You can't make a movie about demonic possession without being compared to
"The Exorcist". Though you can't get through the second word of "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" without William Friedkin's seminal classic coming to mind, director Scott Derrickson manages to set his film apart from the standard horror fare by toning down the head-twisting and amping up the head-scratching.
In reality, "Emily Rose" is a rare thing: a courtroom drama/horror movie hybrid. While
"The Exorcist" concentrated on good vs. evil, "Emily Rose" is more concerned with science vs. faith. The debate takes literal form in the trial of Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson), a devout man of the cloth brought up on charges of murder after the attempted exorcism of the titular 19 year old girl. Laura Linney is absolutely on fire as Erin Bruner the attorney hired by the archdiocese to represent the Priest while keeping him quiet. Father Moore is intent on telling "Emily's story," as is Mr. Derrickson who, working with writing parter Paul Harris Boardman, reveals the details of the exorcism in small crumbs of escalating creepiness.
Mr. Derrickson's track record ("Hellraiser: Inferno", "Ghosting") doesn't reek of subtlety but what propels "Emily Rose" above other recent sub par horror fare (including "The Exorcist's" own sequels) is his refreshingly limited use of CGI. This film traffics in the old style scares: thunderstorms, dark hallways, waking up alone at 3am. Equally frightening is Shohreh Aghdashloo's enunciation as she struggles through a testimony as an expert in possession across the globe.
Given the unenviable task of following in Linda Blair's oozing footsteps, relative unknown Jennifer Carpenter does an admirable job as Emily. With little make-up or computer trickery, Ms. Carpenter screams and contorts herself in a way that is at once reminiscent of Ms. Blair's Regan but also her own creation. Tom Wilkinson remains on a slow simmer for most of the film but, as always, he comes through where it counts. His relationship with Ms. Linney's Erin is the core of the film. It's a joy to watch two talented actors bite into this material without campiness; they both respect their characters. Not enough can be said about Ms. Linney who is always interesting to watch. Here she gives the film its emotional energy while also lending it a much-needed grounding.
In the end, "Emily Rose" wants to have it both ways; it wants to thrill you and make you think. It mildly succeeds at both, but excels at neither. The best Mr. Derrickson could have hoped for is to be the "Goodfellas" to The Exorcist's "Godfather". "Emily Rose" never reaches that level. Then again The Exorcist's own sequels were so bad, at least there's finally another respectable exorcism movie out there.
