The Exorcism of Emily Rose

I am a real chicken in the movie theatre — not a screamer, more of a jumper, but no matter what I don’t like scary films. Never have. So I really had to get myself in the right frame of mind to go see The Exorcism of Emily Rose, but given the subject matter (Catholic priest performing an exorcism) I felt I should see it — especially it proposed to offer a “serious” look at the topic.

My verdict? It’s a good film. Oh, the acting is wooden, and the dialogue could use some polish, but I was actually quite impressed with the theological treatment. Apart from a strange reference to a “3 a.m. witching hour”, it was really bang on. And it turns out the real hero of the film isn’t the priest, and it isn’t the lawyer. It’s Emily Rose. See it, and you’ll see what I mean.

I think the film accomplishes its purpose, in that it gets people talking. A group of us went for coffee afterwards, and a great many questions were raised. It was good, and I credit the film itself for much of the quality of our discussion. Way to go, Hollywood!