Anneliese Michel certainly had experiences that were “hallucinatory” in the sense of not corresponding to external physical objects, but the question in dispute is whether these experiences might be triggered by an incorporeal yet real agent, be it an alternate personality or a demonic spirit.
Response: The Seattle Pacific University Magazine Do You Believe in Demons? In “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” a Christian filmmaker challenges audiences to face the horror of the devil. Do you believe that people today can be possessed by demons? That’s a question you might not want to toss out during the family dinner, or on the bus with strangers. Movavi mac cleaner review. Most Christians would not hesitate to say they believe in spiritual warfare, but when it comes to the specifics, and whether or not the endeavors of the devil in Scripture continue as a literal reality today — well, that makes most people nervous.
Not Scott Derrickson. The director and writer of “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” puts the subject of demon possession right out on the table for everyone to engage. His horrific fiction is loosely based on fact; a young German woman named Anneliese Michel who willingly submitted herself to an exorcism in 1976 after several years of severe afflictions — seizures, demonic visions, speaking in different voices and personalities. Despite the priests’ efforts, she died, reportedly of starvation. This generated a fierce controversy. What was Anneliese’s primary condition?
![Anneliese Michel Movie Anneliese Michel Movie](https://www.historicmysteries.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/tumblr_l39ebmVEet1qzgcpyo1_500-1024x520.jpg)
The matter was settled in court. Rewriting the story so that it stands as a fiction that invites us into difficult questions about spirit and science, Derrickson frames the film as a courtroom drama similar to an episode of TV’s “Law and Order.” His story follows Erin Bruner (Laura Linney), a defense attorney who appeals to a jury by backing up the claims of her client — the accused Father Moore. In short, she argues in a court of law that poor Emily Rose was, indeed, possessed. This clashes with the argument of the prosecutor (Campbell Scott), who insists that the priest is guilty of negligent homicide for denying Emily the medicine and professional care that she needed, and for accelerating her deterioration under a psychological affliction.
Linney plays Bruner as a conflicted public servant, an agnostic who begins to wonder about seeming coincidences in her own life as she works the case. Are there dark forces following her to prevent her success, as the priest believes? Or is she merely becoming paranoid? It’s a complex character, and Linney’s work is engaging and impressive.
![Michel Michel](https://filmewahrebegebenheiten.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/requiem.jpg)
Scott plays Ethan Thomas as a temperamental “man of faith” whose anger embitters him over the course of the case, so that he stands in stark contrast to other characters. While his profession of faith and his refusal to treat possession as a serious subject is an interesting contradiction, Scott can’t overcome the poorly scripted character, and Thomas ends up as nothing more than a villain to boo. Tom Wilkinson, on the other hand, is extraordinary, a convincingly conscientious and noble priest put to the test before a skeptical jury, burdened with a personal mission to “tell Emily’s story.” The film avoids gratuitous gore and the kind of shocks that provide the backbone of most horror films. Sure, the flashbacks to Emily’s “attacks” are horrifying — especially because Derrickson eschews digital effects in favor of a powerfully creepy performance. (Playing Emily, Jennifer Carpenter twists herself into alarming contortions.) But this director is clearly more interested in the serious questions at hand and the sufferings of those caught up in the case.
Audience members are thus likely to come away discussing and debating the merits of the Catholic church’s teachings on the devil, instead of chatting about their favorite thrills. That should please Derrickson, whose goal is to confront audiences with a vision of darkness that might nudge them toward rewarding discussion, perhaps even to the light. Response spoke with Scott Derrickson about making “Emily Rose,” about how a Christian artist could devote himself to making horror films, and about his experience as a Christian working in Hollywood. Response: Was it hard to get studio support for “Emily Rose”? Or did the success of “The Passion” make things easier? Scott Derrickson (SD): I don’t think it’s a coincidence the movie was green-lit the Monday after “The Passion” opened. [ laughs] I was fortunate that the gatekeeper on the project, Clint Culpepper, [president of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Screen Gems unit,] was somebody who just understood what “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” was really meant to be.