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.
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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