Review of The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) by Michelle W — 08 Jan 2011

I don't like horror movies, I think they're just cheap thrills. So I went into this film, not expecting much at all, but thankfully this isn't really a horror film.

It's a well acted, and intelligently scripted film that offers you a different perspectives or the seemingly supernatural, and instead of shoving an idea either way down your throats, the filmmakers realised that the audience may actually have brains and let us decide for ourselves. I found this really liberating. Horror films tend to always rely on the viewer believing in the supernatural? What if you don't? I found the "possession" scenes scarier here than in The Excorcist, because I was allowed to believe it was a medical problem, one that can't be solved, and one with no explanations.

This is an open and intelligent film, that is not as horrifying as the original The Excorcist, but I think that is a good thing.