The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

Le sigh. I like Jennifer Carpenter (see my Quarantine review or my general appreciation for Dexter) but even she could not save this flick.

What I mistakenly thought was a horror film, is a weak, vaguely supernatural knockoff of what is essentially a Law and Order Halloween special.

There is no tension, no scares, and nothing "new" other than the attempt to mix Law and Order with the Exorcist. Don't get me wrong, I "get" the film, and how they try to play on the ambiguities of the situation so that the audience can mull it over amongst themselves, "Was she or wasn't she possessed?" but really, I highly doubt many people were just out of sheer boredom.

I never found myself caring for any characters, the priest (character actor Tom Wilkenson) is uninspired and his whole "I NEED TO TELL EMILY'S STORY" was not convincing. It didn't feel like there were any stakes in the film. The threat of the legal proceedings is minimal given that the whole prosecution's case is purely circumstantial and that the likelihood of a criminal conviction (if this were true) would be minimal. I won't spoil it for anyone who actually cares about the outcome, but I was pretty bored, and I do like me some demon possession/ghostly tales.

The Good: Hmm.... not much. I wanted it to be good because it wasn't presented as another slasher flick, but really there isn't much going for it. I suppose Carpenter's investment in her character is admirable, but I hear that Ashley Bell's turn in The Last Exorcism (2010) much much more creepy.

The Bad: The overall story. I credit my degree in basket-weaving to knowing the value of stakes in a story, and this film just has none. You start the film off knowing the outcome. Sometimes it works, but here, it just has no place to build to.

Final Verdict: Not worthy of being part of any horror tradition. Great footage for Carpenter's resumé but little else to appreciate.

Add to the vault? Nope. Not even worth a late night cable viewing in the future. Unless you are suffering from insomnia, then by all means.