Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 140 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Cinapse. I’m the assistant district attorney, and I represent the people. In the case before you, witnesses will provide testimony on the film in discussion, and it will be up to you, the jury, to make your determination in the case of The Exorcism Of Emily Rose!
Liam O’Donnell, this column’s usual mastermind, is taking a well-deserved break, but you can still wish him a happy birthday (it’s today)!
With lots of exciting projects in the pipeline including an honest-to-God Dr. Strange picture for Marvel and adaptations of Deus Ex and The Outer Limits with oft writing partner C. Robert Cargill (that’s Massawyrm to you nerdy types), Scott Derrickson is on a meteoric rise that will likely keep him busy for years. This week, he returns to the world of the occult in Deliver Us From Evil, inspired by the experiences of New York cop-turned-demonologist Ralph Sarchie.
To correspond with Derrickson’s latest, frequent guest contributor Justin Harlan has selected The Exorcism Of Emily Rose as our Two Cents pick this week. On cursory analysis, the two films share obvious elements of demonology and accounts inspired by true events, but their genesis is even more deeply intertwined. Deliver Us has been long in the making, and it was during research for that film that Ralph Sarchie himself gave Derrickson a photocopy of the book which captured his imagination and directly inspired Emily Rose.
Did you get a chance to watch along with us this week? Comment below or post on our Facebook or hit us up on Twitter!
Next Week’s Pick:
Next week on CinAPES, we are beyond excited for Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes! Unlike beloved character actor Troy McClure (you may remember him from such films as The Boatjacking Of Supership 79 and Hydro: The Man With The Hydraulic Arms), we love every Apes we see, from Chimpan-A to Chimpan-Z! Please join us in watching a corresponding entry from the original series, Battle For The Planet Of The Apes, currently free to watch on Amazon Prime. Thanks to Jacob Q. Knight for the suggestion.
Would you like to be a featured guest in next week’s Two Cents column? Simply watch and send your 140 word review to twocents(at)cinapse.co (Why yes, that is a new e-mail address)!
Our Guest
Justin Harlan:
With the release of Deliver Us From Evil this week, I decided that on my week to choose a film, I’d pick my favorite Derrickson flick, The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I was into this film from first viewing and remain interested by it today. It blends courtroom drama with horror in a smart way. The classic exorcism horror story collides with a court case where the secular courts are forced to make a judgment on religious belief. Loosely based on the real life story of Anneliese Michel, the film is both terrifying and thought provoking. The way the film tackles the struggle between the medical world and religion forces the viewer to think… is demon possession real? Is this girl just nuts? What is real? Are the accounts of those present at the exorcisms doctored? Could this girl have been saved through medical intervention or did Satanic forces make that impossible? (@thepaintedman)
The Team
Ed:
I tend to like courtroom thrillers. And I really like at least one exorcism movie. So the conceit of The Exorcism Of Emily Rose is an intriguing one to me: a trial based around a failed exorcism which ended in a young girl’s death. The structure allows for some genuine scares while also exploring the razor’s edge between faith and fact. Even some of the recreations on screen feature a visualized spiritual attack from one perspective, and a medically explained attack from another. I like the genuine exploration of belief wrapped up in an entertaining package, even if little from the film has stuck with me several days after viewing. Soon-to-be-mega director Scott Derrickson made a solid film here in the shadow of the only great exorcism film there ever was or ever will be. (@Ed_Travis)
Liam:
On paper this seems like such a great concept, this marriage of supernatural thriller with courtroom drama. I want to be compelled by the faith exposed to such suffering, willing to endure to make a point. In the end though it all feels rather arbitrary, each character lacking whatever is necessary for me to care about their circumstances. The final reveal, the supposed point to Emily’s suffering and possession strikes me as a cruel joke. Its pretending at depth instead of simply delving into genre fun becomes frustrating. It is not pretending you say? Perhaps, but there is, for me, not much there. The gamble, that metaphysical forces would place so much suffering in order simply to have a social impact, might be the details of the story, but it is ridiculous. It would do better to simply frighten us. (@liamrulz)
Brendan:
Noble effort, doesn’t work. The demonic stuff is played too broad for the docudrama material to pack any real weight, while the courtroom proceedings are so ponderous that there’s no opportunity for the film to become a gleeful spook-a-blast. More, there’s a gaping hole where the film’s soul should be, as Derrickson never figures out a way to characterize Emily Rose as anything more than God’s punching bag. Jennifer Carpenter COMMITS like no one’s business, but there’s no human core to anything she’s given to do, so her suffering is little more than empty trauma lobbed at the audience. The film arcs towards a choice that Emily makes, but without any understanding of who she is, that choice feels like posturing, an attempt to elevate genre material to metaphysical concerns without doing the necessary groundwork to make that sort of conversation truly count. (@TheTrueBrendanF)
Austin:
Derrickson is my favorite director. Not in the sense of my favorite films, but simply on a personal level. He deeply loves cinema and is totally willing to engage and create a rapport with the film community, so seeing him rise in the biz resonates personally — he’s one of us.
Emily Rose was his first hit after a couple other projects, and while I like the film, he was still cutting his teeth in some ways. I think the most notable flaw is that Emily simply isn’t fleshed out as a character. Without a chance to get to know her more intimately, her tribulations aren’t as impactful as they could’ve been.
Still, the instinct to combine a courtroom drama (shameless plug) with a horror experience was a very good one, and I really dig the thoughtful incorporation of faith in the narrative. (@VforVashaw)
Did you all get a chance to watch along with us? Share your thoughts with us here in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook!
Get it at Amazon:
The Exorcism Of Emily Rose — [Blu-Ray] | [DVD] | [Instant]