We continue our 31 frights of Halloween with a very underrated demonic possession film. The Exorcism of Emily Rose was released in 2005 and directed by Scott Derrickson. Derrickson would later go on to direct big movies such as Sinister, Dr. Strange, and The Black Phone. Before all this, he made a riveting court drama that was also part horror movie, and it should definitely be talked about more.
The Story
When a younger girl called Emily Rose dies, everyone blames the exorcism that was performed on her by Father Moore before her death. The priest is arrested on suspicion of murder. The trial begins with lawyer Erin Bruner representing Moore, but it is not going to be easy, as no one wants to believe what Father Moore says is true.
The movie starts off by telling you that Emily Rose is dead. Through some amazing flashbacks throughout the film, we get the gory details. The Priest himself says that he advised Emily Rose to stop taking her medication because what she was going through was not a medical problem. It was a spiritual one.
I feel a lot of people didn’t love this movie because of the court scenes, and it really is a shame because they honestly add so much. We get some information here and there before we are transported to a terrifying flashback. If anything, the courtroom scenes give us some time to breathe because of how scary Emily Rose’s story is.
The Performances
The acting from everyone is great, but the standout here is Jennifer Carpenter as Emily Rose. People may recognize her from White Chicks and the television show Dexter, but this may be her best performance. In fact, this is one of the best performances in horror. You feel so incredibly bad for Emily as you see her go through so much, but when the demons take over, she is horrifying. Her screams are the stuff of nightmares. She contorts her body in all different types of ways, and none of this is CGI. Jennifer Carpenter was able to contort her body all on her own with no help from effects. Apparently, she was so scary in her audition that she was offered the role on the spot.
The Scares
Like I said, this movie is scary, and a lot of it has to do with the performances and script. We see little by little poor Emily losing her mind, and as things get worse, the scares intensify. A highlight scene is when Emily escapes her house and runs into the family barn. There, she lets the audience know all the names of the demons inside of her, and it’s a scene to watch with the lights on.
The movie is different from other possession films. It takes a smart approach by making it a courtroom drama. We learn about Emily’s story, but we also follow a lawyer who is questioning her faith and wonders if the story could even be true. The movie has so many layers and makes you feel so many different things that it definitely shouldn’t be missed.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose is available on Hulu and Pluto TV.
Tune in tomorrow for some more spooky reviews.
