Director: Scott Derrickson
Cast: Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott, Colm Feore, Jennifer Carpenter, Mary Beth Hurt, Henry Czerny, Shohreh Aghdashloo
Screenplay: Paul Harris Boardman, Scott Derrickson
119 mins. Rated PG-13 for thematic material, including intense/frightening sequences and disturbing images.

I remember being a teenager and being so disappointed that The Exorcism of Emily Rose was more heavy on courtroom drama than exorcism. Now, as an enlightened adult, I craved more of the courtroom stuff. Funny how that happens.

Loosely based on true events, the film follows defense attorney Erin Bruner (Laura Linney, The Truman Show) as she’s been tasked with the legal counsel for Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Father Moore is being charged in connection with the death of Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter, White Chicks), a young woman who died following an unsuccessful exorcism. He pleads not guilty, despite the wishes of the archdiocese and senior council who dangle a promotion over Erin’s head. With the trial underway, the law is being pitted against the faith, and Father Moore will have to speak on the events of that dark and disturbing evening.

As stated, my biggest disappointment as a teenager was that so much of The Exorcism of Emily Rose was given over to the courtroom scenes and the exorcism itself is a bit of an afterthought. It’s the titular event of the film and we see so little of it. Well, I still feel like the exorcism is underserved, but as I’ve gotten older, I recognize the much more fascinating elements of the story consist of the courtroom scenes, peppered with moments that seemingly recall Donner’s The Omen, a curse circling the trial and the sense of evil pervading this everyday event.

At its core, the movie is about rituals, routines, and the stance of belief and faith in those rituals. One is a ritual of faith, the other a ritual of law. They hold together because we believe in them, we put faith in our strength of righteousness of our systems, but they don’t always work the way we hope them to. Father Moore’s exorcism should work, he has all the right pieces in place, all the correct boxes checked, and it results in the eventual death of its subject. Emily Rose has done nothing wrong, but she is punished by the failure of this system. In the trial, Father Moore is held to task for his failure, and now Erin has to show the strength of her belief system, the rule of law, in order to move forward.

Strong performances and restrained direction keep the plot moving forward with pretty consistent plot turns and adjustments, and the courtroom drama elements are capable enough, but I wish the screenplay was a bit stronger, a bit more clever, a bit more compelling. Derrickson is able to create some striking imagery, and he proves that he can direct dramatic tension well with the trial, but outside of the finale, there’s a very telegraphed feeling to the story where it never feels like there’s a hidden curve ball, a prerequisite of courtroom films.

While it’s plot feels a bit too traditional, The Exorcism of Emily Rose is an effective courtroom drama with a few choice scares built in. Those expecting the horrors of a strong genre director like Derrickson will probably be underwhelmed here, as I was when younger, but I like the ethical dissection of these rituals and I wish the third Conjuring film had leaned in this director over taking an easier and less compelling route to its possession trial. This one hits better on a rewatch when not judging based on the trailers and marketing.

3½/5
-Kyle A. Goethe

• For more Scott Derrickson: Black Phone 2