The Exorcism of Emily Rose
| release date | September 9 2005 |
| studio | Sony Screen Gems |
| director | Scott Derrickson |
| writer | Paul Boardman, Scott Derrickson |
| starring | Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Jennifer Carpenter |
| site | whathappenedtoemily.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
11 Comments
I really enjoyed this movie. One of the only movies in a long time that actually scared me.
I loved it.
More of a court room drama than an exorcism horror film, but I however thoroughly enjoyed it and it freaked me out a bit.
id rate this movie 5 because im not a big fan of it….i dont think i like it that much
I loved this movie!!!
Incredible film…when the scenes with Jennifer Carpenter popped up. they were so intense and incredibly complex. It freaked me out.
“I have many names….Judas etc.”
Creepyyyy
it was a good pg13 movie
It will nail you to your seat for sure. Jennifer Carpenter has one of the best performances I’ve ever seen.
Disturbing.
Very disturbing.
This was a lot better than i excpested it to be but unlike Sweeney Todd it dosn’t have the watch it over again factor but nevertheless this is a great horror flick and i would reccomend it the exorcism scene is terrifying and you’ll be talking about it for weeks! One point i couldn’t watch a scene! My first exorcism movie ive seen and it was very good
****
Out Of
*****
I think thats one of the better exorcism-typed movies so far. It’s not that scary as other ones, but the plot is very thrilling and interesting. Seeing this case questioned in a court makes the movie different from others. Also the alleged “true story” marketing stradegy was successful in my opinion. But I doubt that this movie can be associated with the real Emily Rose, Anneliese Michel, at all. Anyway, great movie
This movie was excellent! Jennifer Carpenter is a great actress. To pull of the movements and facial expressions in such a was is real talent. The film is non stop entertainment from the beginning. I believe this to be the best possesion film ever!
Loved it. Jennifer Carpenter SO owned this movie. Really, I’d be afraid to meet her now. Crazy chick, lol!
This movie was cool cause it wasn’t what everyone expected. Sorry, it’s not a priest trying to exorcise a young girl for an hour and a half.
Nope, it’s about how the girl died while in the priest’s care and should he be to blame or should the court seriously take possession into consideration?
Well written, well acted and thought provoking. Sad this movie doesn’t really get the recognition it deserves.
great movie, not really a gory one but its a very interesting in sight to exorcisms. great acting by all cast!
best exorcism movie out there!!! i cannot recommend this movie enough! top twenty all time horror films right here!
It was ok….
one of the most disturbing movies i have ever seen
i actually enjoyed this movie very much, and to this day remains the movie that has scared me the most. i saw it the first time when i was sick in bed with strep throat (which i imagine didn’t help my fear). i liked this much better than any other “possession” movie i’ve seen.
Jennifer Carpenter certainly does crank her lungs up to 11 in this.
Really more of a courtroom drama than a horror movie. Gave me a few chills but didn’t keep me truly entertained.
Not a fan of exorcism movies so didn’t have high expectations for it. me and a girlfriend left theaters early cause we didn’t enjoy it
First off, you shouldn’t watch this because of the Exorcism-aspect, but instead for the true courtroom drama surrounding it. A lot of people don’t like this one because it’s not scary. Well, if you want thrills and chills, go watch a purebred horror. This is more of a drama than anything else (in the end we still aren’t 100% sure if Emily truly was possessed).
Jennifer Carpenter is super hot, but this movie is kinda all over the place. I would recommend seeing it for horror fans, but it’s definitely not the greatest exorcism story out there, especially compared to The Exorcist.
this movie scared the shit outta me and that takes a lot (when shes led on the floor all twisted up starind at her boyfriend when he wakes up) WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS SITE
A very effective film.The most so as in exorcism’s since The original Excorcist.The acting was phenomenal especially Jennifer Carpenter.It was also moving for Emily probably because of Carpenter’s performance.I also liked how it turned to Laura Linney I believe to make her a believer!
You Guys must be Joking -this is the official score of a movie,which will go down the annals of Horror History as a Hall of famer for a very drab year in Horror-2005. I do agree I didn’t like this movie at the first go but when I saw this movie in a hall with my friend I understood the brilliance of this path-breaking movie – Jennifer is incredible as the possessed victim and some of the scenes will keep you awake till the wee hours of the morning – It was like a Fusion of Exorcist, Omen and The Practice – quite an unholy union but quite compelling and the performance is top – notch – It is amazing to see Carpenter do such things with her body – It really felt that the Devil had got to her.
Brilliant performance by Jenifer Carpenter,but a dissapointing film.Worth a rent at best.
The film is part possession story, part courtroom drama. The title character is a college student who becomes beset by tormenting demons, and whose death during an exorcism results in the prosecution of her parish priest. Her story is told in flashbacks between scenes of the trial and the case’s development. Emily Rose is played by Jennifer Carpenter who – and I cannot stress this enough – carries the entire film and gives an absolutely incredible performance. It is the only thing worth watching. The exorcism scenes are not scary, but she is absolutely mesmerizing and memorable. Her startling delivery of clichéd, often hokey “demonic” lines coupled with convincingly inhuman facial contortions lend the film a level of credibility it does not deserve. Tom Wilkinson and Laura Linney play the priest and defense lawyer, respectively.
The largest weakness of this film, and the one which adversely permeates all other aspects, is its subtext. The film operates on the pretense that it is based upon a true story, but it bears little resemblance to its tragic source material. Anneliese Michel was a devout German Catholic who suffered many years of psychological torment – probably a combination of schizophrenia and epilepsy. After being treated unsuccessfully with psychotropic drugs, Michel and her family relied exclusively on exorcism for almost a year (The Exorcist had recently been released) before Michel died in her sleep as a result of starvation and dehydration. Her family and priest were charged with negligent homicide but served little to no time. This very unfortunate story has been converted into a script that is, essentially, a brand of Christian propaganda designed to legitimize exorcism and make a martyr out of a woman who died an unnecessary, torturous death.
The courtroom drama aspect, actually, could have been very interesting, and was in the beginning of the film as both the prosecution’s scientific explanations were shown beside the defense’s religious ones. It is a vehicle showing the conflict between religion and science, but the film falters when it undeniably takes the side of religion through use of terrible dialogue and corny scares. Scott Derrickson has even understated his film as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” in The Christian Post.
The skills of Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson are wasted here, and both actors are worthy of far more intelligent roles. Each character is flat and exists only to provide the film with a particular perspective. Even Emily is underdeveloped. Wilkinson’s priest is played without irony or possible ulterior motive, and the character is so unbelievably genuine and saintly wholesome that the audience is forced to accept his every word. Contrast this with the prosecutor, who is depicted as a hypocritical, so-called man of faith – I suspect not a true Christian in the film’s eyes. Laura Linney plays an agnostic who begins to accept the priest’s worldview of spiritual warfare and a Christian god. She makes this conversion after being stalked by a malevolent entity, finding a charm with her initials engraved upon it, and having her clock stop at 3 a.m., which the priest in his wisdom tells her is the devil’s “witching hour.” If this last hokey demonstration of satanic power doesn’t make your eyes roll, you likely will not find other depictions as laughable as I did, such as the priest being tormented by the devil who is actually shown wearing a dark hood and cloak. The scare tactics found here have not really evolved past the early 1960s. Combining all of these factors reveals how transparently manipulative the script truly is, and the scares are only effective if the viewer is willing to buy into what the film is selling.
Aside from this inherent flaw, other details suffer as the filmmaker seeks to prove his point. The courtroom drama devolves into a farce as important evidence is conveniently revealed later for dramatic effect but at the expense of logic; the parents are inexplicably not prosecuted; an important defense witness is killed the day he is supposed to testify (an act of god or devil?), but no one really seems concerned by this other than treating it as a minor inconvenience; and the closing statements which Linney’s attorney gives to the jury are insultingly ludicrous: “This trial isn’t about facts, it’s about possibilities.” This says much about the film, though even the term “possibility” is abused here. She goes on to say: “Is it a fact that Emily was beloved by God, and that after her exorcism she chose to suffer till the end so we might believe in a more magical world? A world where the spiritual realm really exists? I can’t say that’s a fact. But ask yourself: Is it possible?” This scene is not an attorney talking to a jury; it is the filmmaker preaching to the audience.
D-
(It is only due to Carpenter’s performance that I do not give this film an “F”. To read the full review, please visit my blog.)
Interesting but boring.
I thought this was an interesting film, honestly, i think alot of the scenes delivered the sheer terror that one could only expect from this film; no matter how cliche, or over done it may seem. sure the story was portrayed a bit on the “bland” side, but honestly would you expect academy award acting in “the exorcisim of Emily rose?” I feel it delieved fin.
I really, really wanted to like this more than the overrated “The Exorcist”, but I couldn’t. The main problem with ‘Emily Rose’ is that it can’t decide between scary horror movie and average courtroom drama. The horror scenes with the possessed Emily are very creepy and haunting, whereas the courtroom scenes make you feel as if you watch some mediocre made-for-TV-movie.
I also disliked the fact that after the climax (the breathtaking failed-exorcism scene) there were still more than 30 minutes left where nothing of importance happened.
Disappointing.
I remember this being the first and only movie (besides Shutter) that I have fallen asleep in the movie theater. Horrible, boring, shitty acting. Hated it.
This really drags on a lot and you probably will end up asleep before the end of it.
….
I liked it. It can be a little boring in some parts but It
Really good creepy film, most enjoyable
I Made the mistake of watching this bland movie in theaters. YAWN, man what a drag, yeah there were a FEW cool parts but thats all. I’m sorry but after “The Exorcist”, every time I see a movie about exorcism I set the bar really high, but as always I was horribly disappointed. I should have realized it being that it is PG-13, stupid me. Won’t make that mistake ever again. If its a movie about exorcism and the rating R isn’t by it, I’ll be sure not to watch it!
I found this movie to be highly entertaining, and overall very well made. The characters are interesting, and Jennifer Carpenter did an awesome job playing the title role of Emily Rose. With Jennifer’s next big role being that of the main reporter in Quarantine, she really is shaping up to be a great modern scream queen!
Emily Rose may not be gory, effects heavy, or even as horrifying as The Exorcist, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great movie! The film does a great job in conveying a creepy mystery…was the girl really possessed or just mentally sick? I enjoyed the evidence for both sides of the case, and felt it helped raise this film above typical “The Exorcist” rip off dreck.
I recommend this film to people who can handle a slower paced, yet interesting thriller…gore hounds or mindless action whores will be bored.
I have never seen BD push for people to review a film so much before so heres mine. Spoiler free. For a PG-13 flick it was alright, had a few scares but was watered down and the last 20 minutes leaves the viewer confused but it was decent.
Jennifer Carpenter is amazing in this film! It was really good.
Can we say sleepy?
wasnt too sure if they wanted this movie to be more of thriller or a horror as the 2 found it hard to mesh. doesnt take away the fact that its a great film and actually quite creepy.
Decent possesion flick. More of a thriller than a horror movie but oh well, if it works it works.
Jennifer Carpenter did a great job, thats for sure.
Hobo Approved(TM)
This movie was amazing and one of my favorites. Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson can do NO wrong. FACT.
I didn’t care for it, was too polished and the constant back and forth between courtroom drama scene to storyline scene was frustrating.
I thought that this movie was good, but could have been better.
For more reviews visit Rockportfilm.com
This movie is based on the true story of Anneliese Michel who died during an exorcism performed in Germany in the late 1960s and the trial of the priest who was accused of her murder. Some details have been changed for the movie but the heart of the story remains Science takes on religion in a gripping court room throw down.
Starring Jennifer Carpenter, now of “Dexter” fame, as Emily Rose a smart and centered farm girl who goes off to college only to be either suffering from a number of medical conditions or possessed by demonic spirits. This movie is stocked with a roster of very accomplished actors such as Tom Wilkinson as the accused Father Moore, Laura Linney as his attorney, and Campbell Scott as the prosecutor. The story is centered on the trial of Father Moore and uses flashbacks to tell the story of Emily Rose and the circumstances surrounding her death.
The prosecution contends that Emily was suffering from something called psychotic epileptic disorder. Which would explain her hallucinations, her trance like states, and violent seizures. While Father Moore is a loving and caring priest with a perfect record did he willing put Emily at risk by ignoring her possible medical conditions and relying of faith alone? Father Moore does tell Emily to stop taking her medications because it clouds the mind and prevents the exorcism from working. When Emily dies the official cause of death is dehydration and malnutrition.
Defense attorney Erin Bruner takes the case with the promise that she will be made a full partner at her firm. She is coming off a huge win in which she got off a another murder suspect. She meets up with Father Moore in prison an he refuses to take a plea deal, wanting it to go to trail to tell Emily’s story (good thing or there wouldn’t be a movie). Erin lives alone and after taking the case strange things start to happen every night at 3 am, the witching hour, leaving her to start examining her faith.
The story investigates both sides of the case and each do have very good arguments. Science has been batting religion since the beginning of time and this movie doesn’t give any easy answers. The acting is top notch and takes the issues seriously. It all depends on what you believe and goes to the core of faith itself. It is one of the better movies out there on the subject of demonic possession. It does have a lot of good scares and is loaded with a creepy and ominous feel. “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” is widely available on all formats and is a great watch so check it out!