The Exorcism of Emily Rose in Theaters Friday
Co-written by Scott Derrickson and Paul Harris Boardman, the film chronicles the court case surrounding the death of 19-year-old college student Emily Rose, who was supposedly possesed by demons.
Sony Pictures’ The Exorcism of Emily Rose, a film by new director/screenwriter Scott Derrickson, will open in theaters everywhere this Friday, Sept. 9.
Co-written by Derrickson and Paul Harris Boardman, the film chronicles the court case surrounding the death of Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter), a 19-year-old college student who, while alone in her dorm one night, experiences her first terrifying “hallucination” and blackout.
As her attacks become more frequent and severe, with medical treatment offering no relief, Emily looks for help from her parish priest, Father Richard Moore (Tom Wilkinson), who, after a long deliberation, agrees to perform an exorcism on Rose.
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Despite Father Moore’s efforts, Emily dies during the exorcism and the priest is subsequently charged with negligent homicide for failing to enlist medical assistance.
Set during the time of Moore’s trial, The Exorcism of Emily Rose depicts the events of Emily’s downward spiraling illness in flashbacks throughout the film.
“The benefit of being able to flashback during the courtroom scenes to varying perspectives on the possession and exorcism of Emily Rose allows the audience to make up their own mind about what they think may or may not have happened,” says Derrickson, a Biola University graduate. “My intention is to make a film that provokes people to ask themselves what they believe about evil, what they believe about the demonic.”
“Inevitably when you ask questions like that you end up asking yourself what you think about God, what you think about morality, and what you think about the nature of memory and truth,” he continues.
Oscar-nominee Laura Linney, who plays Erin Bruner, Father Moore’s cynical defense attorney, was intrigued by the questions raised by the film.
“One of the things that really interested me about this script was the whole idea of personal demons versus religious demons, and how differently things can be perceived,” remarks Linney. “Many things happen to Erin throughout the movie and she tries to figure out what they mean. She can look at things rationally one way, or she can look at them in a different way and come to a very different conclusion about what seems like a simple matter. Is it just the wind blowing open the door, or is more than that?”
Facing Bruner in the courtroom is prosecuting attorney Ethan Thomas, played by actor Campbell Scott. Thomas, a devout Methodist, doesn’t believe in the Catholic notion of possession and exorcism, and writes off Father Moore’s beliefs as “based on a superstition.”
“I wanted to portray a man of faith who is skeptical of this sort of phenomenon,” says Derrickson. “It adds to the complexity, so that the audience can’t just write him off as a non-religious person. He believes in God, but he also believes wholeheartedly that Father Moore acted negligently and that it led to the death of this young girl.”
To give scientific credibility to the concept of exorcism, Derrickson adds the character of Dr. Adani (Shohreh Aghdashloo) – a renowned anthropologist called as a witness by Bruner.
“Shohreh’s character was written as a result of the research we did on the subject,” says Derrickson. “I thought that it was imperative to include information that would possibly legitimize the phenomenon of exorcism from a non-religious point of view. Dr. Adani isn’t Catholic, but defends the fact that possession and exorcism is a global phenomenon that occurs across cultures.”
Also starring Colm Feore as Bruner's boss, Karl Gunderson, The Exorcism of Emily Rose is produced by Lakeshore’s Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi, Paul Harris Boardman, Tripp Vinson, and Beau Flynn, with Andre Lamal, Terry McKay, David McIlvain and Julie Yorn as executive producers.
Other staff for the movie include Editor Jeff Betancourt, Production Designer David Brisban, Director of Photography Tom Stern, Costume Designer Tish Monaghan, and Composer Christopher Young.
For more information on the The Exorcism of Emily Rose, including the film’s trailer, visit www.sonypictures.com/movies/exorcismofemilyrose/.
