The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a courtroom drama based on a true story. The defendant and hero is a Roman priest who is accused of negligent homicide. The accusation against him is that he abused his position and the trust of Emily Rose and her family by urging her to stop taking medication and failing to guide them to necessary medical treatment in favor of exorcism. The story of her possession and exorcism are told through flashbacks while witnesses take the stand.
The movie is well-written, directed, and acted. It is the most sympathetic portrayal of a clergyman I can think of from Hollywood, and that was nice. The priest is portrayed as a noble, honest, and selfless.
I was also pleased that what we saw of the rite of exorcism was in English, not Latin, and it was lacking a lot of ceremonial trappings. If it had been in Latin, or Holy water had been more prominent, and such, it would have seemed like a magical incantation, instead of the Word of God. It was not portrayed as magic. It was clear that the Word of God would drive these demons off or nothing would. Though there was never a clear witness of the Gospel (that Jesus died for us, loves us, etc) the Name of Jesus was dominant in the rite of exorcism. That was good. There was also a nice scene were the priest drove off the devil by praying to St. Michael. Yes, I’d rather that that he had prayed to Our Lord for St. Michael’s help, but that is probably not how a roman priest would pray.
And, for what it is worth, I have no doubt that God answers the pious, but ignorant, prayers of His children in the Roman Church even when they are wrongly addressed to the saints.
For all of that I had a number of problems with the movie.
Number 1: too scary. I knew it would be, but still it needs to be said. It was rated PG-13 and I am sure Hollywood thought it was cute. The problem is that this isn’t fiction. Demons are real. I am not scared by R-rated movies of aliens and vampires and machine guns. I am scared by demons. Don’t go see this movie if you’re prone to nightmares or get nervous when alone at home.
Number 2: It is the not the purpose of the lives of the saints to show us that demons are real (the stated purpose of Emily Rose). Nor is the purpose of the saints to show us that there is a God that battles demons. Rather, the lives of the saints show us that God is merciful in Jesus Christ. The Gospel was missing from this movie and because of that the Roman church’s doctrine was not accurately portrayed nor was the witness and suffering of Emily Rose really given it proper place or explanation. It could have been worse. This is probably about the best we can expect from Hollywood, but it wasn’t quite right.
Number 3: Demons are both more powerful than depicted in the movie, and are also far less powerful. They are more powerful in that they’re not that interested in causing a pencil to roll off a desk or slam doors just to scare you; nor are they so limited that a cold wind blows or you smell something burning and then it just goes away. I can’t think of a single account of demonic activity in the Scriptures that has these kinds of activities happening. At the same time, demons are powerless when confronted by Christ. One little word can fell them. In Christ, we have power over demons. We can command them to go away. They are also very busy. They are at war. We are surrounded by the armies of God. He doesn’t just let one slip through to slam a door now and then. St.
Michael and the holy angels keep the demons busy and us safe. That is a promise. The demons can and do harass us from time to time but they are not in control of themselves. Remember: Satan is God’s Satan. God is in control and God keeps His promises.
Number 4: We don’t choose crosses. In the movie St. Mary (a problem all its own) gives Emily Rose the choice of dying and being relieved of the demons by going to heaven or staying and fighting so that more people will see that the spiritual realm is real. She is told she will not be relieved of the demons until she dies. She chooses to stay and suffer more in order to enlighten the world. No way. Luther would have said: “Let me out of here.” We don’t choose our crosses. If they were optional, we’d opt out. God uses them for good. And I am certainly not saying that the sufferings of Emily Rose were in vain. But we don’t choose them. I suppose it is good that the world recognizes the spiritual realm as real, but what they really need to recognize and believe is that Jesus lives. Anyway, we don’t seek crosses. Jesus prayed in the garden the cup be removed. Emily Rose was not holier than Jesus is. Choosing to endure this longer than necessary was strange and misleading. It hinted at a kind of works-righteousness.
Summary: This is a very thought-provoking movie, but very, very scary. Whatever was wrong with it from a Lutheran perspective, it is astounding that Hollywood would make a movie that so favorably portrays Christians and a Roman priest. They did get their jabs in at the unseen “archdiocese,” but compared to normal Hollywood fare that was even mild.
Should you see it? I don’t know. I do think that even though it is only PG-13 before seeing it you should secure your parents approval.
The Rev. David Petersen is pastor of Redeemer in Fort Wayne, IN and serves on the editorial board for the magazine and regularly contributes to our website.
