The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Unfortunately, the vast majority of horror films lately simply aren't scary. In place of fear, they use gore, elaborate special effects or surprises enhanced by extreme musical flourishes. The Exorcism of Emily Rose is good not only because it's actually scary, but because it has a message beyond mere terror.

Yes, it has a message, and one beyond not taking rides from inbred or cannibalistic strangers in dark woods. Just as Contact isn't a traditional sci-fi flick, Emily Rose addresses the spiritual aspects of possession. It is supposedly based on a true story of a clergyman who tries to prove a girl is possessed in a court of law. Issues of faith (belief in the unseen and often unproved) collide with the court's burden of proof. There are recordings, witnesses, testimony and Biblical research on possession, along with volumes of scientific material to refute it. As possession is a strange preoccupation in our culture, this debate is an interesting one.

But is it really scary? Yes. With advanced film techniques and special effects, this movie at least equals what The Exorcist revealed a person is capable of, while possessed. The tone of the movie is also very consistent (something modern horror films struggle with), keeping us constantly in the dark, doubting ourselves, giving us that creeping feeling...even without over-the-top music. All the unbelievable aspects of possession together with supposed evidence that it actually occurs make the film doubly scary.

Lastly, while Academy-Award nominees (like Laura Linney & Tom Wilkinson) in films that won't garner an Oscar often "phone in" their performances and coast on their, reputations, Linney & Wilkinson, however, actually act. Newcomer, Jennifer Carpenter, as Emily Rose, isn't half-bad either. Convincing performances with convincing evidence in a real-life case make this film chilling enough to rent, perhaps even purchase.