Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Exorcism of Emily Rose

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Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 09-11-2005, 11:55 AM:

Worst episode of Law & Order ever...

But creepier than PG-13 "horror" flicks of late...

Okay, just as Disney did away with The Village last year, advertising it as a horror mele, this year's subject is Exorcism of Emily Rose: a very special message from the Catholic Church.

Artfully and carefully shot, with strong actors in decently scripted (if not typical) roles, Emily Rose's exorcism is posthumously examined as her parish priest goes on trial for negligent homicide. Through straining flashbacks, we see a tamer possession than the original Exorcist film, but because Emily is still trying to be a normal college student throughout much of the ordeal, it has somewhat of a frightening feel. The exorcism scenes put Tom Wilkinson to the test, and he maintains; while Emily herself contorts, screams, taunts and summons the beasts of the land to strobe lights and a flourishing score. The flashbacks don't resort to cliches, and everyone seems truly freaked out, or heavily concerned at least.

But the above is only a sliver of the film. While well made, the courtroom drama that fills out the rest of the film feels straight off prime time TV. Objections run wild, and the moustached prosecutor seems flamboyant, albeit without a lisp. While there are a few interjections in defense attorney Laura Linney's life surrounding the trial, the mainstay of the horror is kept to the past, and what the film becomes centered on is a question of faith that ultimately takes over the film, diverting it from becoming immediate nightmare material.

A great accomplishment for the Christian crowd, but a pretty thin ticket for anyone looking for demonic delights.

St. Anthony Main #1, DTS

Posted by Max Einhorn (Member # 3364) on 10-02-2005, 09:44 AM:

The Exorcism of Emily Rose isn’t as scary as one may think it might be, but still
manages to be a very disturbing film. When you walk into the film, you may be
expecting something similar to The Exorcist, but it it’s really quite different.
During the late 70s, Erin Bruner (Laura Linney), is a lawyer seeking a
partnership in her law firm, which represents the Catholic archdiocese. The case
she is assigned to is The People vs. Father Richard Moore (Tom Wilkinson).
Father Moore has been accused of negligent homicide, in the death of Emily Rose
(Jennifer Carpenter), a religious girl who had just started her freshman year in
college. Representing the people is Ethan Thomas (Campbell Scott), a character
meant to look like jerk but who claims to be a man of faith.
Father Moore was given permission to perform an exorcism on Emily Rose
and the issue is whether the girl was possessed by some horrific demon or whether
she was suffering from an epileptic disorder, as well as some possible mental health
issues. Father Moore had Emily stop taking the drugs she was given, for fear that
they would interfere with the exorcism, and this may have lead to her death.
Disregarding the impact his testimony could have, all Father Moore is interested in is
taking the stand so that he can tell Emily’s story.
I really enjoyed this film, because it was scary but in a whole new way.
Unlike The Exorcist where it is was made that the girl played by Linda Blair was
possessed, in this film you are not forced to reach that conclusion. Here, each
member of the audience has to make up his or her own mind, but no matter how
you look at it, this film will shock you.
Something that sent a chill down my spine, was the fact that the trailers for the
movie say, “Based on A True Story”. I did a little investigation into this claim and
learned that while there was never an Emily Rose, the film is based on a 1976 case
in Germany involving a girl named Anneliese Michel. The Catholic Church officially
recognized her case as one of demonic possession and authorized an exorcism by a
group of priests. As in this film, she died, and the priests (as well as her parents)
were put on trial for negligent manslaughter.
Some significant changes have been made to the story, such as relocating the
action from Germany to America. I actually think that the story might have been
even more powerful if these changes had not been made..
The acting in this film is outstanding, especially Jennifer Carpenter who doesn’t
have a lot of dialogue, except for some scenes in which she speaks demonically in
Aramaic. I thought the most amazing part of her performance, were the horrible
positions she had to twist herself into, as if she was being controlled like a puppet.
This was especially true in a scene in a church in which she tries but is unable to
touch a cross as her upper body is pulled backward. According to the filmmakers,
no special effects were used to enhance her physical performance. I might add,
there are no scenes involving three hundred sixty-degree head spinning.
The scares in the film are not created in the usual way (where things pop out to
scare you), but instead the director lets you see regular things through Emily’s eyes
that become horrible hallucinations like growling demons and moaning zombie-like
faces. These limited special effects certainly serve their purpose.
Something else that I thought was particularly powerful about the film, was
Father Moore’s line that, “Demons exist, whether you believe in them or not”. The
statement is very true, because no matter what you do, there are always going to be
bad people out there.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose is haunting in many ways, the strongest having to
do with the viewer’s faith. Campbell Scott’s character perfectly defines the whole
film. Though he is scared of what he is up against, he turns away from his own
beliefs to define whether or not he will accept this. No matter what you do believe,
there was something possessing Emily, either an evil that had taken over, or some
extreme health problems, or perhaps the flourish of the demon in all of us.
Rated PG-13 for thematic material, including intense frightening sequences and
disturbing images.
Running time 120 minutes