembered as a cornerstone of the horror genre. In 2005 you couldn't find a lot of spooky movies that were better than this one, though.