The Exorcism Of Emily Rose

The Exorcism of Emily Rose is based on a true story of a German student named Anneliese Michel, who believed she was possessed by demons. in 1976 her death during an exorcism resulted in outrage and the eventual conviction of two priests who were charged with negligent manslaughter.

The film begins at quite a slow pace, focusing on a young girl called Emily Rose; who once was the perfect daughter and a dedicated university student until her apparent possession by demons while away at university.
We follow the journey of Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson) as the priest who performed the exorcism in his determination to tell Emily Rose’s story, despite being faced with charges of neglect and being held responsible for her death.

The part of Emily herself is played by Jennifer Carpenter, who delivers a startlingly realistic and utterly terrifying portrayal of someone suffering a great deal of emotional and physical torment. She has the part nailed as even her facial expressions are enough to actually scare you senseless at times!

I particularly liked the way that the story was told with various viewpoints in mind, was Emily crazy? Did she have severe epilepsy? or was she as Father Moore claims, possessed by demons. All sides of the story are shown, with the film taking place in a courtroom. Laura Linney plays the agnostic defense attorney fighting to clear father moore and help him tell Emily’s story.

This film is a must watch for any horror fan, with it’s sometimes obvious and blatant comparisons to 1973 classic ‘The Exorcist’ The exorcism of Emily Rose is a truly frightening and a amazingly compelling film.

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