What The Critics Say

"Probably a cinematic first since it is both a horror movie and a courtroom drama. ... What won my vote were the extensive trial sequences." Steve Rhodes INTERNET REVIEWS "An intelligent inquiry into the limitations of belief and faith as a defense in a court of law woo-wooed up with a heaping of religious-girl-gone-mad conniption fits." Lisa Schwarzbaum ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY "Very scary stuff. And as a courtroom drama, very effective." Richard Roeper EBERT & ROEPER "The performances are topnotch." Claudia Puig USA TODAY "A thought-provoking, well-acted courtroom drama about the intersection of religious belief and the law." Lawrence Toppman CHARLOTTE OBSERVER "One part enthralling courtroom drama and one part scary as hell horror tale, The Exorcism of Emily Rose is one of the very best films of the year." Dustin Putman THEMOVIEBOY.COM "Emily Rose is the thinking person's demon possession movie." Mick LaSalle SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE "There's no green vomit and nobody's head ever rotates a full 360; we stay in the natural world and never enter a movie world, and that makes the movie a lot better." Stephen Hunter WASHINGTON POST "This is a horror movie, for once, which really wants us to use our heads." Peter Howell TORONTO STAR

The Inside Story

*In 1999, the Vatican revised the official rite of exorcism text for the first time in over 400 years. *The number of Catholic exorcists in Italy increased from 30 to 300 over the last decade. *The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago recently appointed the first full-time official exorcist in its 160-year history. *In New York, four Catholic priests have officially investigated over 40 cases of possession since 1995.

Exorcize v. (also -ise) (-zing or -sing) 1 expel (a supposed evil spirit) by prayers etc. 2 (often foll. by of) free (a person or place) in this way.  exorcism n. exorcist n. [Greek horkos oath]. demon n. 1 a evil spirit or devil. b personification of evil passion . In a modern society driven by science, wealth, material possessions and the adoration of a myriad of 'seen' Gods there is little place for such age of superstitions that one can be possessed by evil spirits, demons or devils. No mankind is far too practical, too sophisticated for that 'nonsense'. Thanks to scienctific and medical research there's an answer and a drug for just about any malady that ails mankind. Take schizophrenia. This mental illness was once considered a prime example of demonic possession. People who heard multiple voices, believe God was talking to them and who acted very irrationally were thought to be possessed by demons. The common treatment was a good old exorcism. This involved a lot of prayer for the victim, demanding that the demon identified itself, fasting, burning of incence and a hell of a lot of faith. You can just imagine how incredibly dangerous this act would have been back in the dim dark ages of 'ignorance'. These were the days when people actually believed there was a God. An unseen someone who was superior in all ways to the pathetic creatures who were placed on terrafirma. People who believed that the world was flat; an eclipse of the sun or moon was a bad omen; spirits[ both good and bad] and ghosts walked the earth and even worse, they actually believed every word the church espoused. To those people, an exorcism would have been a pretty big deal. And probably a bloody terrifying experience. The poor victim would have been restrained on many occassions lest he break free and tear limb from limb anyone not quick enough to make good their escape. The Priest would have prayed his heart out invoking the demon [or in the worse case, a whole bunch of demons] to name itself. At this stage, if the demons name was known, the priest was probably thinking he was home and hosed. Of course these demons had no respect for anyone. They'd invade any poor bastard and set up house. I often wonder, when challenged to reveal their name, how many demons told the odd priest or two to 'fuck off'. I'd also like to know how many priest ended up being 'beset upon' by the very same demons they were having a go at. I say having a go at because, let's face it, your really are pushing it to the limits when it comes to messing with the Devil and his cohorts. Nowadays we don't need the power that Jesus had when it came to casting out demons. He'd only have to utter the words, "I command you to leave this victim" and they'd immediatley move house. They recognized the authority and power he had. Today we exorcize our demons with far greater sophistication. All modern man needs is a bit of medicating. The days of the 'mad houses' are gone, mental institutions are being closed down and all is looking pretty good. But is it? Do a bit of digging and it seems there are still a hell of a lot of people who believe in the Devil and his demonic little helpers. Every Sunday the Pentecostal Churches are casting out demons, slaying in the spirit those who are looking for a healing. "Casting out devils is the duty of the Church today as well as the preaching of the gospel. Not only is it the command of Christ to cast out devils but he also said it would be one of the signs to follow those who believe. Matthew 10:1, Luke 10:17-19 and Mark 16:17" states one church website. And according to them, you don't need to go around looking for demons. There's such an abundance waiting to be cast out Jesus will lead them to you. "We don't go around looking for demon-possessed people to deliver any more than we look for sick folks to heal or sinners to save." What? So you just sit on the front porch and they'll line-up each day? Yeh right! So where are all these demons hiding? "The insane asylums are full of demon-possessed people, the hospitals are full of sick folk and the world is full of sinners." You betcha! And let me offer this piece of advice, "You'd better think twice before attempting an exorcism of your own doing." Why you foolishly, credulously ask? Because at some time or another we have all heard these words; "do not attempt this at home." And the simple fact is unless you have 'the authority' They'll just laugh at you and probably jump into your body while doing so. Remember: "You cannot reason with a demon as there is no sympathy nor conscience in these depraved beings. Never try to bargain, compromise, or appeal to them. Use the Word and the Blood to cut them off on every hand. Offer them nothing but judgement and divine retribution. You must be absolute master over them. They recognize and respect nothing but authority." So be vigilant folks because being possessed is apparently making a big comeback, if only at the cinema. Yes, another film based on a tale of exorcism has hit the big screens. Producer Gary Lucchesi remembers a that "rainy Sunday afternoon when Clint Culpepper, President of Screen Gems" rang him. Culpepper told him "I’m 40 pages into this script. You have to read it." And what was Lucchesi's reation? "I drove over to Kinko’s, met Clint, and started reading the screenplay as he was copying it. I took it home and within the hour I’d read 125 pages, not because I’m a fast reader, but because the story and the screenplay were so provocative. We bought the script that night." What you see on the screen is not "The Exorcist" remade. What the screenplay captures is a battle of faiths. Faith in religious beliefs and traditons versus modern day medical and scientific arguement. Producer Tripp Vinson believes, "There are two points of view that are presented in this movie and the debate that goes on is really fascinating. It’s a debate that’s gone on since the beginning of humanity. What do we believe and what can we actually prove?" Director and Co-writer Scott Derrickson explained that he always intended "to make a film that provokes people to ask themselves what they believe about evil, what they believe about the demonic. Inevitably when you ask questions like that you end up asking yourself what you think about God, what you think about morality, and what you think about the nature of memory and truth." "The Exorcism Of Emily Rose" is based on a true story and it is at this point I must emphisize that it is 'based' on a true story and that Emily Rose is not a real person. So where did this challenging courtroom battle evolve from? Pure chance they say. But perhaps it was the hand of God at work, Who knows? "Paul and I were doing research for a Jerry Bruckheimer script," Derrickson recalls. "We were working with a New York city police officer who specializes in researching paranormal phenomena." "The officer played us an audio taped excerpt from the actual exorcism that was absolutely bone chilling," says Producer Paul HarrisBoardman. "He gave us some background on the story that was just fascinating." It had a big impact on the two men. I was very moved by the fact that this young girl had lost her life. The questions that the story raises are incredibly provocative and I knew a film, by bringing the story to light, would cause audiences to ask the very same questions," says Derrickson. "This film addresses a fundamental fear, by asking the question; does evil exist?" notes producer Tom Rosenberg. "If evil does exist, is it omnipotent and what do you do in the face of it?" The Real Emily Rose Revealed

The real Emily Rose was in fact Anneliese Michel the daughter of Anna and Josef Michel who lived in Klingenberg, Germany. Born on September 21st 1952 she had three sisters and led an apparently normal life up until 1968 when, after a frightening incident in which her body shook violently, she was diagnosed as suffering from Grand Mal Epilepsy. Anneliese was placed on medication but had siezures which got worse and worse. The seizures led to depression and she was admitted to hospital. It is said that she then "saw the faces of demons when she prayed. Then, she had what is termed auditory hallucinations. She was 'told' she would 'stew in hell'. Then, the voices began to give her orders." By 1973 Anneliese and her parents had lost faith in her medical treatment and the three had reached the conclussion that it was of no help. Anna and Josef then consulted the clergy. Their opinion was that Anneliese should continue with her medication and medical treatment. In 1974 her condition worsened. "She insulted, beat, and began biting the other members of her family. She refused to eat because the demons would not allow it. Anneliese slept on the stone floor, ate spiders, flies, and coal, and even began drinking her own urine. She could be heard screaming throughout the house for hours while breaking crucifixes, destroying paintings of Jesus, and pulling apart rosaries. Anneliese began committing acts of self-mutilation at this time, and the act of tearing off her clothes and urinating on the floor became commonplace." In September 1975 the Bishop of Wurzburg, Josef Stangl, gave permission for an exorcism to be performed. Father Arnold Renz and Pastor Ernst Alt then began the task of exorcizing her 'demons'. Using the Rituale Romanum they performed biweekly exorcism on her. "The last exorcism was on June 30, 1976. By this time, Anneliese had pneumonia, was emaciated and had a high fever." She died the next day. Father Arnold Renz, Pastor Ernst Alt and Anneliese's parents were charged with negligent homicide. Even though tapes were produced in court the four were found guilty of negligence and failing to get appropriate medical treatment. They were sentenced to six months jail followed by probation. The sentence was light because the Court's opinion was that the "naïve” methods which the parents and 'exorcists' used only aggravated the victim’s condition. Her grave has become a shrine to which people make pilgimages to. In 1999, Cardinal Medina Estevez presented journalists in Vatican-City the new version of the "Rituale Romanum". It would replace a version which had been used by the Catholic Church since 1614AD.

Casting About "THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE" stars .......
Tom Wilkinson ["Rush Hour", "Black Knight", "Piccadilly Jim", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and Batman Begins"]; Dual EMMY award winner; 2004 National Board of Review and 2000 National Society of Film Critics, New York Film Critics Circle & Toronto Film Critics Association Best Actress Award winner Laura Linney ["You Can Count On Me", "The Mothman Prophecies", "Mystic River", "Love Actually" and "Kinsey"]; Campbell Scott ["Five Corners", "Roger Dodger", "The Secret Lives of Dentists", "Saint Ralph" and "Loverboy"]; Monte Carlo Television Festival Award, Gemini Award and Jutra Award winner Colm Feore ["The Sum of All Fears", "Chicago", "Paycheck" and "The Chronicles of Riddick"]; Joshua Close ["K-19: The Widowmaker","Evelyn: The Cutest Evil Dead Girl", "Adam & Eve", "Sex & The Single Mom" and "A Home at the End of the World"]; Ken Welsh ["Crocodile Dundee II", "The Day After Tomorrow", "The Avaiator" and "Four Brothers"]; Duncan Fraser ["Bad Faith", "The Guilty" and "The Claim"]; OBIE Award winner Mary Beth Hurt ["Compromising Positions", "Six Degrees of Separation", "Bringing Out The Dead" and "The Family Man"]; 2003 Independent Spirit, New York Film Critics and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Award winner Shohreh Aghdashloo ["Surviving Paradise", "America So Beautiful" and "The House Of Sand And Fog"] and Jennifer Carpenter ["Ash Tuesday", "D.E.B.S.", "White Chicks" and "Lethal Eviction"] as Emily Rose. Crew Bytes "THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE" was .......
directed by Scott Derrickson ["Love in the Ruins" and "Ghosting"]; screenplay by Paul Harris Boardman ["Love in the Ruins", Urban Legends: Final Cut" and "Ghosting"] and Scott Derrickson ["Love In The Ruins", "Ghosting", "Urban Legends: Final Cut" and "Land of Plenty"]; costume design by Tish Monaghan ["Dangerous Intentions", "Happy Gilmore", "Cats & Dogs" and "Insomnia"]; production design by David Brisbin ["Drugstore Cowboy", "After Dar, My Sweet", "The Chamber" and "The Proposition"]; edited by Jeff Betancourt ["The Girls' Room", "The Good Girl", "The Grudge" and "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle"]; cinematography by Tom Stern ["Blood work", "Mystic River", "Million Dollar baby" and "Romance & Cigarettes"]; original music by Christopher Young ["Tales From The Hood", "Copycat""Bandits", "The Core", "Runaway Bride" and "The Grudge"] produced by Paul Harris Boardman [Ghosting"]; Gary Lucchesi ["Runaway Bride", "The Gift", "Underworld" and "Requiem for a Dream"]; Tom Rosenberg ["The Commitments", "The Hurricane", "Underworld" and "Million Dollar Baby"]; Tripp Vinson ["11:14" and "After The Sunset"]; and Beau Flynn ["Requiem for a Dream", "Tigerland", "Slap Her ...... She's French" and "After the Sunset"]. What It's All About Emily Rose is elated at the news she has been accepted into college on a scholarship. All goes well for Emily until one night when she awakes from a sleep. In a terrifying experience, something is dragging her down through her bed. Terrified, Emily struggles to save her self. Finally she blacks out. Later a medical examination reveals she has suffered an epileptic siezure. The medication she is given has little effect and her condition deteriorate as she comes under attack from what she believes is demonic forces. Her parents, devout Catholics, become so concerned they approach her parish priest, Father Richard Moore. Moore obtains permission to conduct an exorcism on the teenager. It is to no avail. Emily dies and Moore is charged with negligent homicide. High profile lawyer Erin Bruner is brought in to defend Moore who has been offered a plea bargain but has refused to take it. Father Moore is adamant that the true story of Emily Rose must be told. He wants the truth to be known. The Verdict "If you go into this one thinking you're getting a film along the lines of the immortal "The Exorcist" you are going to be terribly disappointed. There's no head spinning, no floating up to the ceiling and definately no vomitting. What you will get is a quality courtroom showdown between two sets of opposed beliefs. The traditional Christian belief that devils or demons can possess human beings versus those who trust in and believe, medical knowlege and scientific fact can show this not to be the case. Yes, there are some scary moments. Jennifer Carpenter [daughter of John Carpenter, "Village of the Damned", "The Thing" & "Halloween"] gives an excellent performance in the role of Emily, while Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson and Campbell Scott as Public Prosecutor Ethan Thomas are all very solid. It's an intriguing courtroom battle and one that will keep you guessing right up to the moment the Jury delivers its verdict. Well worth a look at, but once again remember, it is not a remake or an attempt to remake The Exorcist." The Cast

Tom Wilkinson Laura Linney Campbell Scott Jennifer Carpenter Andrew Wheeler Marilyn Norry Colm Feore Joshua Close Ken Welsh Duncan Fraser JR Bourne Mary Beth Hurt Henry Czerny Shohreh Aghdashloo Mary Black Julian Christopher Lorena Gale Terence Kelly

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Father Moore Erin Bruner Ethan Thomas Emily Rose Nathaniel Rose Maria Rose Karl Gunderson Jason Dr Mueller Dr Cartwright Ray Judge Brewster Dr Briggs Dr Adani Dr Vogel District Attorney Jury Foreman Medical Examiner

The Crew Directed by Written by Paul Harris Boardman & Scott Derrickson Produced by Paul Harris Boardman/Beau Flynn/Gary Lucchesi/Tom Rosenberg/Tripp Vinson Original Music by Christopher Young Cinematography by Tom Stern Film Editing by Jeff Betancourt Production Design by David Brisbin Art Direction by Sandi Tanaka Set Decoration by Lesley Beale Costume Design by Tish Monaghan Run Time 119 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2005 - Sony Pictures Classics - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2005 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved