Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
When a younger girl called Emily Rose dies, everyone puts blame on the exorcism which was performed on her by Father Moore prior to her death. The priest is arrested on suspicion of murder. The trial begins with lawyer Erin Bruner representing Moore, but it is not going to be easy, as no one wants to believe what Father Moore says is true.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose earns its distinctiveness by merging courtroom procedural drama with supernatural horror — a genuinely unusual genre hybrid that few films have attempted so earnestly. The courtroom framework gives the possession sequences a retrospective, almost forensic quality that sets it apart from standard exorcism fare. Acting is competent, with Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson delivering credible performances, though neither is transcendent. Cinematography is serviceable with some effectively unsettling nocturnal sequences but nothing particularly memorable. The ending, which resolves somewhat passively with Emily's death framed as a willing martyrdom and the priest receiving a light sentence, lands with less impact than the premise promises, feeling more resigned than dramatically satisfying.