Nowadays, how loosely based upon facts a story can be to warrant the title card, "Based on a true story" is hugely debatable, and so it is with 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' that the actual events may well have been twisted and exaggerated as the tale was passed on; certainly whilst watching it, we can't help but feel a reasonable amount of license taken for dramatic effect. Nevertheless, much like 'The Exorcist', to which it owes quite a debt in its clinical delivery, the tale, truth aside, remains pretty compelling.
Indeed, director Scott Derrickson deals well in the drama of horror, rather than just the easy-to-reach clichés of the genre. He would later go on to prove himself keen on story and mood over simple shocks with 'Sinister', but with both films, he is at his weakest when having to deliver the more obvious horror element, playing his hand far too heavily.
This movie has a good cast and keeps you gripped, for the most part. Whilst dealing in the low-key legal side of events, it is a genuinely interesting piece of work; it is a shame that the finale turns it into an almost apathetic shoulder shrug, quickly forgotten when in fact it should be keenly discussed.
Indeed, director Scott Derrickson deals well in the drama of horror, rather than just the easy-to-reach clichés of the genre. He would later go on to prove himself keen on story and mood over simple shocks with 'Sinister', but with both films, he is at his weakest when having to deliver the more obvious horror element, playing his hand far too heavily.
This movie has a good cast and keeps you gripped, for the most part. Whilst dealing in the low-key legal side of events, it is a genuinely interesting piece of work; it is a shame that the finale turns it into an almost apathetic shoulder shrug, quickly forgotten when in fact it should be keenly discussed.