The Exorcism of Emily Rose

By Chris Kullstroem

The best pick for your Halloween DVD collection is The Exorcism of Emily Rose, now available at stores everywhere. This film is a great addition to your collection because it’s filled with scary images, a great plot (all too rare among horror films), and the story leaves the viewer questioning what they think they’ve seen, and what is real.

Based on a true story of a girl supposedly possessed, the film takes the idea of possession and puts its validity to the test. The symptoms of Emily’s condition invite the viewer to question if something supernatural is actually occurring or not. From what we see, her behavior could reflect symptoms of epilepsy, psychosis, or something scientifically inexplicable. There are justified arguments favoring both sides.

Emily is shown from two points of view in the film, from those who believe her to be possessed, and from those who believe her to be mentally ill. The images are more point of view than fact, as are the details surrounding her condition.

This story of possession reflects how schizophrenics and others with mental illnesses were viewed in the Middle Ages. Religion was the only explanation for such behavior in those times, just as science is the only explanation now. Yet in this debate of science versus supernatural, we are left to wonder if there is anything missing from the scientific and medical view so heavily relied upon today.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a great addition to any Halloween DVD collection. Both for the spiritualists and skeptics alike, this is a film to watch time and time again, searching for hidden clues as to what we can really know for certain, and what is real.