4/5 A Solid Supernatural Thriller with no easy answers
  by The JuRK (Our Vast, Cultural Desert)
Most of this film is structured as a courtroom drama. It begins just after the death of Emily Rose in the home of her shattered family as the priest who was acting as her exorcist is arrested by the police.

A very intriguing opening.

And there's no actress better than Laura Linney as the defense attorney hired to defend the priest in a negligent homicide trial. As Emily's story is told in flashbacks during the trial's testimony, the viewer, like Linney's character, begins to realize that the most unbelievable aspect of the case--that demons and evil exist outside of ourselves--might just be at the bottom of the case.

Excellent performances from everyone, sharp writing. This film doesn't have the overwhelming dread that THE EXORCIST left with audiences but its ambition is a little more involved: it asks questions for the audience to answer for themselves.

If you're looking for an artless, empty slaughter house of a horror movie, then move on. There are plenty of slasher and zombie fests out there.

But if you're looking for an intelligent, well-made film that doesn't limit itself to one side or another, then check this one out.

5/5 Spine-chilling Horror! Terrifying masterpiece!
  by Sexy Bachelor (Singapore)
Emily Rose: "People say that God is dead. But how can they think that - if I show them the devil?"

If you found the movie "The Exorcist" scary, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" will chill you to the bone!

Students of art (or literature) may find the cinematography an interesting study too. This movie uses a literary technique of utilizing flashbacks to tell a story. Movie viewers who are used to the more common chronological narrative styles may find this uncomfortable at times, but this is one way to highlight key aspects of a literary work.

Special features of this DVD include:

Director's commentary
Deleted scene
Featurettes include:
- genesis of the story
- casting the movie
- visual design

Don't just watch the movie like an ordinary cinema-goer. Jumping straight into watching the movie without knowing its history may confuse you.
First, read the book that tells you of this girl's case. If you own this DVD, please watch through all the commentaries of this Special Edition DVD first to understand the intentions of the director and producer in the making of this movie. Listen to the director's commentary on what the movie is trying to convey or not convey. The special features of the DVD are a must to understand what the message of the movie is all about.

If you're just looking for a quick horror cinema thrill, stay with the usual fiction and cheap tricks produced elsewhere.

If you're not asking yourself in-depth questions about the supernatural by the time you finish watching this DVD, you've learnt nothing at all.

Since this movie is based on a true story, the challenge for me as a viewer is to ask the perennial question on why God would allow an innocent person to suffer like this so that unbelievers may believe in His saving grace and power? Why not let all the evil men and evil women of today's evil world end up like this? Send the devil to all those unbelievers and people that deserve this sort of suffering.

Excerpt from the movie where Emily Rose has a vision of the Blessed
Virgin Mary:

BVM: "Emily, Heaven is not blind to your pain."

Emily: "Why do I suffer like this?"

BVM: "I'm sorry, Emily...
You can come with me in peace,
free of your bodily form
or you can choose to continue this.

You will suffer greatly.
But through you many will come to see
that the realm of the spirit is real.
The choice is yours."

Emily: "I choose to stay."


The next time BVM calls me, I'll be saying that it is not believers that need convincing. Jesus died for all more than 2000 years ago, till today, 5/6 of the world's population still reject Him. The sufferings of visionaries and believers only get mocked in today's world, how about telling God to generously bestow all these evils on the unbelievers and the world's evil-doers instead? I'm very sure there is no shortage of evil people everywhere that God can't smite in this earthly lifetime. No need to wait till the afterlife to give them surprises.

It is very sad to know that the afflicted victim in this case had to die.
With God's blessing, may she return to haunt all evil men and evil women of this evil world!

In my opinion, this is the greatest movie that boldly displays the suffering of the afflicted victim with such horror that can numb any human mind. The overwhelming terror you see in this rare case reflects reality of some real life exorcisms. If you're a skeptic and have never seen such suffering first-hand in real life, you don't know what you're missing. Ignorance may be bliss, but truth can be terrifying.

Father Moore to defense attorney Erin Bruner:

"Once you've looked into the Darkness,
you will carry it for the rest of your life.
I believe you've seen the Darkness." ......



Recommended reading and viewing:

The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel

Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans

The Dark Sacrament: True Stories of Modern-Day Demon Possession and Exorcism

Beware the Night

The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren

The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist

The Devil Called Collect: The Exorcism of Jessica Leek

The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen)

The Possessed

A Haunting - Seasons 1-4


5/5 Good
  by Dan Neiderhiser (Ohio)
I usually can't watch freaky movies like this, mainly cause I'm a wimp, but this one was really good, and maybe even creepier that it was based on a true story.

5/5 Discontinuous, but effectively scary
  by The Tao of Netflix (Washington, DC)
I understand that this movie may be very loosely based on real events, but if you accept (for the purposes of furthering your own enjoyment) that this movie is based on real events, and you believe in ghosts/demons, etc., this movie rocks. I would have enjoyed it more if it focused more on the girl's experiences (as opposed to the trial), but I suppose that that is one of the creative aspects of the movie. However, I found the horror very highly effective, and it is scary.

3/5 Thought provoking
  by Alan Starr (Lawrence, MA)
Based on a true story of a girl that dies while a priest is performing an exorcism. Was it abuse? Was it a natural death? The always reliable Laura Linney stars as the high-powered lawyer who is defending the priest, nicely played by Tom Wilkinson. The movie's namesake is harrowingly played by Jennifer Carpenter, whom I only new from her role on Dexter (as his sister). She turns in a very strong performance here, showing a different side than her turn as Deb Morgan. The movie overall is pretty good, but I'm always a little cynical, and a big part of me wonders how closely this follows the facts of the true story. But regardless of the truth, the film does raise some interesting questions about the place where religion and law intersect, such as where does belief end, and psychosis begin? Hmmm...