Running time: 114 minutes
Starring: Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott, Jennifer Carpenter, Joshua Close
Rating 7 out of 10
Director and co writer Scott Derrickson has laid claim to creating a whole new genre with The Exorcism Of Emily Rose: courtroom horror. On this evidence, it may well spark a trend. Based on a true story, TEOER is equally successful as a legal drama and a psychological thriller. Taking the case of Emily Rose, a teenage girl who died following an exorcism, the film focuses on the trial of the parish priest Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson) who performed the exorcism and was subsequently charged with negligent homicide. By using a courtroom setting, TEOER offers a measured and analytical approach to a subject that is all too often exploited simply for its more disturbing and sensational elements. That's not to say the film doesn't feature its share of chilling moments as it depicts Emily's apparent demonic possession, but to then have them deliberated on in court by opposing councils provides TEOER with an absorbing new dimension.
What's really on trial is not Father Moore, but the very existence of evil. Jurors are asked to choose between facts and "possibility" - as eloquently posited by Moore's defense attorney Erin Bruner (Laura Linney) - the possibility that Emily was not suffering from a psychotic epilepsy disorder, as stated by prosecution attorney Ethan Thomas (Campbell Scott), but was indeed possessed by satanic forces as both Emily, her family, Father Moore and the Catholic Church believed.
Wilkinson embodies the integrity and resolve of Father Moore whose faith and liberty are being challenged, while Linney balances perfectly Bruner's tenacity and doubt. As an agnostic, she finds herself questioning her belief in the spiritual realm, particularly when she experiences the "dark forces" Moore predicted would surround the trial.
Jennifer Carpenter is required to do little more than offer a repertoire of terrified expressions, primal screams and crazed outbursts as Emily Rose, all of which she performs admirably though it's a shame she was more a symbolic character than a real one. And even though Derrickson might be innovative in being the first to combine horror with a courtroom drama, his efforts in each area are strictly serviceable rather than original. Fright fans might get restless during the courtroom scenes, but it's those that raise the compelling questions and elevate TEOER above mere cornball horror fare.
Kevin Murphy
