I like horror movies for a variety of reasons. One is the curiosity of the unknown especially as it applies to the supernatural. Even as a child I was curious rather than frightened when presented with the idea of ghosts, undead, and other such things. I once tried to scare my sister by pretending I’d seen a ghost and running in terror. She didn’t believe it for a second. When I asked why she said because she knew if I’d really seen something I would have tried to talk to it rather than run from it.

Another is a curiosity of what scares me. Horror movies just aren't scary. At best they are creepy or suspenseful. I love movies like "Sleepy Hollow" that carry a campfire ghost story mood in them, but while those movies have great atmosphere there’s not really a scare factor. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" is one of very few movies that have actually scared me to any degree as an adult.

The movie is part courtroom drama, part disturbing horror. Young Emily Rose has died. Father Moore, who was entrusted with her care, is on trial for negligent homicide. The prosecution believes Emily had a mental condition controllable by medication. By taking her off of that medication, Father Moore directly contributed to her death. Moore and the Rose family hold a different perspective; they believe Emily was possessed by a spiritual force. It was the demon that killed Emily.

A Christian is assigned to prosecute, while an agnostic takes the defense. Erin has the task of bringing the spiritual realm into the courtroom, a realm she doesn’t actually believe in herself, while the prosecutor has to challenge the spiritual realm without compromising his own beliefs.

What makes it so scary? Primarily it's the demonic influence that twists this lovely, young girl into a monstrosity. She becomes vicious and ugly as the darkness overtakes her body even though her own spirit remains pure. When I watch Freddy Kruger cutting teenagers up with his glove of finger-knives I don't react strongly because there's no way he can be real. Some undoubtedly feel the same way about demons that possess the Linda Blairs of the world, but many, including myself, believe in them as a reality based on biblical writings and other nonfictional accounts.

This story is based on real events. The names and setting have changed, and I’m sure other elements have been fictionalized as well. Even so, knowing a girl went through something even resembling the events in the movie is a disturbing notion. Of course, those who think of demons in the same way I think of Freddy will look at this and think, "Well, obviously she really had some mental illness." For those of us who might be considered superstitious the notion that a demon could actually control a person through possession is frightening, and seeing the reality, even fictionalized, of a demonic presence expressed in the physical plane is downright scary since demon possession is, at the very least, within the realm of possibility whether or not it would look like this exactly.

One of the greatest points about this movie from a literary standpoint is that it never conclusively answers the question of Emily being possessed or mentally ill. I say she was possessed, others say with equal certainty that she wasn’t. The truth is that evidence supporting both sides is present, and the viewer must decide. While I have my personal bias, and I think the director does as well, there is enough ambiguity here that individual viewers can apply their own thoughts to it.

I like stories that require some thought rather than laying all the details out on a silver platter as if I were too dumb to piece it together myself. It's possible to go too far with that idea and have so much ambiguity that the story makes no sense. I think this movie fosters discussion without leaving viewers scratching their heads wondering what the heck that was supposed to be about.

For the horrific portions of the movie we see the events as experienced by those involved, which means we may not be seeing what actually happened. Even so it keeps very much to a human plane even if influenced by demonic forces. We never see Hell, we never see demonic monstrosities (distorted humans, yes, but no actual demons); the images are primarily earthly though skewed. There’s very little in the way of flashy effects relying on actors' physicalities and reactions to get the supernatural across. To me this is scarier than any CG demon would have been.

Speaking of acting, it is excellent. Jennifer Carpenter does an admirable job with making Emily's contortions, both physical and emotional, seem real. Tom Wilkinson is perfect in the role of the priest with a stoicism that sets him apart from the average man yet a level of vulnerability that makes him feel human. Laura Linney makes a great lawyer, but also plays the troubled aspects of the character very well.

A strong or sour point, depending on the viewer, is the courtroom drama that is necessary to keep the emotional ending from feeling out of place. Some feel like this detracts from the horrific moments while I think they accentuate each other nicely. Seeing the effects of the situation on Erin gives credibility to the outcome of the situation. Also, seeing the events discussed in such a sterile setting keeps the movie from crossing the line into a purely religious film and keeps it from feeling hokey. Interestingly it is the horrific elements that point to God and the dramatic moments that question him.