It’s not a secret: demons scare the hell out of me.
Or, more accurately, demonic possession scares
the hell out of me. Having all control of your body stolen by a sadistic, evil
entity does not sound like a fun way to kill some time.
It’s also not a secret that most scary movies do
nothing for me. Most of the time I laugh my way through them. Either the
big baddies are unbelievable or the characters are too stupid to live. The
intent behind so many horror films is to shock with sensationalism—or at least
that seems to be the MO for the ones I’ve watched. The ones that actually have
some impact on me are quieter, that play with the brain
rather than assault the eyeballs with gore.
So, combine my fear of demonic possession with the
quiet understanding that what you are about to see is based on a true story and
you have the one movie that I lost sleep over: The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
I saw this movie within a year or so after it came
out on DVD in 2005. I was either finishing up junior high or had just started
high school—either way, I was young and impressionable and just as scared of
demonic possession as I am now approximately ten years later. I knew before watching it the
first time that I would be freaked out, and I was right. I pulled up every
protection from demons prayer I could find and begged my mom to get me a St.
Michael the Archangel medal (because the story goes he defeated Satan and all). Ten years later, I’m still terrified
of 3 A.M.: the Devil’s Hour.
This time watching Emily Rose for class, I had enough distance from the story to view
it more critically. For years I’ve had people give me skeptical looks when I
tell them this is the only movie that truly scared me. “I thought it sucked,”
is usually the explanation they give. But I never understood why they would
think that until now.
Don’t get me wrong, I still think Emily Rose is terrifying in its quiet
way, but that quiet way is what I think turns people off. This is not an in
your face movie. There’s no gore. There’s no gruesome monster. There’s no
psycho killer. Most of the movie takes place in a courtroom as Emily’s story is
told through the trial. The biggest scare factor is the possession, and if you don’t believe in demons, then you won’t find this movie
scary in any way.
This story appeals to keeping an open mind, which is
the crux of the defense’s argument in the trial. The viewers who believe in
demons will have a much easier time of being scared than those who don’t—the belief
has already been suspended, whether by religion or something else. I’m
not sure there was a way for the movie to dispel all doubt surrounding
possession, but it knows it can’t and acknowledges the skepticism that will
naturally surround the claim of “based on a true story.” It reminds me of
Mercado’s disclaimer in Grave’s End
saying she doesn’t expect people to believe her story, but it’s her story
nonetheless.
If this had been a purely fictional account regardless
of whether it was in movie or book form, I would view the acknowledgement of
skepticism as a cop out. The storyteller didn’t do their job in creating a
world or a situation that was so real, there wouldn’t be room unsuspended
disbelief. But since Emily Rose’s story has roots in fact, and there are times
when fact is stranger than fiction, I can more easily accept the disclaimer. I am more apt to believe a person’s conviction that something happened to them even if I
don’t necessarily believe what they’re claiming actually happened.
My favorite quote from the movie is, “Demons exist whether you believe in them or not.”
Well, I still do, and I’m still scared of 3 A.M.
YES the 3 a.m. thing definitely crept me out as well. And I agree so much that this movie used quiet terror to really pervade the audience's senses and emotions with its subtle horror. I'm not someone who needs gore and over-the-top scenarios to think of something as terrifying. I really like your comparison to Grave's End because both scenarios show us that someone just wanted their perceived truth to be heard, and I think that really helps make something more believable when someone's like, "I don't care if you believe me, but I need to share this story." It kind of drives home the importance and terror of what may have happened.
ReplyDeleteLet me join the "not sleeping" club. Last night I woke up, and all I could think was, "If I look at the clock, it's going to be 3 and I'm never going to fall back asleep." Going into a movie like this when you believe in demons removes one of the natural defenses against horror--reminding yourself that it's only fiction. It may still be a movie, but when you believe it's something that *could* happen, it makes it that much worse.
ReplyDeleteI love how you say you are more apt to believe someone's conviction in something, rather than the actual thing. I think that's a very powerful fact. Even if you don't believe in demons or ghosts, the accounts of someone who does, and suffered for it, are still incredibly powerful. Regardless of cause, fear and suffering are terrifying things to experience and witness. That's why even skeptics can get a scare out of “true stories” as long as they have a decent sense of empathy.
ReplyDeleteI think unlike so many other "true" stories, this one adds legitimacy by showing not only the paranormal side of the story, but a counterargument that Emily Rose is mentally ill. It's thought-provoking, as I mentioned on another blog post. While I usually go into a "true" story ready to tear it apart to find any fiction, I ended up enjoying this one, completely forgetting that it is supposedly based on a true story, which it is, but I don't know how much fiction is inserted. The opposing viewpoints make this story unique, not that that hasn't been done, but just not in depth as this movie went.
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