The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Part spine-tingling horror movie, part unorthodox courtroom drama, The Exorcism of Emily Rose maintains a surprisingly deft balance between the two genres, but still runs into trouble because the chills are actually more credible than the trial. Inspired by the real case of a priest (Tom Wilkinson) charged with negligent homicide for an exorcism gone wrong, co-writer and director Scott Derrickson's film serves up flashbacks to the alleged possession of a naive Catholic college student (powerful newcomer Jennifer Carpenter) that are far more down-to-earth than the usual effects-driven exorcism chiller, and therefore more disturbing as well. Initially, the courtroom scenes that frame these episodes are strong too, with the gifted Laura Linney (Kinsey) playing the priest's skeptical defense attorney, but her strategy is clearly driven by narrative concerns rather than jurisprudence, and as a result she comes off looking like her law degree came from a Cracker Jack box. While it does raise goosebumps and often engages on a cerebral level, the big picture here just doesn't add up to the sum of its parts. Optional. [Note: Available in either PG-13 or unrated widescreen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary by director Scott Derrickson; the featurettes “Genesis of the Story” (20 min.), “Visual Design” (19 min.), and “Casting the Movie” (13 min.); deleted scenes with optional commentary (3 min.); and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a so-so film.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—July 22, 2008—Sony, 122 min., not rated, $28.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2005's The Exorcism of Emily Rose sports a nice looking transfer and a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack. The extras on the disc are identical to the previous DVD release, including audio commentary by director Scott Derrickson, the featurettes “Genesis of the Story” (20 min.), “Visual Design” (19 min.), and “Casting the Movie” (13 min.), deleted scenes with optional commentary (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine Blu-ray edition of a halfway-decent chiller.]