Every month or so, I usually take the time to check out a movie trailers Web site. Awhile ago, I saw the trailer for a movie called The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which appeared to be a horror film. Now horror flicks aren't real high on my personal list of must-see films, so I passed it by and didn't think about it as it came to the theaters and then went away. I wouldn't be talking about it now if I hadn't stumbled onto a couple of articles discussing it from a "Christian film" standpoint.
The first thing I stumbled across was an interview with director Scott Derrickson on a Christian youth ministry Web site. Although some of Scott's repertoire as a director would not make one suspect that he is a Christian (several films have been mainstream horror stories, such as Hellraiser V: Inferno- not your average after-church entertainment), he is a graduate of the evangelical Biola University, describes himself as an "orthodox Christian," and is very open about his faith. Even if you disagree with some of his points of view, there's a lot here to think about as far as the interaction of faith and film is concerned. Click here for the Interview.
A bit more is available in an article on the GodSpy Web site, which looks at things through a Catholic lens. They get to the heart of the film as a supernatural courtroom drama, yet seeing in it a larger message showing the struggle between Godliness and godlessness - "...the film presents forensically the clash between contemporary scientific humanism and spiritual warfare." An excellent companion to the interview previously noted. Check it out at What Happened to Emily? The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Reviewed by John Zmirak.
