The Exorcism of Emily Rose

This might be the only movie in this class that I actually have seen before. So going into it with the foreknowledge of certain events and twists in the story, it didn’t grab me like it might to someone seeing it for the first time. It still is able to present an unusual and taboo topic of conversation that in a way is artistic, terrifying, and genuine. 

The director, Scott Derrickson, is a professed Christian in the world of Hollywood. If all of the rumors are correct about Hollywood being one of the most “un-Christian” places on the planet, then Derrickson’s life must be full of temptations and trials that many of us aren’t used to experiencing. This movie shows that type of struggle in the real life story of Emily Rose. A beautiful young woman, Emily Rose (played by Jennifer Carpenter), finds herself being tortured and tormented by six spirits. To help her fight the demons within she calls upon her priest, Father Moore (played by Tom Wilkinson). The two of them fight the battle of life and death on both the spiritual level as well as the physical. It was hard to watch at times to see the conditions Emily was left to after the demons tormented her. Her body was twisting in unnatural ways, her voice grew cold and she spoke languages she didn’t know, she physically punished herself under the guidance of the demons, her strength grew ten-fold when she was under the demons possession, and the list goes on. All of these things seem outrageous and incredibly fallacious, but when remembering that in the beginning of the movie it said that this story is based on actual events, it brings this story to a personal level. 

This did happen to someone named Emily Rose. There is spiritual warfare happening all around the world. It happens to every day people living every day lives. There have been thousands, perhaps millions of recorded events that describe people being possessed by demons. This movie was terrifying for it’s visuals and gripping storytelling, but it was paralyzing to remember after the credits roll that this happened to a real person. Is anyone safe? Emily was a professing Catholic. Why did God let this happen to her? Derrickson doesn’t give answer to that question. Has God used this story to reach to others like Emily had predicted? I think so. 

With this movie, a war, hidden to most people in the world, was brought to life. Derrickson told a story to Christians, agnostics, athiests, Buddhists, and Mormons, all kinds of people, and was able to entertain and enlighten every single one of them. He doesn’t hide behind his own fears, so he wants his audience to face the real, tough issues at hand and fight them head on as well. There is no backing out or hiding from this war like this movie addressed. Any person can be the next Emily Rose. People are always saying “that wouldn’t happen to me” and yet things keep happening to them. This is a battle that we cannot escape from but must fight whether we want to or not. Emily Rose new what resided in her and chose to fight it as best as she could. She fought longer than what was necessary but only chose to do so because she knew it would bring glory to God. How many of us would choose to suffer knowing that it would bring glory to God? I would hope that if I was put in that situation I would do the same as her. What Derrickson really did was allow us to see a life, a trial, and a choice that we aren’t familiar with. Even so we can learn many lessons of sacrifice and bravery through Emily Rose’s story.