View source for The Exorcism of Emily Rose


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{{Infobox film
| image          = The Exorcism Of Emily Rose.jpg
| alt            = In a foggy landscape, a raggedy woman looks towards a leafless tree on a hill.
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Scott Derrickson]]
| writer         = {{plainlist|
* [[Paul Harris Boardman]]
* Scott Derrickson
}}
| producer       = {{plainlist|
* [[Tom Rosenberg]]
* [[Gary Lucchesi]]
* Paul Harris Boardman
* [[Tripp Vinson]]
* [[Beau Flynn]]
}}
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Laura Linney]]
* [[Tom Wilkinson]]
* [[Campbell Scott]]
* [[Colm Feore]]
* [[Jennifer Carpenter]]
* [[Mary Beth Hurt]]
* [[Henry Czerny]]
* [[Shohreh Aghdashloo]]
<!--STOP! The actors listed here are the ones listed on the poster, please do not list anyone else. Thank you.!-->}}
| cinematography = [[Tom Stern (cinematographer)|Tom Stern]]
| editing        = [[Jeff Betancourt]]
| music          = [[Christopher Young]]
| studio         = {{plain list|
* [[Lakeshore Entertainment]]
* Firm Films
* Mist Entertainment 
}}
| distributor    = [[Screen Gems]] (through [[Sony Pictures Releasing]])<ref>{{cite web|title=The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)|work=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]|accessdate=23 February 2021|url=http://catalog.afi.com/Film/63404-THE-EXORCISMOFEMILYROSE?sid=2437de06-bccc-4a6b-bf18-75431af0b07e&sr=12.818397&cp=1&pos=0}}</ref>
| released       = {{Film date|2005|09|09}}
| runtime        = 119 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $19 million<ref name=BOM/>
| gross          = $145.2 million<ref name=BOM>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=exorcismofemilyrose.htm|title=The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) - Box Office Mojo|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref>
}}

'''''The Exorcism of Emily Rose''''' is a 2005 American [[Supernatural horror film|supernatural horror]] [[Legal drama|legal drama film]] directed by [[Scott Derrickson]], who co-wrote with [[Paul Harris Boardman]]. The cast includes [[Laura Linney]], [[Tom Wilkinson]], [[Campbell Scott]], [[Colm Feore]], [[Jennifer Carpenter]], [[Mary Beth Hurt]], [[Henry Czerny]], and [[Shohreh Aghdashloo]]. The film follows a self-proclaimed [[Agnosticism|agnostic]] (Linney) who acts as defense counsel representing a [[parish]] [[Priesthood in the Catholic Church|priest]] (Wilkinson) accused of [[negligent homicide]] after performing an [[Exorcism in the Catholic Church|exorcism]]. The story is loosely inspired by the real-life case of [[Anneliese Michel]].

''The Exorcism of Emily Rose'' was released theatrically on September 9, 
2005, by [[Sony Pictures Releasing]]'s [[Screen Gems]]. The film grossed $145.2 million against a budget of $19 million. It received mixed reviews from critics, while Carpenter's performance was praised. It won [[Saturn Award for Best Horror Film|Best Horror Film]] at the [[32nd Saturn Awards]].

==Plot==
Erin Bruner, an ambitious [[lawyer]] seeking to become a senior partner in her law firm, takes the case of Father Richard Moore, a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[diocesan priest]] charged with [[negligent homicide]] following an attempted [[Exorcism in the Catholic Church|exorcism]] of 19-year-old student Emily Rose. While the [[archdiocese]] wants Moore to plead guilty to minimize the crime's public attention, Moore instead [[Not guilty plea|pleads not guilty]]. During the trial, the statements of the witnesses are visualized via [[Flashback (narrative)|flashbacks]]. Prosecutor Ethan Thomas interrogates several doctors and neurologists to establish a medical cause for Emily's death, particularly [[epilepsy]] and [[schizophrenia]]. Emily had dropped out of her college studies after being consistently struck by [[delusion]]s and muscle spasms at 3 a.m. She returned to her parents' home and was treated with epilepsy and [[psychosis]] medications. Moore was consulted when her condition failed to improve, and his assessment and observations led him to the conclusion that Emily was being [[Demonic possession|possessed by a demon]]. With the consent of Emily's parents, Moore subjected Emily to an exorcism that ultimately failed. Moore surmised that Emily's medications were to blame for the unsuccessful expulsion, as they paralyzed Emily's brain activity and kept the demon out of reach.

Moore, wanting to tell Emily's story, gives his testimony when he is called to the witness stand. Bruner begins experiencing [[Supernatural|supernatural phenomena]] at home, waking up at 3 a.m. to the smell of burning material. Moore warns her she may be a target for the demons, revealing he, too, has experienced similar phenomena on the night he was preparing the exorcism. Bruner supports Moore by summoning [[anthropologist]] Sadira Adani to testify about the beliefs surrounding spiritual possession from various cultures, but Thomas dismisses her claims as nonsense. Graham Cartwright, a medical doctor who attended the exorcism, gives Bruner a cassette tape on which the exorcism was recorded, and Moore presents the recording as evidence. Cartwright's testimony to authenticate the exorcism and refute the prosecution's medical case is prevented when he is suddenly struck and killed by a car. A distraught Bruner retreats to her office, where her boss threatens to terminate her if she allows Moore to testify again. Bruner visits Moore in his jail cell, where he convinces her to allow him to tell the rest of Emily's story despite her boss's threat.

The next day, Moore takes the witness stand again and reads a letter that Emily wrote before she died. On the morning after the exorcism, Emily was [[Marian apparition|visited by the Virgin Mary]] in a field near her house and was permitted the choice of ascending to [[Heaven]]. However, Emily chose to endure her suffering and later received [[stigmata]] on her hands. Thomas does not interpret the markings as a divine sign but rather as traces of self-inflicted injuries. The jury ultimately reaches a guilty verdict but surprises the court by asking Judge Brewster to give a sentence of [[time served]]. Although momentarily shocked by the suggestion, Brewster accepts it, and Moore is free to go. Bruner is offered a partnership in her firm but declines. Later, Moore and Bruner visit Emily's grave, and Moore states that the time will come when Emily will be declared a saint.

The epilogue reveals that while Moore never appealed his conviction and went to seclusion, Emily's story brought a profound effect on the masses, and her gravesite has become an unofficial holy shrine that draws visitors from all over the world.

==Cast==
{{div col}}
* [[Laura Linney]] as Erin Christine Bruner
* [[Tom Wilkinson]] as Father Richard Moore
* [[Jennifer Carpenter]] as Emily Rose
* [[Campbell Scott]] as Ethan Thomas
* [[Colm Feore]] as Karl Gunderson
* [[Joshua Close]] as Jason
* [[Kenneth Welsh]] as Dr. Mueller 
* Duncan Fraser as Dr. Graham Cartwright
* [[J. R. Bourne]] as Ray
* [[Mary Beth Hurt]] as Judge Brewster
* [[Henry Czerny]] as Dr. Briggs
* [[Shohreh Aghdashloo]] as Dr. Sadira Adani
{{div col end}}

==Production==
The screenplay was written by director [[Scott Derrickson]] and [[Paul Harris Boardman]]; in honor of the contributions of Boardman and other collaborators on the film, Derrickson chose to forgo the traditional "film by" credit. According to Derrickson's [[Audio commentary|DVD commentary]], he chose Boardman as his co-writer because Derrickson sees himself as a believer and Boardman as a [[Religious skepticism|skeptic]], and believed the pairing would provide the screenplay with two different perspectives, thus providing the film some ambiguity as to whether it supports a religious/supernatural interpretation of the events depicted, or a more secular/medical interpretation.

The character of Emily Rose was inspired by the story of [[Anneliese Michel]].<ref name=washingtonpost>{{cite news|last=Hansen|first=Eric T.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090200559.html|title=What in God's Name?!|date=September 4, 2005|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref> German director [[Hans-Christian Schmid]] made his own film of Michel's story, ''[[Requiem (2006 film)|Requiem]]'', around the same time in late 2006. Linney recommended Carpenter for this role after working with her in a play.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amc.com/talk/2011/10/story-notes-trivia-the-exorcism-of-emily-rose|title=Story Notes for The Exorcism of Emily Rose|website=AMC.com|publisher=AMC Networks|access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref>

Adolescent [[Sara Niemietz]] was chosen as the vocalist for the soundtrack and score.<ref name="AllMusic Emily Soundtrack">{{AllMusic | id= the-exorcism-of-emily-rose-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-special-limited-edition-mw000047895 | title= ''The Exorcism of Emily Rose '' | access-date= October 31, 2020}}</ref> Niemietz worked again with Christopher Young on ''[[The Uninvited (2009 film)|The Uninvited]]'' (2009),<ref name="AllMusic Uninvited Soundtrack">{{AllMusic | id= the-uninvited-original-motion-picture-score-mw0001689647 | title= ''The Uninvited '' | access-date= October 31, 2020}}</ref> and is now an independent artist and cast-member with [[Postmodern Jukebox]].<ref name="Postmodern Jukebox">{{cite web | title=Sara Niemietz Archives | website=Postmodern Jukebox | url=https://postmodernjukebox.com/tag/sara-niemietz/ | access-date=2020-11-01 | archive-date=2020-11-01
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201101030923/https://postmodernjukebox.com/tag/sara-niemietz/}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office===
''The Exorcism of Emily Rose'' made $75.1 million domestically, and $145.1 million worldwide against a $19 million budget.<ref name=BOM/> According to Derrickson, the film was not as successful as he hoped.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20121018/01054720744/hollywood-accounting-how-19-million-movie-makes-150-million-still-isnt-profitable.shtml|title = Hollywood Accounting: How A $19 Million Movie Makes $150 Million... And Still Isn't Profitable| date=October 19, 2012 }}</ref>

===Critical reception===
On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 46%, based on 156 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads "Loosely based on a true story, ''The Exorcism of Emily Rose'' mixes compelling courtroom drama with generally gore-free scares in a ho-hum take on demonic cinema."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/exorcism_of_emily_rose/|title=The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=March 14, 2025}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], it has an overall score of 46 out of 100, based on 32 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/exorcismofemilyrose/|title=The Exorcism of Emily Rose|website=Metacritic|access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref> Audiences surveyed by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film a grade "B" on scale of A to F.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title=THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE (2005) B |work= [[CinemaScore]] |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= 2018-12-20 }}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film a rating of three out of four stars, describing it as "intriguing and perplexing" and writing that "the screenplay is intelligent and open to occasional refreshing wit."<ref name="Ebert">{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-exorcism-of-emily-rose-2005|title=The Exorcism of Emily Rose Movie Review (2005)|date=September 8, 2005|website=RogerEbert.com|access-date=December 20, 2010}}</ref> Paul Arendt of [[BBC]] gave the film three out of five stars, referring to the "flashback story" as "high-octane schlock that occasionally works your nerves, thanks to a committed performance from Jennifer Carpenter".<ref>{{cite web|last=Arendt|first=Paul|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2005/11/17/the_exorcism_of_emily_rose_2005_review.shtml|title=BBC - Movies - review - The Exorcism of Emily Rose|date=November 24, 2005|publisher=BBC|access-date=December 20, 2010}}</ref> Olly Richards of ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' gave the film three out of five stars as well, writing that "Viewed as a horror movie, ''Emily Rose'' isn't much scarier than the average, but combined with intelligent and balanced courtroom drama it has more to offer than your usual big-lunged, big-breasted screamer."<ref>{{cite web|last=Richards|first=Olly|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/exorcism-emily-rose-review/|title=The Exorcism Of Emily Rose Review|work=Empire|date=January 2000 |access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref>

Jerome Reuter of ''[[Scream (magazine)|Scream]]'' magazine gave the film a rating of two out of five stars, writing that "''The Exorcism of Emily Rose'', while compelling at times, is nothing more than a blatant attempt to utilise a real human tragedy for an agenda."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Reuter|first=Jerome|url=https://www.screamhorrormag.com/the-exorcism-of-emily-rose-film-review/|title=THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE: Film Review|date=March 31, 2018|magazine=Scream|location=ScreamHorrorMag.com|access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref> Ed Gonzalez of ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' gave the film one-and-a-half out of four stars, criticizing the "witless, didactic" screenplay and writing that "I've witnessed more complicated [[existential]] wrangling exchanged between two [[wikt:toker|tokers]]."<ref>{{cite web|last=Gonzalez|first=Ed|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-exorcism-of-emily-rose/|title=Review: The Exorcism of Emily Rose|date=September 6, 2006|work=Slant Magazine|access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref>

In 2006, the [[Chicago Film Critics Association]] listed the film in their Top 100 Scariest Films Ever Made at #86.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmspotting.net/top100.htm|title=Top 100 Scariest Movies|access-date=February 21, 2009|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117102530/http://www.filmspotting.net/top100.htm|archive-date=January 17, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[Jennifer Carpenter]], whose "demonic" bodily contortions were often achieved without the aid of visual effects, won "Best Frightened Performance" at the [[MTV Movie Awards]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/movie-awards/2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160727013634/http://www.mtv.com/movie-awards/2006|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 27, 2016|title=Movie Awards 2006 - MTV Movie Awards|date=June 8, 2006|website=MTV.com|publisher=MTV|access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref> Additionally, it received the award for [[Saturn Award for Best Horror Film|Best Horror Film]] at the [[32nd Saturn Awards]].

==See also==
* ''[[Anneliese: The Exorcist Tapes]]''
* ''[[Exorcism: The Possession of Gail Bowers]]''
* ''[[Possessed (2000 film)|Possessed]]''
* [[Exorcism of Roland Doe]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==

* {{IMDb title|0404032|The Exorcism of Emily Rose}}
* {{mojo title|exorcismofemilyrose|The Exorcism of Emily Rose}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|exorcism_of_emily_rose|The Exorcism of Emily Rose}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=The Exorcism of Emily Rose}}
* [http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/emilyrose.php Comparison of the true story and the film] at Chasing the Frog

{{Scott Derrickson}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Horror Film 1991–2010}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Exorcism Of Emily Rose, The}}
[[Category:2005 American films]]
[[Category:2005 English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s horror thriller films]]
[[Category:2000s legal drama films]]
[[Category:2000s supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:2005 crime drama films]]
[[Category:2005 crime thriller films]]
[[Category:2005 films]]
[[Category:2005 horror films]]
[[Category:American courtroom films]]
[[Category:American crime drama films]]
[[Category:American crime thriller films]]
[[Category:American horror drama films]]
[[Category:American horror thriller films]]
[[Category:American legal drama films]]
[[Category:American supernatural drama films]]
[[Category:American supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:American crime horror films]]
[[Category:Demons in film]]
[[Category:English-language crime drama films]]
[[Category:English-language crime thriller films]]
[[Category:English-language horror drama films]]
[[Category:English-language horror thriller films]]
[[Category:Films about Catholicism]]
[[Category:Films about exorcism]]
[[Category:Films about lawyers]]
[[Category:Films about spirit possession]]
[[Category:Films directed by Scott Derrickson]]
[[Category:Films produced by Beau Flynn]]
[[Category:Films produced by Gary Lucchesi]]
[[Category:Films produced by Tom Rosenberg]]
[[Category:Films scored by Christopher Young]]
[[Category:Films shot in Vancouver]]
[[Category:Horror films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Lakeshore Entertainment films]]
[[Category:Legal horror films]]
[[Category:American religious horror films]]
[[Category:Screen Gems films]]
[[Category:Saturn Award–winning films]]
[[Category:The Devil in film]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=The Exorcism of Emily Rose|access_date=2026-03-06}}