I was really looking forward to watching The Exorcism of Emily Rose because I heard that it was based on a true story. The previews made the moive look freaky and genuinely scary, so I was bracing myself for something along the lines of William Friedman’s The Exorcist.
Unfortunately, Emily Rose fell far short of my expectations. Unlike The Exorcist, this movie focuses not on what was wrong with Emily (played by Jennifer Carpenter), but on the ensuing trial brought against her priest Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson) after she dies. So when we see Emilly’s “possession,” it’s all in very brief flashbacks.
Looking at the story from this angle made the action seem very distant. Therefore, I was unable to get involved in what was going on and never quite got a feel for who Emily Rose was. Because I didn’t “know” her, I didn’t feel any sympathy for her and didn’t really care what happened to her.
This was the second horror movie in a row that I’ve seen that starred Laura Linney (The Mothman Prophecies was the other. Very strange, considering the only other film I’d seen her in prior to these was Love Actually! I give Emily Rose 2 stars out of 5.