The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
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44% of critics liked it
(154 reviews) -
65% of users liked it
(354,370 ratings)
In this blend of psychological thriller and courtroom drama, Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) is a 19-year-old college student who begins displaying bizarre and troubling behavior; as her actions become increasingly destructive and shocking, Emily begins speaking in strange tongues and destroying… More In this blend of psychological thriller and courtroom drama, Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) is a 19-year-old college student who begins displaying bizarre and troubling behavior; as her actions become increasingly destructive and shocking, Emily begins speaking in strange tongues and destroying religious symbols that surround her. Emily's parents believe that their daughter has become possessed of the devil, and the Catholic Church agrees to authorize an exorcism of the young woman. As Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson) attempts to drive the demons from Emily's body, the girl dies in the midst of the taxing ceremonies, and Father Moore finds himself charged with negligent homicide. Attorney Erin Bruner (Laura Linney) is hired to represent Father Moore against prosecutor Ethan Thomas (Campbell Scott), who intends to prove there were concrete medical explanations for Emily's behaviors, including epilepsy and schizophrenia, all leading to a heated courtroom debate between the notions of faith and science. The Exorcism of Emily Rose was inspired by the real-life story of Anneliese Michel, a young woman from Germany who died in 1976 after priests in Wurzburg spent eight months attempting to exorcise demons from her body. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Scott Derrickson
- Written By
- Scott Derrickson, Paul Harris Boardman
- Genres
- Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense
- In Theaters
- Sep 9, 2005 Wide
- On DVD
- Dec 20, 2005
- Studio
- Sony Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Very scary stuff. And as a courtroom drama, very effective.
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Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
There's no green vomit and nobody's head ever rotates a full 360; we stay in the natural world and never enter a movie world, and that makes the movie a lot better.
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Claudia Puig, USA Today
The performances are topnotch.
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Peter Howell, Toronto Star
This is a horror movie, for once, which really wants us to use our heads.
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Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
As courtroom drama, The Exorcism of Emily Rose works effectively; as a scarefest, it misses the mark. But the performances stick with you, particularly that of Linney, who has an elegant steeliness.
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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Laura Linney
as Erin Bruner
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Tom Wilkinson
as Father Richard Moore
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Campbell Scott
as Ethan Thomas
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Jennifer Carpenter
as Emily Rose
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Colm Feore
as Karl Gunderson
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Joshua Close
as Jason
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Kenneth Welsh
as Dr. Mueller
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Duncan Fraser
as Dr. Cartwright
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JR Bourne
as Ray
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Mary Beth Hurt
as Judge Brewster
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Henry Czerny
as Dr. Briggs
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Shohreh Aghdashloo
as Dr. Adani
- Aaron Douglas
- Ken Welsh
- Josh Close






