Summary
Certain horror concepts have inspired enough imitators to severely wound the film industry.Jawsled to a glut of shark movies that continues to fill streaming services to this day.The Exorcistopened the floodgates for a never-ending supply of knock-offs and new takes. Modern examples are mostly terrible, but Scott Derrickson’s 2005 entry,The Exorcism of Emily Rose,added to the conversation.
In late 2022, Lionsgate unleashedPrey for the Devilupon the world.It’s an unmitigated disaster. Every note in the film is borrowed from earlier exorcism movies. Each character is a stock archetype, and the story’s take on real-world issues borders on Catholic propaganda. It’s the culmination of a long decline in the genre, but the early 2000s were a different time.
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What isThe Exorcism of Emily Roseabout?
The Exorcism of Emily Rosefollows a court case in which Father Richard Moore has been charged with negligent homicide after aseries of rites gone wrong. Ambitious young lawyer Erin Bruner takes the case, eager to move forward in her career. The supposed victim is the titular Emily Rose, a 19-year-old college student who is forced to drop out due to chronic muscle spasms and hallucinations. Emily is unable to sleep and frequently plagued with strange behavior. After moving back in with her parents, Emily is treated with traditional medicine. She takes antipsychotics for her delusions and anticonvulsants for her seizures. Nothing seems to work. Helpless, Emily’s parents reach out to Father Moore for help. Moore decides that Emily is under the effects of a malevolent spirit. He performs an exorcism, but he’s unable to drive the demon from her soul. Moore argues that the medication is to blame, but the state charges the priest.
The prosecutor reaches out to physicians and specialists to establish a medical cause of death for Emily Rose. As the trial heats up, Moore demands to take the stand. Bruner and Moorebegin experiencing strange visions. They wake up in the middle of the night with unusual sights and smells haunting their senses. Moore wants to tell Emily’s story. Bruner needs to keep her job. As an anthropologist explains the troubled history of exorcisms, the trial meddles with matters beyond their comprehension. It’san intense legal battlethat simultaneously tests the righteousness of legal and spiritual authorities.
How didThe Exorcism of Emily Rosechange the genre?
The elevator pitch ofThe Exorcism of Emily Roseis brilliant. It’sa demonic possession horrormovie and a courtroom drama. The central question of the film is whether the church’s diagnosis has always been a half-cocked explanation for inexplicable medical conditions. Is medical science an attempt to undermine the might of god, or is religious zealotry the enemy of healthy living? It’s a concern raised by numerous exorcism films, butEmily Roseis the perfect vehicle for its infinite complexity. The film sticks with its ambiguity until the bitter end, demanding audience members draw their own conclusions.
The source material is slightly less muddled.The Exorcism of Emily Rosewasinspired by the storyof Anneliese Michel. Michel was a German woman who began experiencing seizures at age 16. She was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy, for which she was treated with anticonvulsants and antipsychotics. Michel became depressed in the care of her local psychiatric hospital. She experienced vivid hallucinations, especially while praying. She became convinced she was damned to Hell. Father Ernst Alt insisted he be allowed to exercise the demon he believed lived within Michel. Her symptoms worsened, forcing her parents to acquiesce. Alt performed 67 exorcism sessions over ten months before Michel starved to death. Alt and Michel’s parents were convicted of negligent homicide. German bishops later recanted their assertion that Michel was possessed. The story has inspired three films so far.
How doesThe Exorcism of Emily Roseend?
Against the will of her boss, Bruner lets Moore take the stand. He reads a letter in which Emily explains that she met the Virgin Mary and decided to stay on Earth rather than ascend to heaven. Emily sufferedthe wounds of stigmata, which the prosecutor sees as clear signs of self-harm. Moore tells Emily’s story, partially convincing the jury. The jury convicts Moore, but they request a sentence of time served. Moore is set free. Bruner turns down the promotion she sought. Moore and Bruner visit Emily Rose’s grave. Moore believes she’ll be a saint one day. Though he was found guilty, Moore never appealed his conviction.
The Exorcism of Emily Roseis a gold star in an ailing genre. By confronting the hard questions that other entries barely hint at, the film latches onto a sincere idea. It’s more than the traditional jump scares and half-hearted Catholic imagery. Thebar is low for possessionfilms, butEmily Roseclears it by miles.
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