The Exorcism Of Emily Rose Script - Dialogue Transcript

Voila! Finally, the The Exorcism Of Emily Rose script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the Tom Wilkinson, Laura Linney, and Campbell Scott movie about the true story of Anneliese Michel.  This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of The Exorcism Of Emily Rose. I know, I know, I still need to get the cast names in there and I'll be eternally tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to drop me a line. You won't hurt my feelings. Honest.

Swing on back to Drew's Script-O-Rama afterwards for more free movie scripts!

The Exorcism Of Emily Rose Script


  

  

 

                   

Emily!



 

                   

You're the medical examiner?



 

                   

Mr. Rose?



 

                   

I'm sorry, Mr. Rose



 

                   

but I cannot state conclusively



 

                   

that the cause of death

was natural.



 

                   

Your daughter, she...



 

                   

Excuse me, Father?



 

                   

Father Moore.



  

                   

You'll have to come with me.



  

                   

- Father Moore!

- Will you plead guilty?



  

                   

- Tell us about the exorcism!

- Over here, Father Moore!



  

                   

We're at Crescent County Courthouse.

We show you Father Richard Moore...



  

                   

- What about the parents?

- They're not talking to the police.



  

                   

Do we charge them?



  

                   

No. Even the priest admits

he ran the show.



  

                   

We need a Christian on this.



  

                   

Preferably a Catholic.



  

                   

Somebody that knows this shit

inside out



  

                   

and who the public will see

as unbiased.



  

                   

We're going after a holy man here.



  

                   

Ethan Thomas.



  

                   

He's not Catholic, though.

Methodist, I think.



  

                   

But the guy practically lives at church.

Choir, teaches Sunday school.



  

                   

He's no choirboy in the courtroom.

I've seen him tear people up.



  

                   

He's a shrewd son of a bitch.



  

                   

All right, pull him off whatever

he's doing. He's lead prosecutor.



  

                   

There's ambition. She never stops.

She even works while she drinks.



  

                   

- Gentlemen, you know Erin Bruner.

- Of course.



  

                   

- Hello.

- I was so sure Van Hopper would fry



  

                   

but you proved me wrong, lady.



  

                   

The system worked, that's all.



  

                   

Gentlemen, you'll excuse us,

will you?



  

                   

Have you seen the news

about this priest?



  

                   

I heard something about an exorcism

gone bad, but I don't know the details.



  

                   

The DA charged him

with negligent homicide.



  

                   

They offered a very reasonable plea

bargain, but the priest turned it down.



  

                   

Do not ask me to take this...



  

                   

The archdiocese

specifically requested you.



  

                   

- Why me?

- They followed the Van Hopper trial.



  

                   

They think you're smart



  

                   

and convincing.



  

                   

They want you to ask the priest

to reconsider.



  

                   

Well, what if he won't?



  

                   

This sounds like a quagmire.

If I'm smart, I'll leave it alone.



  

                   

Erin, the Van Hopper case

got you back on the fast track.



  

                   

Once again, you're a rising star.



  

                   

- Chivas, neat, please.

- Tanqueray martini, dry.



  

                   

- What are you saying?

- I'm saying, you do this for me



  

                   

and the rising star keeps rising.



  

                   

The case is yours.



  

                   

And just how high

do I get to rise this time?



  

                   

I've been junior partner

for too long now, Karl.



  

                   

- It's not like other firms haven't called.

- Erin...



  

                   

I want my name on the door,

right next to yours.



  

                   

Okay.



  

                   

Try to get the deal.



  

                   

If the priest won't

and this goes to trial



  

                   

the archdiocese feels he could

be an embarrassment.



  

                   

So under no circumstances

is he to testify.



  

                   

No, of course.

If I'd put Van Hopper on the stand



  

                   

he'd be marking time on death row

instead of sunbathing in Miami.



  

                   

His tab.



  

                   

Good morning, I'm Erin Bruner.



  

                   

May I sit down?



  

                   

They brought the chair

for my public defender.



  

                   

I guess they left it when they decided

I wasn't going to kill myself with it.



  

                   

My firm represents the archdiocese.



  

                   

Yes.



  

                   

Yes, I was expecting them

to send someone.



  

                   

- Why did they choose you?

- I wanted this case.



  

                   

- So you like the spotlight?

- I'm used to it.



  

                   

I defended James Van Hopper.



  

                   

And now you've come

to further your celebrity.



  

                   

No.



  

                   

I'm here to make senior partner

at my firm.



  

                   

- Are you a Catholic?

- No.



  

                   

I'm an agnostic, I guess.

I'm not really sure.



  

                   

If you're not sure, then you are one.



  

                   

I don't think you're the right attorney.

I'll stick with my public defender.



  

                   

He can't get the DA

to get you a better deal. I can.



  

                   

I won't be making

any plea agreement.



  

                   

If you don't, the archdiocese

won't post your bail.



  

                   

You'll be stuck in here for the trial.



  

                   

Do you understand how long

they can put you away?



  

                   

It's been explained to me.



  

                   

The DA's office doesn't like it when

religion holds itself above the law.



  

                   

And this prosecutor,

Ethan Thomas?



  

                   

You're gonna need somebody

hungry and smart



  

                   

and aggressive

to even have a chance.



  

                   

What would your strategy be to defend

me against such a formidable man?



  

                   

- That depends.

- On what?



  

                   

On how you wanna be defended.



  

                   

What's your main concern,

other than staying out of jail?



  

                   

- Is it how you're being portrayed?

- I don't care about my reputation.



  

                   

I'm not afraid of jail.



  

                   

What I care about

is telling Emily Rose's story.



  

                   

I want people to hear

what only I can tell.



  

                   

And what is that?



   

                   

What really happened to Emily



   

                   

and why.



   

                   

If I let you defend me



   

                   

will you promise to let me testify and

tell the truth about what happened?



   

                   

And what is the truth you would tell?

That the ritual killed her?



   

                   

- Was it your fault she died?

- No.



   

                   

All right.

Then I'll let you tell her story.



   

                   

But only if you agree to let me do

whatever else it takes to win.



   

                   

You're not used to

this kind of place.



   

                   

I'm sure our life is very strange

to you.



   

                   

Not so strange.



   

                   

I grew up in a little town.



   

                   

But our house wasn't as nice

or as big as this.



   

                   

My mother, she raised me alone.



   

                   

She was a schoolteacher,

so we had very little money.



   

                   

What a wonderful thing to be.



   

                   

That was Emily's dream,

to be a teacher.



   

                   

That's why she went away

to the university.



   

                   

A lot of cats live here.



   

                   

There are



   

                   

   now, I think.



   

                   

Emily always brought them home.



   

                   

Ever since she was a little girl,

she couldn't leave a stray abandoned.



   

                   

Before these troubles began



   

                   

was Emily a happy girl?



   

                   

Oh, yes.



   

                   

Before she went away

to university



   

                   

my Emily was so very happy.



   

                   

What is going on...? Girls!



   

                   

Mama.



   

                   

Is it...?



   

                   

It's a scholarship, Mama.



   

                   

They pay for it.

They pay for everything.



   

                   

This is your dream, Emily.



   

                   

You'll be leaving us.



   

                   

It's okay.



   

                   

I'll be okay.



   

                   

I'm gonna show this to your father.



   

                   

- Counselor. Thanks for meeting me.

- Sure.



   

                   

Can I buy you a drink, Mr. Thomas?

He makes an excellent martini.



   

                   

Just water for me, please.



   

                   

So



   

                   

the judge thinks we should offer

a new plea agreement.



   

                   

She feels the community might be

better served without this trial.



   

                   

How do you feel about it?



   

                   

Personally.



   

                   

My job is to represent

the interests of the people



   

                   

and make an effort to be objective.



   

                   

I ask because I know

you're a churchgoer.



   

                   

Now you're set to prosecute

a man of God.



   

                   

Your priest broke the law



   

                   

and a young girl is dead.



   

                   

If he's a man of God, then, personally,

I think he's even more subject



   

                   

to the laws of moral behavior.

If it were up to me, he'd get no deal.



   

                   

And forgiveness and compassion?

Isn't that part of your creed?



   

                   

Or does that just get in the way

of your work?



   

                   

If you have compassion

for your client



   

                   

you'll persuade him to accept this:



   

                   

Charges reduced

to reckless endangerment.



   

                   

Twelve months in a county jail.



   

                   

Reducible to six, plus probation,

if he stays out of trouble.



   

                   

Somehow I expect

he can manage that.



   

                   

But please understand me.

If he refuses, I will seek the maximum.



   

                   

Father Moore has made it clear

there will be no plea agreement.



   

                   

He will not lie or admit to something

he is not guilty of.



   

                   

- And he was never neglectful of Emily.

- "Never neglectful"?



   

                   

Have you seen

the postmortem photographs?



   

                   

We'll go to trial. My client wants

the public to know the truth.



   

                   

Good.



   

                   

So do I.



   

                   

Have a good night, counselor.



   

                   

Let the record show that the defendant

and his counsel are present



   

                   

and that the jury is seated.



   

                   

- Mr. Thomas, you may begin.

- Thank you, Your Honor.



   

                   

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

My name is Ethan Thomas.



   

                   

I'm the assistant district attorney,

and I represent the people.



   

                   

In the case before you,

the evidence will show



   

                   

that the victim had a serious medical

condition that demanded treatment.



   

                   

We will prove that the victim's

condition rendered her physically



   

                   

and psychologically incapable

of caring for herself.



   

                   

Her care



   

                   

was then wholly entrusted



   

                   

to that man, the defendant,

Father Richard Moore.



   

                   

She became his responsibility



   

                   

and he betrayed

that responsibility



   

                   

by persuading her to abandon

her medical treatment



   

                   

in favor of religious treatment:



   

                   

A ritual exorcism,

performed by the defendant



   

                   

allegedly to cure the victim

by ridding her of demonic forces.



   

                   

We will demonstrate

that this course of action



   

                   

directly resulted

in the victim's death.



   

                   

I said a moment ago

that I represent the people.



   

                   

We all know what that means,

but it's a little abstract, isn't it?



   

                   

Miss Bruner,

the attorney for the defense



   

                   

is seated right next

to the man she represents.



   

                   

And I stand here

to represent the people.



   

                   

That's not really why

I stand here today.



   

                   

I'm here on behalf of someone

who can't sit at a table



   

                   

and look at you every day

and gain your sympathy



   

                   

someone who can't take the stand

to testify



   

                   

and tell you what happened

in her own words.



   

                   

A young girl



   

                   

that could've been your daughter.



   

                   

Could've been mine.



   

                   

A girl who trusted

Father Richard Moore with her life.



   

                   

This is what she looked like



   

                   

before the defendant began

his religious treatment.



   

                   

This is a photograph taken of her

on the day that she died.



   

                   

I stand here for Emily Rose



   

                   

who died horribly



   

                   

at age   .



   

                   

You won't be able to see Emily sitting

here day after day during this trial.



   

                   

But I hope you'll remember her

as she was when she was alive



   

                   

and full of



   

                   

hopes and dreams.



   

                   

And as she was when Father

Richard Moore was finished with her



   

                   

and left her to die.



   

                   

Thank you.



   

                   

Is the defense prepared

to make its opening statement?



   

                   

I'd like to reserve

my opening statement



   

                   

until the presentation

of the defense's case.



   

                   

As is your privilege.



   

                   

Prosecution may begin.



   

                   

That was already my plan.



   

                   

Thank you, Your Honor.

The people call Dr. Edith Vogel.



   

                   

I've known Emily her entire life.

I took care of all of the Rose girls.



   

                   

Can you describe Emily

as you knew her growing up?



   

                   

She was a bit sickly

in her early years.



   

                   

She stayed inside a lot,

reading, learning music.



   

                   

How did she feel about

going to school?



   

                   

Objection.

The witness is not a psychiatrist.



   

                   

I'll rephrase. Did you talk to Emily

about going off to college?



   

                   

Yes. She told me she was excited



   

                   

but nervous that she would be away

from her family in the big city.



   

                   

This was an overwhelming change

for her.



   

                   

Did you stay in touch

after she went away?



   

                   

Yes. She wrote me a letter

saying that she'd been to a dance



   

                   

and she'd met a boy

named Jason.



   

                   

She didn't want her mother

to know this



   

                   

because her mother did not

approve of dancing



   

                   

and had warned her

about the boys at school.



   

                   

Did Emily communicate with you again

last fall after you received the letter?



   

                   

Actually, it was her mother.



   

                   

She telephoned me



   

                   

waking me out of a deep sleep

at   in the morning.



   

                   

She asked me to call Emily at

a payphone on the university campus.



   

                   

When Emily answered,

she was quite hysterical.



   

                   

At first, she just

sobbed uncontrollably.



   

                   

But eventually she calmed down

enough to tell me what happened.



   

                   

She said that she was alone

that weekend.



   

                   

Her roommate had gone home.



   

                   

She had awakened



   

                   

and thought she smelled

something burning.



   

                   

There was no alarm,

but she got up



   

                   

afraid there was a fire.



   

                   

Dr. Mueller, what's your position

at the university hospital?



   

                   

I am chairman of

the Department of Neurology.



   

                   

And after you heard

about the dorm-room incident



   

                   

what were your initial thoughts?



   

                   

At first, I thought perhaps

Emily had taken illegal drugs.



   

                   

Some type of hallucinogen.



   

                   

But we ran tests and found no trace

of drugs in her system.



   

                   

And the more she explained

the incident to me



   

                   

the more I began to suspect

something else.



   

                   

Epilepsy results from uncontrolled

electrical activity in the brain.



   

                   

In a severe, or grand mal, seizure



   

                   

a person may lose consciousness

for several minutes



   

                   

and suffer involuntary contractions

of all the muscles of the body.



   

                   

Is it possible for a person

suffering such a seizure



   

                   

to have hallucinations or perceive

the things that Emily described?



   

                   

The muscle contractions could feel

like an extreme pressure on the body.



   

                   

And it is certainly possible,

with all that brain activity



   

                   

for a person to perceive all sorts

of strange and violent things.



   

                   

So suspecting that Emily was

epileptic, how did you proceed?



   

                   

I administered

an electroencephalograph.



   

                   

What did the EEG reveal?



   

                   

It showed a possible epileptic focus

in the patient's left temporal lobe.



   

                   

Did this require

a specific treatment?



   

                   

Yes, I began a medication schedule

for Emily with the drug Gambutrol.



   

                   

I also advised regular follow-up

examinations and further tests.



   

                   

But Emily failed to keep

her follow-up appointments with me.



   

                   

She give any reason for discontinuing

these appointments?



   

                   

Yes, she told me she was convinced

that her condition was a spiritual one.



   

                   

It was the conviction of her priest,

she said, and she shared his beliefs.



   

                   

Was it your impression

that Emily had placed her care



   

                   

entirely...?

- Leading the witness.



   

                   

Sustained.



   

                   

After the end of October



   

                   

did you ask Emily

why she had stopped



   

                   

filling her Gambutrol

prescriptions?



   

                   

Yes. She said that Father Moore had

suggested she stop taking the drug.



   

                   

And what, in your medical opinion



   

                   

was the result

of Father Moore's suggestion?



   

                   

I believe Father Moore's suggestion

killed her.



   

                   

Objection, Your Honor!



   

                   

The witness is asserting outrageous

conclusions based on pure hearsay.



   

                   

Technically correct, but I'll allow it

as part of his expert opinion testimony.



   

                   

Thank you, Dr. Mueller.



   

                   

Your witness.



   

                   

You said you observed a possible

epileptic focus in the temporal lobe.



   

                   

Doesn't this imply what you observed

may not have been an epileptic focus?



   

                   

Yes, that's also possible.



   

                   

Would Father Moore's advice to stop

taking Gambutrol be good advice



   

                   

if Emily were, in fact,

not epileptic?



   

                   

Of course. But that's not

the case here. She was epileptic.



   

                   

Really.



   

                   

When Emily saw objects move

on their own



   

                   

and felt an invisible presence

on top of her



   

                   

was she experiencing symptoms

typical of epilepsy?



   

                   

Not typical, no.



   

                   

Are they typical indications

of any other conditions?



   

                   

- Say, for example, psychosis?

- Yes, I would say that's correct.



   

                   

But isn't psychosis an entirely different

medical condition from epilepsy?



   

                   

- Yes, in my...

- So aren't you selectively choosing



   

                   

what parts of Emily's experiences

fit your epilepsy diagnosis



   

                   

while ignoring those which

indicate something else?



   

                   

- Objection. Argumentative.

- Withdrawn.



   

                   

No further questions.



   

                   

We have to work fast.



   

                   

They're only giving me an hour

with you tonight.



   

                   

Listen.



   

                   

Before we get started,

there's something I have to tell you



   

                   

something I should've said to you

before I let you take the case.



   

                   

Okay.



   

                   

There are forces

surrounding this trial.



   

                   

Dark, powerful forces.



   

                   

Just be careful, Erin.

Watch your step.



   

                   

I see.



   

                   

Look...



   

                   

Father, you don't have to worry

about me.



   

                   

I'm an agnostic, remember?



   

                   

Demons exist,

whether you believe in them or not.



   

                   

Your involvement in this trial might

just open you up to their attacks.



   

                   

Look, Father,

I appreciate your concern



   

                   

but you need to be worried

about yourself.



   

                   

Ethan Thomas is using the medical

aspects of this case as ammunition



   

                   

and I have to be prepared

for his attacks, so



   

                   

with what little time we have, I think

we need to focus on your defense.



   

                   

Now, what I need from you is more

information about Emily's condition.



   

                   

Specific details of how it progressed

after the dorm-room episode.



   

                   

Well, after the first incident



   

                   

she was sent to the university

hospital for testing and observation.



   

                   

Emily once told me that in her

dorm room, she resisted the demons



   

                   

but at the hospital

they overcame her.



   

                   

So she believed



   

                   

that her possession

began at the hospital?



   

                   

Yeah, I think she did.



   

                   

And after that, things just went

from bad to worse.



   

                   

Emily!



   

                   

Emily?



   

                   

Oh, my God. Emily?



   

                   

Don't touch me.



   

                   

Jason, please



   

                   

don't leave me.



   

                   

And I never did leave her.



   

                   

I stayed until the end.



   

                   

So much of what we shared

was like a nightmare



   

                   

but I wouldn't give up

a single minute I spent with her.



   

                   

She woke me up, you know?



   

                   

To things I never felt before,

things I never knew I could feel.



   

                   

I never knew how dead I was

until I met her.



   

                   

- residential north metro district

where James Van Hopper



   

                   

acquitted after

a controversial trial...



   

                   

- Can you turn that up, please?

- ... has apparently struck again.



   

                   

It was inside

this quiet suburban home



   

                   

that police say James Van Hopper

murdered a young couple today.



   

                   

Sources close to the investigation

say that Van Hopper



   

                   

who was acquitted

of murder charges in April



   

                   

may have known

both of the victims.



   

                   

Their names are being withheld

pending family notification.



   

                   

Most glorious prince

of the heavenly army



   

                   

holy Michael, the archangel



   

                   

defend us in battle

against the princes



   

                   

powers and rulers of darkness.



   

                   

Counsel Bruner, my courtroom day

begins at  :   a.m.



   

                   

- I'm sorry, Your Honor, l...

- Which was    minutes ago.



   

                   

Ready to proceed?



   

                   

Yes, Your Honor.



   

                   

Dr. Briggs, please state

your qualifications for the court.



   

                   

I have advanced degrees

in medicine



   

                   

psychiatry and neurology

from Johns Hopkins



   

                   

and I have had three books

and several dozen papers published



   

                   

in the fields of neurology

and neuropsychiatry.



   

                   

What was the cause of death,

as determined by the autopsy?



   

                   

The decedent expired due to a gradual

shutdown of the bodily functions.



   

                   

Why did her body shut down?



   

                   

The autopsy found

that it was a cumulative effect



   

                   

from numerous physical traumas

exacerbated by malnutrition



   

                   

which severely inhibited her ability

to recuperate from those traumas.



   

                   

In other words, her starving body

had little or no means to recover



   

                   

from the injuries it was sustaining,

and so it eventually just gave out.



   

                   

How did Emily get these injuries?



   

                   

Some were the result

of violent epileptic seizures



   

                   

and some were self-inflicted.



   

                   

And why, in your opinion,

did Emily injure herself



   

                   

and why did she stop eating?



   

                   

Upon review

of her complete medical file



   

                   

I concluded that Emily's epilepsy

had evolved



   

                   

into a condition known as

psychotic epileptic disorder.



   

                   

This is a rare development,

to be sure



   

                   

but one that I have witnessed

numerous times.



   

                   

- Emily was epileptic and psychotic?

- Yes.



   

                   

Explain how this psychotic epileptic

disorder would manifest itself.



   

                   

The seizures would have

the symptoms of schizophrenia



   

                   

such as auditory

and visual hallucinations



   

                   

and sometimes extreme paranoia.



   

                   

The seizures may lock up the joints

and slightly contort the body.



   

                   

The pupils will dilate,

making the eyes appear black.



   

                   

So you believe

that Emily had epilepsy



   

                   

which developed into

a form of violent psychosis



   

                   

a condition that can be controlled

with Gambutrol?



   

                   

Yes. And it would've been,

if she'd continued her treatment.



   

                   

In your opinion, if Emily

had continued with her medication



   

                   

would she be alive today?

- Absolutely.



   

                   

If treated early, psychotic epileptic

disorder is rarely fatal.



   

                   

I mean, this...



   

                   

This was a very sick girl.



   

                   

The defendant should've realized

that Emily was in need



   

                   

of continued medical treatment.



   

                   

Thank you, doctor. Your witness.



   

                   

Doctor, you testified that Gambutrol

could've controlled Emily's condition.



   

                   

How do you know that?



   

                   

It's the inevitable result

of taking the drug.



   

                   

It would've controlled

her seizures



   

                   

which were the root cause

of her psychosis.



   

                   

But wasn't Emily still experiencing

psychotic symptoms



   

                   

even after she started

taking the medication?



   

                   

Yes. Because Gambutrol

has a cumulative effect.



   

                   

It takes time to build up

in the system.



   

                   

You assume that Gambutrol would've

helped her, but you don't know.



   

                   

It's a reasonable assumption, but...



   

                   

No, of course, I can't be certain.



   

                   

Doctor, is "psychotic epileptic

disorder" a common medical term



   

                   

or did you just make it up?



   

                   

Well, I distinguished

and named the...



   

                   

So psychotic epileptic disorder

is really your own pet theory?



   

                   

- Objection. Argumentative.

- Sustained.



   

                   

When Emily chose

to stop her medical treatment



   

                   

what do you think

should've been done?



   

                   

Upon recognizing her condition



   

                   

I would have tranquilized her

and force-fed her.



   

                   

And then, if necessary



   

                   

I would've treated her

with electroconvulsive therapy.



   

                   

Electroshock treatment. You would've

done this against her will?



   

                   

To save her life?



   

                   

Absolutely.



   

                   

Nothing further.



   

                   

The witness may step down.



   

                   

Your Honor, I offer into evidence this

photograph as People's Exhibit  -A.



   

                   

And having done so,

the people rest.



   

                   

The photograph is entered

into evidence.



   

                   

We are recessed until

tomorrow morning,  :   sharp



   

                   

at which time the defense

will give its opening statement



   

                   

and call its first witness.



   

                   

I'm sorry I was late.



   

                   

I didn't get a lot of sleep. Big power

outage knocked out my alarm clock.



   

                   

- It won't happen again.

- No, I didn't sleep either.



   

                   

What kept you awake?



   

                   

Doesn't matter.



   

                   

You're under attack.



   

                   

What are you talking about?



   

                   

You're in a spiritual battle, Erin.



   

                   

The forces of darkness are trying

to keep you away from the light.



   

                   

Don't let them.



   

                   

Don't worry about today.

We're doing fine.



   

                   

We're getting creamed.

I can't believe I walked right into that.



   

                   

Look, if we don't find a doctor

to testify that Emily



   

                   

wasn't epileptic or schizophrenic

or schizo-epileptic, we're gonna lose.



   

                   

Care of the city's main branch

and the university library



   

                   

I bring you another dozen

fun-filled books



   

                   

about the demonic

and the mentally deranged.



   

                   

They burned women at the stake



   

                   

during witch hunts

for being possessed.



   

                   

Glad you don't have to defend

those guys.



   

                   

- How are we on our medical experts?

- Not good.



   

                   

The psychiatrist you wanted

is tied up in another trial.



   

                   

And the neurologist is sailing

to Costa Rica.



   

                   

This book I'm reading,

it's by an anthropologist.



   

                   

It's about contemporary cases of

possession, mostly in the Third World.



   

                   

People there are still

primitive and superstitious.



   

                   

Maybe.



   

                   

Maybe they see possession

for what it really is.



   

                   

Maybe we've taught ourselves

not to see it.



   

                   

- You saying you believe in this stuff?

- No.



   

                   

Maybe we shouldn't just try

to invalidate the prosecution's case



   

                   

by punching holes

in the medical approach.



   

                   

Maybe we should also try

to validate the alternative.



   

                   

- Validate possession in a court of law?

- Yes.



   

                   

Okay. I guess we could bring in

some priests to talk about exorcisms...



   

                   

No, the archdiocese

won't let us do that.



   

                   

They wanna limit the Church's

exposure to Father Moore.



   

                   

I've got three articles by the

anthropologist who wrote this book.



   

                   

She approaches

the subject of possession



   

                   

from a scientific perspective

and doesn't try to debunk it.



   

                   

- You want me to track her down?

- Yeah.



   

                   

Keep looking for a medical expert

to refute Dr. Briggs.



   

                   

But send the case file

to this Dr. Sadira Adani.



   

                   

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury



   

                   

as you know by now,

my name is Erin Bruner



   

                   

and I represent the defendant,

Richard Moore.



   

                   

Mr. Thomas has contended

that Emily Rose suffered



   

                   

from a serious medical condition



   

                   

that required medical treatment,

nothing more.



   

                   

He has asserted that any attempt

by my client



   

                   

to help Emily by anything

other than medical means



   

                   

was not only inappropriate,

but criminally negligent.



   

                   

I'm now gonna ask

that you keep an open mind



   

                   

to what our evidence

and testimony will show.



   

                   

Medical treatment was not

the answer for Emily



   

                   

because she simply did not suffer

from a medical condition.



   

                   

She was neither epileptic

nor psychotic.



   

                   

Emily Rose's condition, in fact,

was demonic possession.



   

                   

An exorcism was her only hope

for a cure.



   

                   

Some of you may find yourself unable

to reconcile Emily's beliefs



   

                   

or those of the defendant

with your own.



   

                   

You may not believe demons exist.

You won't have to.



   

                   

Because you will see that after the

utter failure of doctors to help Emily



   

                   

Father Moore simply tried

to help Emily in a different way



   

                   

using an approach that he,

Emily and her family firmly believed



   

                   

was her only chance for relief.



   

                   

And we will show that

despite his greatest efforts



   

                   

and his sincere love for Emily



   

                   

there was nothing he could've done

to prevent the death of Emily Rose.



   

                   

Are you okay?



   

                   

Aren't you gonna eat anything?



   

                   

She said it was terrible to hear

the clinking of spoons and forks.



   

                   

She was always hungry,

but she said they wouldn't let her eat.



   

                   

Who did she mean by "they"?



   

                   

The forces that were

in control of her.



   

                   

That were inside her.



   

                   

You know, the demons.



   

                   

Tell us what else happened

that night.



   

                   

I walked her back to her dorm



   

                   

and she seemed really nervous

and scared.



   

                   

So I held her for a while,

trying to calm her down.



   

                   

I fell asleep, but when I woke up,

she wasn't beside me.



   

                   

Emily?



   

                   

Hey.



   

                   

Can you hear me?



   

                   

I called her father, and he told me

to bring Emily home.



   

                   

Jason and I put Emily to bed



   

                   

hoping she would sleep.



   

                   

And when did Father Moore

become involved?



   

                   

Emily stayed home after that.



   

                   

She didn't return to school,

and she kept getting worse.



   

                   

Eventually, when she didn't get better,

we called our priest, Father Moore.



   

                   

When he arrived,

I sent my daughter Alice upstairs



   

                   

to see if Emily was awake.



   

                   

Emily?



   

                   

Can I come in?



   

                   

- Our Father, who art in heaven...

- Emily?



   

                   

Father Moore is here.

Can you come downstairs?



   

                   

As it is in heaven.



   

                   

Give us this day our daily bread...



   

                   

Emily, can you hear me?



   

                   

Let's get her off the floor.



   

                   

Alice, no!



   

                   

You've suffered a terrible loss,

Mr. Rose. I know this is difficult.



   

                   

So thank you for being here today.



   

                   

Sir, do you often read the Bible?



   

                   

- Yes, I do.

- So do I.



   

                   

What about the DSM?



   

                   

The Diagnostic and Statistical

Manual of Mental Disorders



   

                   

commonly referred to

as the bible of abnormal psychiatry.



   

                   

- Have you read that?

- No.



   

                   

So you're not aware

that according to the DSM



   

                   

a person's refusal to eat is

a common indication of anorexia?



   

                   

Objection. The witness just said

he hasn't read the DSM, Your Honor.



   

                   

- Sustained.

- Mr. Rose



   

                   

are you aware

that catatonic rigidity



   

                   

specifically a locking up

of the body's joints



   

                   

is a known symptom of psychosis?



   

                   

No. I haven't studied these things.



   

                   

Have you ever visited

an insane asylum



   

                   

or a hospital for the mentally ill?



   

                   

Once. My aunt was in one

before she died.



   

                   

Really? So there's a history

of mental illness in your family?



   

                   

I suppose.



   

                   

Sir, if you saw someone

eating insects



   

                   

on a street corner, would you say

that that person is mentally ill?



   

                   

- Probably, yes.

- So can you say with confidence



   

                   

that the behavior you saw

in your daughter's bedroom



   

                   

could not be the behavior of

someone suffering from psychosis?



   

                   

I don't know. She never had

any problems like that before.



   

                   

It just didn't feel that way to me

or to Father Moore.



   

                   

- And you trusted him, right?

- Yes.



   

                   

He is our parish priest.



   

                   

Fair enough. And after that night,

would you say that you



   

                   

put your daughter entirely

in Father Moore's care?



   

                   

Yes. We had done all we could.



   

                   

We said she was in his hands now



   

                   

body and soul.



   

                   

Thank you. No further questions,

Your Honor.



   

                   

Thank you, Mr. Rose.

You may step down.



   

                   

The defense calls Dr. Sadira Adani.



   

                   

I am currently a professor

of anthropology and psychiatry



   

                   

at Northwestern University.



   

                   

Where did you receive

your education?



   

                   

At Yale, and then at Cambridge.



   

                   

And what is your specific area

of expertise?



   

                   

I study the spiritual experiences

of people in various cultures



   

                   

and the physiological

and psychological changes



   

                   

they undergo

during these experiences.



   

                   

Would it be accurate to say that you

specialize in the study of possession?



   

                   

Yes. "Possession" is one term

for a basic human experience



   

                   

reported by a great number

of people all around the world.



   

                   

In my fieldwork, I've seen

many people who experienced



   

                   

a sense of being invaded by

an entity from the supernatural realm.



   

                   

Why do you think

Emily was invaded?



   

                   

Why did this possession

happen to her?



   

                   

Based on my study of the case file



   

                   

I believe that Emily Rose

was a hypersensitive.



   

                   

A person with

an unusual connection



   

                   

to what Carlos Castaneda called

"the separate reality."



   

                   

Hypersensitives are born

different from everyone else.



   

                   

They can have visions of the future,

or see the dead



   

                   

and sometimes be

uniquely susceptible



   

                   

to invasion by an entity

that is alien to them.



   

                   

Objection.



   

                   

On what grounds?



   

                   

How about silliness, Your Honor?



   

                   

A young girl

suffered terribly and died.



   

                   

Do we have to subject her illness

to this pseudoscientific analysis?



   

                   

Both counselors,

please approach the bench.



   

                   

Your Honor, this testimony

is beyond ridiculous. Visions...



   

                   

Supernatural belief systems

are shared by millions of people.



   

                   

We're in The Twilight Zone here.



   

                   

Her expertise is relevant

to the issues in this case.



   

                   

Let's have a witch doctor

sift through bones...



   

                   

Stop.



   

                   

We've heard a great deal

of testimony



   

                   

in support of a medical explanation

for Emily's condition.



   

                   

Now we have a witness

who has spent her career



   

                   

studying the defense's

alternative explanation.



   

                   

An exorcism expert, if you will.



   

                   

I think we'll hear

what she has to say.



   

                   

Thank you, Your Honor.



   

                   

Dr. Adani, why do you think

Emily's exorcism failed?



   

                   

The medical treatment.

Specifically, the drug Gambutrol.



   

                   

Please explain.



   

                   

The exorcism ritual results

in a specific brain activity



   

                   

that cuts the person off from

the possession experience.



   

                   

But Emily's exorcism

could not have achieved this



   

                   

because the doctor

gave her Gambutrol



   

                   

which has an intoxicating effect

on the brain.



   

                   

The drug made her immune

to the psycho-spiritual shock



   

                   

that exorcism

is intended to provide.



   

                   

What do you believe was the result of

treatment with this intoxicating drug?



   

                   

Gambutrol locked Emily

in the possessed state.



   

                   

This left her unable to respond

to the exorcism



   

                   

and therefore, it directly

contributed to her death.



   

                   

Thank you, doctor.



   

                   

No further questions.



   

                   

I'm looking at a list of

your published articles, doctor.



   

                   

You've been quite busy and prolific.



   

                   

So based on your time spent

with Holy Roller snake-handlers



   

                   

voodoo priestesses

and Indians tripping on peyote buds



   

                   

based on observing

these bizarre individuals



   

                   

you've concluded

that possession is



   

                   

a basic, typical

human experience?



   

                   

I must say, counselor



   

                   

that's quite a laundry list

of disdain



   

                   

and one that thoroughly

mischaracterizes my research.



   

                   

No, I don't think possession

is a typical experience.



   

                   

But I am convinced that it is

a scientifically verified



   

                   

culturally universal one.



   

                   

Have you ever used Gambutrol

in your studies



   

                   

to test your theory about its effect

on the possession experience?



   

                   

Absolutely not. That would be

dangerous to the patient.



   

                   

So this notion of Gambutrol locking

someone in a possessed state



   

                   

the key to your assertion that

her medical treatment harmed Emily



   

                   

this would be your own

pet theory, correct?



   

                   

- You're just making this one up?

- Objection. Argumentative.



   

                   

Sustained.



   

                   

Although I think he's just taking

a page from your book, counselor.



   

                   

No further questions.



   

                   

Erin!



   

                   

I've got a doctor

who wants to testify.



   

                   

He's an eyewitness, Erin.



   

                   

He was there.

He was at the exorcism.



   

                   

- What?

- He called us.



   

                   

Dr. Graham Cartwright,

Department of Abnormal Psychiatry



   

                   

at St. Mary's Hospital.



   

                   

Dr. Cartwright. Ring a bell?



   

                   

Yes.



   

                   

He was there?



   

                   

- Yes.

- Father



   

                   

if you want me to defend you,

you've got to give me



   

                   

all the information I need.



   

                   

With all of this medical testimony

helping the prosecution



   

                   

how could you not tell me

that a doctor attended the exorcism?



   

                   

He asked that I keep

his involvement confidential



   

                   

and I said I would.



   

                   

Dr. Cartwright?



   

                   

I recognize you from those

courtroom drawings on the news.



   

                   

You're much prettier in real life.



   

                   

- May I sit?

- Yes, please.



   

                   

You're losing.



   

                   

I had hoped Father Moore

wouldn't need me



   

                   

but I don't wanna see him

put away.



   

                   

How do you know him?



   

                   

Well, I was his parishioner

at St. Vincent's Church



   

                   

about    years ago.



   

                   

I hadn't seen or heard of him for years

when he called me last fall.



   

                   

But he needed help, so...



   

                   

What kind of help, doctor?



   

                   

He wanted a medical perspective

from a psychiatrist



   

                   

you know, one that he knew,

trusted



   

                   

to observe Emily's physical

and mental state during this...



   

                   

During the exorcism.



   

                   

Yeah.



   

                   

Doctor.



   

                   

Doctor.



   

                   

Can you help our case?



   

                   

That girl was not schizophrenic



   

                   

and she was not epileptic,

or any combination of the two.



   

                   

I've seen hundreds of people

with those problems.



   

                   

They can be terrible afflictions,

of course, but they don't scare me.



   

                   

But what you saw that night in Emily,

that did scare you.



   

                   

God, if I'd known,

I never would've been there.



   

                   

I started praying again

since then, you know.



   

                   

I examined that girl before I drove

back to the city that night.



   

                   

She was lucid



   

                   

and she was completely aware

of this separate entity inside her.



   

                   

When she wasn't in his grip, she was

totally herself, completely normal.



   

                   

The awareness of her alternate mental

state is counterindicative of psychosis.



   

                   

Crazy people

don't know they're crazy.



   

                   

That's right.



   

                   

You'll testify to all of this, in detail?



   

                   

Everything you saw?



   

                   

Send me the case files

and tell me when to be in court.



   

                   

Thank you, doctor.



   

                   

We need this.



   

                   

Before he was arrested,

Father Moore sent this to me.



   

                   

He asked me to take care of it.



   

                   

It's your burden now.



   

                   

One more thing.

When you saw Emily



   

                   

did Father Moore ask you

to give her any medical help?



   

                   

He was already trying to stop her from

injuring herself and urging her to eat.



   

                   

And I told him, as a doctor,

I couldn't help her.



   

                   

Dr. Cartwright's going to testify.



   

                   

Don't you get it?



   

                   

He's not just an eyewitness

to the exorcism.



   

                   

He can also refute the prosecution's

medical case. This is huge for us.



   

                   

When do I get to testify?



   

                   

I don't know. Let's take this

one step at a time.



   

                   

No.



   

                   

What matters most is Emily's story,

which only I can tell.



   

                   

I understand.



   

                   

Have you thought about

what I said before?



   

                   

About dark forces

and demonic attacks?



   

                   

Yes, I have.



   

                   

That day, after Briggs testified



   

                   

I was feeling awful.



   

                   

And I went out for a walk

just to clear my head



   

                   

and I was thinking about

what you said to me. Thinking:



   

                   

"What if demons really do exist?"



   

                   

And wondering what that

would mean if I believed that.



   

                   

Because God knows,

I have my own demons.



   

                   

And I saw something

lying on the sidewalk.



   

                   

It was a gold locket



   

                   

with the initials E. C.B.

Engraved on it.



   

                   

My middle name is Christine.



   

                   

Erin Christine Bruner.



   

                   

And of all the people walking by

that day, I found that locket.



   

                   

What are the chances of that?



   

                   

I don't know, maybe it was a sign.



   

                   

Or maybe it was just some

incredible coincidence.



   

                   

But it made me feel



   

                   

like no matter what mistakes

I've made in the past



   

                   

at that moment, I was exactly

where I was meant to be.



   

                   

Like I was on the right path.



   

                   

You sound more like a mystic

than an agnostic.



   

                   

Are you wearing the locket now?



   

                   

No.



   

                   

You should.



   

                   

The archdiocese

doesn't want you to testify.



   

                   

They're just afraid

that I'll embarrass them.



   

                   

Testify to some medieval-sounding

supernatural nonsense.



   

                   

They're expecting me

to talk you out of it.



   

                   

I've just decided

I'm not even gonna try.



   

                   

Why not?



   

                   

If the archdiocese

wants to avoid embarrassment



   

                   

they need you to walk out of here

a free man.



   

                   

I believe a jury will find you

sincere and credible



   

                   

and when Dr. Cartwright

corroborates your testimony



   

                   

and refutes the prosecution's

medical arguments



   

                   

we'll get an acquittal.



   

                   

And everyone will thank me for it.



   

                   

Emily!



   

                   

God help me.



   

                   

Do you swear to tell the truth,

the whole truth, so help you God?



   

                   

I do.



   

                   

Father Moore, before you could

perform the exorcism



   

                   

you had to get the sanction

of the Church, correct?



   

                   

Yes, on October the   th

of last year



   

                   

I presented my assessment and

recommendation to the archbishop



   

                   

and he authorized the exorcism

that day before I left the office.



   

                   

Tell us what happened that night.



   

                   

I drove home.



   

                   

I sat up till after midnight

studying The Roman Ritual



   

                   

thinking about what lay ahead.



   

                   

You mean The Roman Ritual

of Exorcism.



   

                   

A text used by Catholic priests



   

                   

as a guide to performing

the exorcism rite.



   

                   

Yes, I think I actually fell asleep

with the book in my hand.



   

                   

What happened next?



   

                   

I woke up, freezing.



   

                   

It was exactly   a.m.



   

                   

Three a.m. Is the demonic

witching hour.



   

                   

It's a way for demons

to mock the Holy Trinity.



   

                   

It's an inversion of   p.m.,

the miracle hour



   

                   

which is traditionally accepted

as the hour of Christ's death.



   

                   

I thought I smelled

something burning.



   

                   

Only later did I connect it



   

                   

and I remembered that that same

smell of something burning



   

                   

had been perceived by Emily.



   

                   

Holy Mary, mother of God,

pray for us sinners, now and...



   

                   

Pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our...



   

                   

At the hour of...



   

                   

What do you make of this gesture,

this nod in your direction?



   

                   

I don't know. Some kind

of acknowledgment, I guess.



   

                   

That the game is on.



   

                   

You're really God's gunslinger,

aren't you, Father?



   

                   

Standing tall and facing the devil

with your prayer book at your side.



   

                   

Objection, Your Honor.

Counsel's harassing my witness.



   

                   

Sustained. Mr. Thomas, you know

I won't allow that in my courtroom.



   

                   

Forgive me, Your Honor.



   

                   

Father, did you understand this

black-robed figure to be the devil?



   

                   

I believe it was

a demonic manifestation.



   

                   

Like the demonic force

you believe possessed Emily?



   

                   

- Yes.

- Why do you think it appeared to you?



   

                   

I believe the demonic

can appear as an apparition



   

                   

much like a ghost,

in an attempt to excite our fear.



   

                   

- Did it excite your fear, Father?

- It scared the hell out of me.



   

                   

So this night, when you began to

prepare Emily's exorcism



   

                   

was it your first encounter

with this demon ghost?



   

                   

- Yes.

- Have you seen it again?



   

                   

I've seen it ever since.



   

                   

No further questions at this time.



   

                   

Redirect, Your Honor.



   

                   

Father Moore, after you received

the bishop's authorization



   

                   

when did you proceed

with an exorcism?



   

                   

October    st.



   

                   

On Halloween.

Isn't that a bit dramatic?



   

                   

Halloween tradition is based on

legends throughout history



   

                   

that indicate a real increase

in spiritual activity on that night



   

                   

and I thought we could use the

occasion to draw them into the open.



   

                   

- The demons, you mean?

- Yes.



   

                   

Father Moore



   

                   

can you identify this?



   

                   

It's my tape recorder.

I used it to record the exorcism.



   

                   

Inside is the tape I made that night.



   

                   

Why would you make such a tape?



   

                   

Ever since the technology

has been available



   

                   

exorcists have used tape recorders

to authenticate the ritual



   

                   

and provide a record for review.



   

                   

I offer into evidence this

cassette recorder and audiotape...



   

                   

Objection. The people were not aware

of the existence of this tape



   

                   

until last night.

- Neither were we.



   

                   

This tape is new evidence that came

into our possession yesterday.



   

                   

We provided counsel for the people

with a transcript of its contents.



   

                   

You mean this tape was not

given to you by your client?



   

                   

No, Your Honor. We received it

from a reluctant witness



   

                   

Dr. Graham Cartwright, who will also

be called to testify to its authenticity.



   

                   

The people will find his name

on the updated witness list



   

                   

we provided to them this morning.



   

                   

Very well. I'll allow it into evidence.



   

                   

Father Moore.



   

                   

Will you play the tape for us now?



   

                   

This is the exorcism of Emily Rose.



   

                   

Those present are myself,

Father Richard Moore



   

                   

Nathaniel, Emily's father



   

                   

Jason, her friend



   

                   

a doctor who is here

to monitor Emily during the ritual



   

                   

and Emily herself



   

                   

who has given her permission

for the ritual to be performed.



   

                   

All right, now listen.



   

                   

You may say the rosary or any

private prayer for her deliverance



   

                   

when you're not responding

to my words.



   

                   

Above all



   

                   

do whatever I ask,

without question.



   

                   

Don't ask it any questions



   

                   

or pay any attention

to what it says.



   

                   

"Lt"?



   

                   

We won't be dealing

with Emily tonight.



   

                   

Restrain her.



   

                   

Lord Jesus Christ,

have mercy on us.



   

                   

It has begun.



   

                   

Let us pray.



   

                   

"Because she hopes

in you, my God."



   

                   

"Send her help from

the holy place, Lord."



   

                   

"And give her heavenly protection."



   

                   

"May the Lord be with you."



   

                   

"And with your spirit."



   

                   

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.



   

                   

My God. Are you all right?



   

                   

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.



   

                   

I'm fine.



   

                   

Give us this day our daily bread.



   

                   

And forgive us our trespasses as we

forgive those that trespass against us.



   

                   

And lead us not into temptation...



   

                   

But deliver us from evil!



   

                   

Who are you, demon?

Tell me your name.



   

                   

One, two, three, four, five, six.

One, two, three, four, five, six.



   

                   

Trick or treat.

I give you treats and tricks.



   

                   

One, two, three, four, five, six.



   

                   

Father Moore!



   

                   

Papa!



   

                   

Emily!



   

                   

Emily!



   

                   

She feels so hot, Father!

She's burning up!



   

                   

Hold her down there on the straw!

Hold her!



   

                   

Emily!



   

                   

Doctor! I need you here now.



   

                   

Watch her vital signs.



   

                   

In the beginning was the word.



   

                   

And the word was with God.



   

                   

And the word was the word,

and what a wonderful word it was.



   

                   

Through him all things remain.



   

                   

Without him, nothing was made

that has been made.



   

                   

And the    disciples

returned again with joy, saying:



   

                   

"Lord, even the devils are subject

unto us through thy name."



   

                   

Her heart is racing.

It's almost     beats a minute.



   

                   

I beheld Satan as lightning

fall from heaven.



   

                   

Behold. I give you power to tread on

serpents and scorpions



   

                   

and over all the power

of the enemy.



   

                   

And nothing shall,

by any means, hurt you.



   

                   

Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!



   

                   

Release him, demon. I command you

in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.



   

                   

Tell me your name, wicked one.



   

                   

He who commands you is he

who ordered you thrown down



   

                   

from the highest heaven

into the depths of hell.



   

                   

In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,

I now command you:



   

                   

Tell me your name!



   

                   

Hear, therefore, and fear,

Satan, enemy of the faith.



   

                   

Give me your name, demon!



   

                   

Names!



   

                   

Names!



   

                   

Ancient serpents



   

                   

depart from this servant of God!



   

                   

Tell me your six names!



   

                   

We are the ones who dwell within!



   

                   

And I am Lucifer



   

                   

the devil in the flesh.



   

                   

Mr. Rose.



   

                   

Doctor, help him!



   

                   

After a few moments,

Mr. Rose revived



   

                   

but the exorcism

had to be abandoned.



   

                   

Emily was taken to her room

and soon fell into a deep sleep.



   

                   

The whole thing

was a complete failure.



   

                   

Describe her behavior from the night

of the failed exorcism



   

                   

until the time of her death.



   

                   

Violence towards others and herself.



   

                   

Sometimes she screamed

for hours on end.



   

                   

She drove her head through windows,

tried to bite...



   

                   

Tried to bite holes in the walls,

breaking several more of her teeth



   

                   

as you saw in

the postmortem photograph.



   

                   

- You witnessed this?

- Some of it, yes.



   

                   

I tried to visit every day



   

                   

and the family told me the rest.



   

                   

Did you attempt another exorcism?



   

                   

I wanted to, but Emily refused.



   

                   

And without the consent

of the possessed



   

                   

the exorcism ritual

can't be performed.



   

                   

Did you encourage her to eat?



   

                   

Yes, every time I saw her



   

                   

but the few times she tried,

it seemed like...



   

                   

Seemed like she couldn't swallow,

or she couldn't keep it down.



   

                   

What about medical care?



   

                   

I wanted her to continue. I never said

she should quit seeing her doctors.



   

                   

That would be wrong.

Medical care is not my field.



   

                   

But you did suggest she stop

taking the drug Gambutrol.



   

                   

Yes.



   

                   

After the exorcism,

she asked for my counsel.



   

                   

She told me that the drugs

had never helped her.



   

                   

After all, she was on Gambutrol

during the exorcism



   

                   

when her so-called symptoms

were at their peak.



   

                   

Ultimately, we both felt that

she was beyond medical care



   

                   

and that she had to see this

through to the end



   

                   

by faith alone.



   

                   

The dual voices we just heard

on this tape



   

                   

you're certain that they were both

coming from Emily at the same time?



   

                   

Yes. Yes, I heard them.



   

                   

Have you tampered

with this tape in any way?



   

                   

No. No, I have not.



   

                   

No further questions at this time.



   

                   

Mr. Thomas.



   

                   

Father Moore, you consider this tape

to be proof of the supernatural?



   

                   

I think it's a record

of certain indications



   

                   

that Emily was possessed.



   

                   

Signs of possession,

you may call them.



   

                   

By "signs of possession," would you

mean her speaking in languages



   

                   

we might assume

she couldn't possibly know?



   

                   

And the vocalization of two

distinct voices simultaneously?



   

                   

Yes. Among other signs that I

observed and described to the court



   

                   

while the tape was playing.

Things I saw.



   

                   

Things you can't hear

on the tape.



   

                   

We'll just have to take

your word, won't we?



   

                   

- Your Honor.

- Mr. Thomas.



    

                   

I apologize.

Father, as Emily's parish priest



    

                   

are you aware that she underwent

advanced catechism training?



    

                   

Yes. Yes. Her family is very devout.



    

                   

And in that training, did she study

Ancient Greek, Hebrew and Latin?



    

                   

Yes, I think that's right.



    

                   

Might have even studied Aramaic,

Christ and his disciples' language



    

                   

which, according to the transcripts,

we also heard on the tape, correct?



    

                   

She spoke Aramaic on the tape.

It wasn't part of her training.



    

                   

But it was offered as an elective

at her catechism school.



    

                   

I have the school's curriculum

here if you'd like to see it.



    

                   

No. I'll accept that she might have

been exposed to that language.



    

                   

And according to

her high school records



    

                   

German was the foreign language

she studied there, yes?



    

                   

I don't know. If you say so.



    

                   

So that covers the strange languages

we heard on the tape, correct?



    

                   

Did I miss any?



    

                   

- No.

- Good.



    

                   

We've already established

you're no medical expert.



    

                   

You said it's not your field.



    

                   

But are you aware of the dual sets of

vocal cords every human possesses?



    

                   

- No.

- Have you heard of



    

                   

the superior vocal cords, which are

higher than the ones we use to speak?



    

                   

No. So you didn't know that

Tibetan monks, for example



    

                   

as part of their religious training,

teach themselves



    

                   

to activate both sets

of vocal cords at once?



    

                   

No, I didn't know that.



    

                   

Well, now that you do know,

would you think it's possible



    

                   

that Emily, in her psychotic state



    

                   

might have activated both sets

of vocal cords



    

                   

so as to achieve the amazing effect

we heard captured on your audiotape?



    

                   

Her state was not psychotic.



    

                   

Father Moore, you told us

that in the exorcism we heard



    

                   

you actually saw, once again,

this black-robed figure



    

                   

or demonic apparition, am I right?

- Yes.



    

                   

But we couldn't see him

when you played the tape, correct?



    

                   

- No, of course not.

- Of course not.



    

                   

So that would be another

supernatural aspect of the exorcism



    

                   

your tape doesn't prove, correct?

- Yes.



    

                   

Where is your dark figure, Father?



    

                   

Is he here now?

Do I look like your demon ghost?



    

                   

- Your Honor.

- Counselor.



    

                   

I have nothing further.



    

                   

Does the defense wish to redirect?



    

                   

No, Your Honor, but we reserve

the right to recall the witness later.



    

                   

Very well.

The witness may step down.



    

                   

Your Honor, my next witness

must have been detained.



    

                   

If we could take a short recess

so I could...



    

                   

You've made this court wait before,

counselor. I'm inclined to...



    

                   

Your Honor, please.



    

                   

Dr. Cartwright came to us

in good conscience



    

                   

as an eyewitness to the exorcism

on Father Moore's tape.



    

                   

He can substantiate

all of my client's testimony...



    

                   

Your Honor, the defense has already

presented its exorcism testimony



    

                   

in dramatic fashion.

Do we really have to...?



    

                   

We have absorbed some

extraordinary testimony today.



    

                   

I think we'll take some time

to consider it.



    

                   

Court is adjourned

until  :   tomorrow morning.



    

                   

- You can't find him?

- I went to meet him, he didn't show.



    

                   

I called his office, I called his house.



    

                   

Okay. Go to the hospital, ask around.

Somebody's gotta know where he is.



    

                   

What the hell happened?



    

                   

Tell Father Moore I'm sorry.



    

                   

Tell him I know the demons are real

and I admire his courage



    

                   

for standing and speaking

against them.



    

                   

Tell him I know what they can do.



    

                   

- Cartwright's dead.

- I heard.



    

                   

Are you drunk?



    

                   

- Not yet, but I'm working on it.

- Have you seen this?



    

                   

- What the hell were you thinking?

- Karl...



    

                   

You told me you'd talk him out

of testifying.



    

                   

Instead, you put on a freak show

with taped demons



    

                   

and a dead girl

speaking in tongues



    

                   

and your client testifies that the

archbishop sanctioned the exorcism.



    

                   

We'll be lucky if

the archdiocese isn't named...



    

                   

I had a doctor

who was gonna corroborate.



    

                   

Besides that, Father Moore's

testimony's crucial to his defense.



    

                   

Did you forget the archdiocese

is paying for this defense?



    

                   

The archdiocese isn't on trial.



    

                   

I swore an oath to do

what's best for my client.



    

                   

Spare me the law school pieties,

Bruner.



    

                   

You cashed in your conscience

at the door.



    

                   

- People can change.

- Like James Van Hopper?



    

                   

It's not over.



    

                   

I can put Mr. Rose on the stand



    

                   

to corroborate Father Moore

about the exorcism.



    

                   

And there are the girls.

Her sister Alice, she saw part of it.



    

                   

They all look like superstitious rubes.

They've got no credibility.



    

                   

Thomas will rip them to pieces.



    

                   

You'll be worse off than you are now,

if that's possible.



    

                   

You're gonna replace me

on this case.



    

                   

You've screwed it up

beyond all repair.



    

                   

But the archdiocese feels

that replacing you now



    

                   

would only draw more

unnecessary attention to the trial.



    

                   

But just so we're clear, Bruner



    

                   

if you put that priest

on the stand again, I will fire you.



    

                   

You've been crying.



    

                   

- Dr. Cartwright is dead.

- What?



    

                   

He was killed.

There was an accident. I'm sorry.



    

                   

I know he was your friend.



    

                   

We've lost.



    

                   

Without his testimony, it's over.



    

                   

No.



    

                   

No, no, no, it isn't over. We're telling

Emily's story. That's what matters.



    

                   

- It can't be worth all this.

- Yes, it is worth it.



    

                   

Just let me go back on the stand

and tell the rest of the story.



    

                   

- I can't do that.

- You must!



    

                   

You must.



    

                   

Erin, you once said that you felt

you were on the right path.



    

                   

Don't stray from that path.



    

                   

Here, take this.



    

                   

- What is this?

- Just read it.



    

                   

And then decide

what you want to do.



    

                   

I saw your eyes today in court when

I explained the significance of   a.m.



    

                   

It's not going to stop

until Emily's story is told.



    

                   

Are you gonna make a statement?



    

                   

Do you believe it was the devil?



    

                   

Is the defense ready to proceed?



    

                   

Yes, Your Honor. The defense

recalls Father Richard Moore.



    

                   

The witness is reminded

that he is still under oath.



    

                   

- When did you last see Emily alive?

- The night before she died.



    

                   

Her mother, Maria, called me

and said that Emily had asked for me.



    

                   

- Why did she ask to see you?

- To give me this.



    

                   

Did Emily explain to you

the letter's significance?



    

                   

Yes. She said she'd written it the

morning after the failed exorcism



    

                   

and that it was important

for me to share.



    

                   

Father Moore,

was Emily a good person?



    

                   

I believe that one day

Emily will be recognized as a saint.



    

                   

- So she loved God.

- Yes. She was very devout.



    

                   

Father Moore, if Emily loved God



    

                   

if she was so good and so devout,

why do you think God



    

                   

allowed this to happen?

- Objection.



    

                   

What is the relevance

of that question?



    

                   

Father Moore's belief

in this matter is crucial



    

                   

in establishing his and Emily's

understanding of her condition.



    

                   

And that mutual understanding

is paramount in determining



    

                   

whether Father Moore was,

in fact, negligent.



    

                   

I'm going to allow it.



    

                   

Your Honor, you're not really gonna

let someone testify



    

                   

about why God would allow

the death of a young girl?



    

                   

The objection has been overruled.



    

                   

Again, Father Moore:



    

                   

Why did God allow Emily to become

possessed by demons and then die?



    

                   

I can let Emily answer that.



    

                   

"Last night, on Allhallows' Eve



    

                   

Father Moore tried to cast

six demons from my body.



    

                   

They refused to go.



    

                   

After the attempted exorcism..."



    

                   

I was taken to my room,

and I fell into a deep sleep.



    

                   

I awoke a few hours later,

hearing a voice calling out my name.



    

                   

"Again, I heard a voice

calling my name.



    

                   

It was the Blessed Holy Mother

of God.



    

                   

And when I looked at her



    

                   

she smiled at me and said:



    

                   

'Emily, heaven is not blind

to your pain."'



    

                   

She said the Virgin Mary spoke to her

in the middle of a field?



    

                   

- Yes.

- And do you believe her?



    

                   

I believe Emily spoke the truth.



    

                   

Please continue.



    

                   

"I asked the Blessed Mother,

'Why do I suffer like this?"'



    

                   

Why did the demons

not leave me tonight?



    

                   

"She said, 'I am sorry, Emily.



    

                   

The demons are going to stay

where they are. '



    

                   

Then she said,

'You can come with me in peace



    

                   

free of your bodily form



    

                   

or you can choose

to continue this.



    

                   

You will suffer greatly.



    

                   

But through you, many will come to

see that the realm of the spirit is real.



    

                   

The choice is yours. "'



    

                   

I choose to stay.



    

                   

"In the end,

good will triumph over evil.



    

                   

Through my experience



    

                   

people will know

that demons are real.



    

                   

People say that God is dead.



    

                   

But how can they think that



    

                   

if I show them the devil?"



    

                   

Did you see these wounds on both

of Emily's hands and both feet?



    

                   

Yes. Yes, the wounds

lasted for some time.



    

                   

And did you attach any supernatural

significance to these wounds?



    

                   

I believe they were stigmata.



    

                   

By that, you mean

supernatural injuries



    

                   

that correspond to the crucifixion

wounds of Jesus Christ?



    

                   

Yes.



    

                   

Stigmata are a sign, a mark

indicating one is touched by God.



    

                   

After that night, why do you think

Emily refused another exorcism?



    

                   

I believe she'd accepted her fate.



    

                   

Is there anything else

you'd like to say about Emily?



    

                   

No.



    

                   

The defense rests.



    

                   

Father Moore attaches

divine significance



    

                   

to the wounds

on Emily's hands and feet.



    

                   

Why?



    

                   

Because he sees them as confirmation

of what he wants to believe.



    

                   

That Emily was a saint,

touched by the hand of God.



    

                   

I'm afraid the truth

is far less inspiring.



    

                   

Because the truth is, by the time

these miraculous wounds appeared



    

                   

Emily had already shown

a tendency to injure herself



    

                   

and simply did so again

on one of the barbed-wire fences



    

                   

surrounding the Rose family farm.



    

                   

Father Moore's beliefs are based on

archaic and irrational superstition.



    

                   

Emily suffered

because she was sick



    

                   

not because she was a saint.



    

                   

I'm a man of faith.

And I am also a man of facts.



    

                   

And in here,

facts are what must matter.



    

                   

And these are the facts of this case:



    

                   

Emily Rose had epilepsy,

which caused psychosis.



    

                   

And, given time,

medicine would have cured her.



    

                   

But it didn't. Why? Because Father

Richard Moore convinced Emily



    

                   

that she wasn't ill,

that she didn't need medicine.



    

                   

And in the weeks

leading up to her death



    

                   

when she was clearly in need

of medical treatment



    

                   

he failed to have her hospitalized.



    

                   

So



    

                   

the defense has given us

an extraordinary



    

                   

creative explanation

for the events that led to this.



    

                   

Ladies and gentlemen,

don't you believe it.



    

                   

Because the fact is, it wasn't the devil

that did this to Emily Rose.



    

                   

It was the defendant.



    

                   

Counselor.



    

                   

Ethan Thomas calls himself

a man of faith.



    

                   

I, on the other hand,

am a woman of doubt.



    

                   

Angels and demons.



    

                   

God and the devil.



    

                   

These things either exist,

or they do not exist.



    

                   

Are we all alone in this life?



    

                   

Or are we not alone?



    

                   

Either thought is astonishing.



    

                   

Do I really believe that this tragedy

is the work of the devil?



    

                   

To be honest, I don't know.



    

                   

But I cannot deny that it's possible.



    

                   

The prosecution

wants you to believe



    

                   

that Emily's psychotic

epileptic disorder was a fact



    

                   

because facts leave no room

for reasonable doubt.



    

                   

But this trial isn't about facts.



    

                   

This trial is about possibilities.



    

                   

Is it a fact that Emily

was a hypersensitive



    

                   

as Dr. Adani suggests?



    

                   

A person who's more likely, by her

very nature, to become possessed?



    

                   

I can't say that, but the question is:



    

                   

Is it possible?



    

                   

Is it a fact that Gambutrol

anesthetized Emily's brain



    

                   

so that the exorcism ritual

was rendered ineffective?



    

                   

I can't be sure of that.



    

                   

But is it possible?



    

                   

Is it a fact that Emily

was beloved by God?



    

                   

And that after her exorcism,

she chose to suffer till the end



    

                   

so that we might believe

in a more magical world?



    

                   

A world where the spiritual realm

really exists?



    

                   

I can't say that's a fact.



    

                   

But ask yourself:



    

                   

Is it possible?



    

                   

It's what Emily believed.



    

                   

It's what Father Moore believed.



    

                   

And that sincere belief is what

determined her choices and his.



    

                   

Now, for the most

important question:



    

                   

Is Father Richard Moore guilty



    

                   

beyond a reasonable doubt,

of negligent homicide?



    

                   

Did he, in fact, neglect

Emily's needs in such a way



    

                   

that her death

is now on his hands?



    

                   

No! That is not a fact.



    

                   

It is not a fact

that Emily was epileptic.



    

                   

It is not a fact

that she was psychotic.



    

                   

Facts



    

                   

leave no room for possibilities.



    

                   

The only fact



    

                   

the only thing I know

beyond a doubt in this case



    

                   

is that Father Moore

loved Emily with his whole heart.



    

                   

He did everything in his power

to help her.



    

                   

He has risked his very freedom

so we could hear her story.



    

                   

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury



    

                   

in my job I sometimes

have to defend bad men.



    

                   

Father Richard Moore

is not one of them.



    

                   

Don't send a good man to prison.



    

                   

I'm not asking that you believe

everything that Father Moore believes.



    

                   

I'm simply asking that you believe

in Father Moore.



    

                   

Madam Foreman,

has the jury reached a verdict?



    

                   

We have, Your Honor.



    

                   

Please read the verdict out loud.



    

                   

"In the case of The People

v. Father Richard Moore



    

                   

we, the jury, find the defendant



    

                   

guilty of negligent homicide."



    

                   

The court thanks the jury

for its service.



    

                   

Sentencing for this case

will be set for April  rd.



    

                   

Your Honor, if it pleases the court



    

                   

Father Moore requested

at the start of trial



    

                   

that if found guilty,

he would be sentenced immediately.



    

                   

Yes, I recall that.



    

                   

Does the prosecution have any

objection to expedited sentencing?



    

                   

Very well.



    

                   

Father Richard Moore,

do you understand this sentence



    

                   

which has been found against you?

- Yes, Your Honor.



    

                   

And do you understand

the gravity of this crime?



    

                   

That you may, under the law, be

sentenced to a term of up to    years?



    

                   

Yes, I do.



    

                   

Are there any statements

you wish to make



    

                   

before I impose this sentence?



    

                   

- No, Your Honor.

- Very well.



    

                   

Excuse me, Your Honor



    

                   

but the jury would like to make

a recommendation



    

                   

regarding the sentence.

- Objection.



    

                   

Sit down, counselor.



    

                   

It's only a recommendation,

and I would like to hear it.



    

                   

We recommend a sentence

of time served.



    

                   

I'll accept that.



    

                   

You are guilty, Father Moore.



    

                   

And you are free to go.



    

                   

- This court is dismissed.

- All rise.



    

                   

Thank you.



    

                   

Well, you shocked us all.



    

                   

Everyone at the firm sees this

as another victory.



    

                   

The archdiocese is pleased.



    

                   

They feel the trial has raised

public interest in the Church.



    

                   

Have you seen the news?



    

                   

There's our priest,

leaving the courthouse a free man



    

                   

right next to you.



    

                   

Just like James Van Hopper.



    

                   

All right, I'll say it. I was wrong.



    

                   

But I'm ready to make it right.



    

                   

I'm offering you

a full partnership in the firm.



    

                   

Keep it.



    

                   

Will you be able to return

to your parish?



    

                   

I can't go back.



    

                   

Not now.



    

                   

Once you've looked

into the darkness



    

                   

I think you carry it with you

for the rest of your life.



    

                   

What about you?



    

                   

I believe you've seen

the darkness too.



    

                   

I don't know.



    

                   

I'm not sure what I've seen.



    

                   

- Who chose the epitaph?

- I did.



    

                   

It's from the second chapter

of Philippians, verse 12.



    

                   

Emily recited it to me

the night before she died.











  

 
Special help by SergeiK