BOO!

What a nice to surprise to be scared to death.

"The Exorcism of Emily Rose," when I first read about it, looked silly to me. "Based on true events" it claimed. Yeah right. Anyway, the only thing that gave me pause was the cast: Laura Linney, Campbell Scott, Tom Wilkinson, Colm Feore, Shohreh Aghdashloo. Yes, they've all been in stinkers, but what were the chances of them ALL being in a really bad film?

Indeed, it's a good, scary movie. Horror movies often have a too little/too much problem. Something like "The House of Wax": too much gore, too many easy scares (disfigured maniacs with blood encrusted knives appearing behind every door for example) and no build up of suspense. Then we have the more high-minded horror flick like "The Others" or "The Devil's Backbone" that give you too little; all the suspense leads up to one big scare. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," like Goldilocks' last bowl of porridge, gets it just right. Tension, scares, plot and a brain. The movie is about more than seeing ghosts, it's about a conflict of religion and medicine. It's about what beliefs can do to you if you believe strongly enough. It's about doubt. Not a bad agenda for a mainstream Hollywood flick.

Plus, last night when I got up at 4:00 in the morning, I could sense the demon tracking my progress through the hallway. I have to say...the movie works.