Faith in Film — The Exorcism of Emily Rose

"The Exorcism of Emily Rose" deals with a difficult subject, but approaches it in a unique way. Unlike "The Exorcist," which is a horror film that uses religious iconography to tell its story, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" is grounded in Scripture, religious concepts, and presents a Gospel message. The question becomes whether that message is presented in an accurate way.

I don't think it is. While I admire the effort of Scott Derrickson made with the film and the passionate way he attempts to spread the Gospel message in a unique way by making people accept and consider evil, there are flaws in the presentation.

My two major concerns stem from the demon possession itself. First, Emily Rose states she's possessed by six demons — the one that dwealt in Cain, Judas and Nero, Legion, Belial and Lucifer. The last three are demons recorded in the Bible or the Apocrypha, so a case can be made for that. But with the first three, I think it becomes a case of our humanity interfering with faith. It is easier for us to believe that everything evil that happens was the result of a demon possession because that prevents us from having to face the fact we are all capable of evil. Especially in the case of Cain and Judas — who are referenced in Scripture — if they were demon possessed, we would have a record of it. We don't. In fact, both demonstrated behavior after their great sin that indicated they felt guilt and shame, not something that would happen if you had been demon possessed.

Secondly, I don't think Emily Rose would have been possessed by a demon. She was a devout follower of Jesus Christ, and the Bible is clear that when we are saved the Holy Spirit indwells us. 1 John 4:13 says, “We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has give us his spirit.” God can't occupy the same space as a demon, Scripture is clear on that, so if one was truly saved, I do not believe they could be possessed by a demon. I believe in eternal salvation — once saved, always saved — so if you believed someone was actually a Christ-follower, I don't think they could be possessed by a demon, making the basic construct of the film flawed.

This film is based on a true story and there is evidence that the real girl — Annelise Michel — developed a Christ complex, demonstrated the signs of the stigmata, and believed she was dying for the salvation of others. Her grave site today in Germany has become a shrine for "believers." This is an inherent danger for Christians when we verge on worshipping the created instead of the creator. A similar message is offered in "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and presents a similar danger.

In the end, I believe this was a well-intentioned attempt that goes wrong. But, similar to "The Da Vinci Code" which was discussed last week, the film does start a conversation, which offers true Christ followers and opportunity to share their faith. That's never a bad thing.