Editorials
An Exorcism Like No Other: ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’ Turns 15
Each subgenre within horror has left an incredible mark on pop culture. Slashers have become icons, acting as quasi-mascots of the medium. Zombies have infiltrated the mainstream, bombarding their way into video games, comics, anime and more. Aliens and serial killers have fascinated our morbid curiosities. And then there are possession films.
This subgenre specializes in portraying demonic possession, climaxing in final acts where our hero must perform an exorcism. While possession films existed before its release, the one film primarily responsible for the subgenre’s popularity is The Exorcist. In the decades since The Exorcist, the demonic possession genre has only grown in popularity, resulting in stellar films such as The Last Exorcism and The Conjuring. However, among all those films, there is one I adore most of all.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
Released in 2005, directed by Scott Derrickson and written by Derrickson and Paul Harris Boardman, the film follows the court case surrounding the death of Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter). Erin Bruner (Laura Linney) is a lawyer requested to defend Father Richard Moore (Tom Wilkinson), who is being held accountable for negligent homicide in Emily’s death. After seeking counsel through medical professionals regarding Emily’s bizarre and dangerous behavior, her family turns to Moore for help, who eventually decides to perform an exorcism.
The film is based off the real events and case regarding Anneliese Michel, a young girl who was thought to be possessed and where two priests were brought to trial for similar reasons. Much of the film borrows elements from that case and the details surrounding Anneliese’s endeavor.
Demonic possession isn’t such a worldly concern for many folks – it is a concept that is entirely dependent on one’s spiritual belief system. That said, it may be fair to assume that many of us have an opinion or two when it comes to existential, spiritual concepts. And the way that The Exorcism of Emily Rose navigates such concepts is brilliant. For as much horror as the film exudes, it is also an intriguing philosophical experience. Watching as lawyers, medical professionals and academics go back and forth is equally as thrilling as the haunting tension the film exudes.
The present-day timeline of the narrative follows the court case, with flashbacks providing context to Emily’s struggles. Bruner and Moore find themselves pitted against Ethan Thomas (Campbell Scott), a prosecutor who strikes at the defense with no restraint. Thomas utilizes a variety of medical experts that speak to Emily’s mental state; specifically, how she displayed epileptic traits, as well as aspects associated with psychosis. His arguments continuously push the idea that had Emily remained on the medicine provided to her, she would not have died. Bruner attempts to provide the view that it was Emily and her family’s rightful choice to consult Moore for his spiritual guidance and help, and that he in no way tried to do wrong by her.
Among the qualities that make The Exorcism of Emily Rose so fascinating, this dichotomy of spiritual belief and psychology is by far one of the most interesting. For those who may not be inclined to believe in demonic possession, or who may be skeptical of the spiritual, the notion of one’s body being invaded by an invisible presence may be extremely difficult to buy into. In many cases throughout the subgenre, the viewer is provided minimal to abundant (sometimes corny) context regarding a demon’s presence. They either show up one day out of the blue or we get loads of exposition about ancient evil. The Exorcism of Emily Rose doesn’t ever go into detail regarding the entity possessing Emily, but it attempts to explore why she may have been possessed.
While there are films that do incorporate the use of science to try and explain such distress and abnormal actions from the possessed victim, many other films just want the viewer to buy into a vague evil presence. To be fair, this idea can make for fun horror, but it doesn’t offer a sense of depth. The Exorcism of Emily Rose confronts our understanding of this type of narrative and challenges us to think more psychologically. Maybe such shocking and otherworldly actions can truly be explained as traits of mental illness.
However, the intriguing foil to this is the spiritual-scientific angle also implemented. Bruner eventually calls upon Dr. Sadira Adani (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who specializes in a scientific study of possession. Her approach to the subject offers an open-minded view of possession (touching upon ideas such as individuals who are hyper-sensitive and have a unique sensory awareness of the world). The scene between Dr. Adani and Bruner doesn’t just dive into mysticism and ignore all other details, but it provides a rational take as to why exorcism may be useful in such medical situations.
These conflicting perspectives allow for a consistent rush of anticipation while watching the court case. But of course, The Exorcism of Emily Rose is more than a court room drama. It is also a horror movie, and damn does it lay on the chills.
What Emily endures is nothing short of horrific. From the way her body locks up, to her self-imposed bruises and declining sanity, her suffering is palpable. In contrast, though, she also has a brutal aura to her. While in the possessed state, her actions can be vicious. One can sense the physicality in each of her strikes and lunges. And of course, there’s her scream; if anyone were to ever capture the screams of hell, it would be her. The film effectively utilizes scenes with Emily in the possessed state. Visuals and audio sequences are never overloaded and are placed in proper moments to elicit goosebumps. In particular, the “barnyard” scene is easily one of the most chilling moments I have witnessed in a movie. Fifteen years after its release and I am still freaked out whenever I watch that sequence.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose has the power to provoke sincere anxiety. In the moments between the flashbacks and court room, Bruner is up late at night, unable to sleep and feeling as if something is among her. Ironically, for all the demonic demonstrations present in the film, it’s those quieter moments that best represent the sort of fright this film stirs. It is an experience that keeps one up at night, afraid to look down the hall and anxious enough to keep the bed covers over their head.
Many demonic possession films just want to shock the viewer, and that’s all good and fine – but The Exorcism of Emily Rose is so much more. It masterfully uses the tropes of horror cinema to get the audience to think deeper. It encourages the viewer to consider both science and spirituality, keeping in mind how both can oppose one another and how they can intertwine.
Like every subgenre of horror, there are many films that make up the cannon of demonic possession. For many in the horror community, there are the films that will remain the most iconic, along with those that are forgettable. But in the decade in a half since its release, there has never been anything quite like The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
From child-eating witches to village-burning dragons, fairy tales have always had a foot in the horror genre. That’s why it makes sense that, for every The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia, there are also darker and more adult-oriented stories about magical worlds inhabited by ravenous monsters and cruel villains.
Funnily enough, these sinister tales were precisely the ones that I gravitated towards back when I was a kid, and I was reminded of this while watching Netflix’s recently released I Am Frankelda, Mexico’s first ever feature-length stop-motion animation and one hell of an entertaining parable about the intersection between fiction and reality.
In honor of this special kind of horror-adjacent fairy tale, today I’d like to share this list recommending six Dark Fantasy films that horror fans might enjoy.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining Dark Fantasy as fantastical stories that don’t shy away from the more macabre elements that fuel classic fairy tales. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own grim favorites if you think we missed a particularly thrilling one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
I’m fascinated by bizarre attempts at blockbuster filmmaking – especially when the resulting movies are somehow still fun despite their corporate-mandated origins. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is precisely one of these strangely compelling studio projects, as this surprisingly successful action-thriller boasts a lot of heart (and tongue-in-cheek humor) for a CGI-heavy creature feature.
Directed by Dead Snow’s Tommy Wirkola, Witch Hunters re-frames the classic fairy tale as an origin story for a duo of badass monster-slayers. Of course, it’s the flick’s anachronistic aesthetic and overall visual flair that make it stand out from other action-horror endeavors from around the same time.
5. The Wolf House (2018)
Made in the tradition of faux cursed films in the same vein as Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made, the eerie backstory to 2018’s Chilean animated flick The Wolf House (La Casa Lobo in the original Spanish) already makes it a nightmarish experience before the flick even really begins.
After all, the movie is presented to us as a faux propaganda film produced by the leader of a death cult (heavily inspired by the real life Colonia Dignidad), with this hybrid animated feature using complex movie magic to simulate a single uninterrupted shot as it tells the story of a lazy young girl who runs away from an isolated colony and encounters a creepy old house in the woods.
4. The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Out of all the Monty Python alumni, Terry Gilliam has had the most interesting career outside of the original comedy group. From fascinating canceled projects (such as his scrapped adaptation of Watchmen) to dystopian parodies that feel more relevant by the minute (1985’s Brazil), even his “lesser” films are still intriguing in their own way.
2005’s The Brothers Grimm is one such project, with this peculiar movie attempting to combine the comedian-turned-filmmaker’s unique visual style with a more blockbuster-oriented plot reimagining the titular brothers as con-artists rather than mere writers. The end result isn’t exactly a masterpiece, but it’s still a legitimately fun ride with plenty of memorable monsters and wonderful performances by both the late, great Heath Ledger and Matt Damon.
3. Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic (2010)
2010’s Dante’s Inferno game may have a reputation as something of an unapologetic God of War clone, but I’d argue that the now-obscure game was aesthetically unique enough to deserve a bigger fanbase. However, while the title remains trapped on the seventh console generation, its highly underrated anime adaptation is a lot easier to get a hold of!
Animated by 6 different studios in order to make the 9 circles of hell feel unique from each other, this may not be a completely faithful adaptation of Dante Alighieri’s poem, but it’s still one heck of a great (not to mention gory) time that I’d highly recommend to fans of Netflix’s take on Castlevania.
2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
My personal favorite entry in the Underworld franchise, Rise of the Lycans, is a highly ambitious prequel that actually works better if you haven’t had the story spoiled to you by the previous Underworld films.
While the rest of the series features plenty of urban fantasy elements as the movies combine machine guns and modern environments with gothic storytelling, Patrick Tatopoulos’ prequel fully embraces its fantastical origins and tells a classic tale about a doomed romance between a werewolf and a vampire amid a medieval uprising.
And the best part is that we get a lot more Michael Sheen as the fan-favorite Lucian.
1. Solomon Kane (2011)
One of my personal favorite movies on this list, MJ Basset’s criminally underseen adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s other iconic warrior is thoroughly steeped in horror ambience and features plenty of memorable monsters. However, it’s also a classic origin story for a swashbuckling hero that wouldn’t feel out of place in a tabletop RPG.
While I’ve already written about how the film deftly combines both horror and fantasy elements without breaking the bank, I’ll never pass up an opportunity to recommend the bizarre movie where James Purefoy expertly plays a puritan John Wick.
It’s just too bad that we never got the other films in this intended trilogy.
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