The Exorcism Of Emily Rose DVD > Reviews > Perry Mason Vs Beelzebub

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Good
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	Deep, thought provoking
Disadvantages:	A little cliched

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The Exorcism of Emily Rose is based on the true story of a girl who was killed during an exorcism ritual in the 1970s.

The film begins at the end. Emily (Jennifer Carpenter) has died during an exorcism performed by Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson). The story is told through flashbacks as Moore stands trial for negligent homicide, defended by Erin Bruner (Laura Linney) who herself comes under supernatural attack from the forces of darkness.

Essentially this film straddles two genres, horror and courtroom drama. I thought the filmmakers did a superb job; this is a really good film. What struck me at first is the depth of the characters. Erin Bruner is a hot-shot defence lawyer, when we first encounter her, she comes across as ruthless and ambitious. In her last case she helped a guilty murderer walk free, with seemingly no conscience. She is an agnostic. Very soon in the case she is forced to accept possibilities that are not based on fact. She has to have faith. Conversely, the prosecutor Ethan Thomas (Campbell Scott) is a man of faith and facts. He's a staunch Methodist. In order to argue his case against Moore, he must deny the demonic possession of Emily, therefore he denies demons, and therefore he denies God. I found this film very profound, and I easily immersed myself in it, such was my empathy towards the characters. I found myself asking the same sort of questions that the characters faced: issues of faith and morality. Can science explain everything?

Let's not forget that this is a horror film. There is a lot of tension in this film. CGI is used sparingly, but to good effect. I found a lot of the imagery in The Exorcism of Emily Rose to be startling and brutal. I felt the most effective "chill" in this film as that most of the characters are alone when they face their ordeals. This gives the film a bleak feeling of isolation. Sometimes things happen that we can't explain. We come into this world alone, and we bow out alone. Sometimes we can't be saved by our friends, families, medical professionals or the clergy. This is scary stuff, and not your run-of-the-mill horror.

There are a couple of instances, however, where the filmmakers should be ashamed of themselves. Firstly, the exorcism takes place on Halloween. There has been no bigger cliché since Mr Cliché opened a cliché shop in Cliché Town. There's a bit during the exorcism when the family's pet cat attacks the priest; frankly it's pathetic.

There aren't many extras on the DVD, but what you get is very good.

The extras are:

Director's Commentary
Genesis of the Story
Casting the Film
Visual Design

The featurette's are very interesting and include interviews with various cast and crew members. They bring an insight into a thoughtful film, and for me they added an extra dimension.

This film's £8.97 on Amazon, and I recommend it. It's not perfect, and I know a lot of people felt let down by the ending. Personally, I found this film very refreshing. It isn't the average beer-and-pizza gorefest horror. There are no goodies and baddies, but there aren't in real life. It's not all black and white and for those who make it through the ordeal, life goes on and they must carry their burden however they can. This is the most thought provoking film I've seen since Schindler's List.
 

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Bleak isolation