Christian Search - WeSpreadTheWord.net: Interview With Scott Derrickson Director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose<title> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" /> <META name="verify-v1" content="ojVUHVIgoki8ltjvvXqQbwQDPFpugC7XzmxoA+8FB2A=" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/static/luna/luna.css" /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/static/utils.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ registerEvent(window, 'onload', function () { var loginbar = document.getElementById('loginbar'); if (!loginbar) return; var loginlink = loginbar.firstChild; if (loginlink.className != 'out') return; var cookies = document.cookie.split(';'); for (var i = 0; i <cookies.length; i++) { if (cookies[i].match(/^\s*s=[0-9a-f]{32}\s*$/)) { loginlink.href = 'http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/user.cgi?logout=1'; loginlink.className = 'in'; loginlink.firstChild.nodeValue = 'Logout'; break; } } }); //]]> </script> </head> <body id="rate_top"> <div id="accessibility"><a href="#content">Skip to Content</a></div> <hr class="hide" /> <div id="wrapper"> <div id="header"> <div id="loginbar"><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/user.cgi" class="out">Login/Register</a></div> <h1><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net"><img src="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/images/wstw2.jpg"></a></h1> </div> <br> <center>   <script type='text/javascript'></script><noscript><a href='http://www.wespreadtheword.net/advertising/www/delivery/ck.php?n=ad0cfbea&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://www.wespreadtheword.net/advertising/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=3&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&n=ad0cfbea' border='0' alt='' /></a></noscript>  <script type='text/javascript'></script><noscript><a href='http://www.wespreadtheword.net/advertising/www/delivery/ck.php?n=af537606&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://www.wespreadtheword.net/advertising/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=7&n=af537606' border='0' alt='' /></a></noscript> </center> <br> <div class="navbar clear"> <ul class="primarynav"> <li class="home"><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net">Home</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/add.cgi">Add a Link</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/modify.cgi">Modify a Link</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/New/">New Links</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/Cool/">Cool Links</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/Ratings/">Top Rated</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/jump.cgi?ID=random;Detailed=1">Random Link</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/subscribe.cgi">Newsletter</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/bookmark.cgi">Bookmarks</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="searchbar"> <form action="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/search.cgi"> <label for="searchbox">Search</label> <input type="text" id="searchbox" name="query" value="" class="text" /><input type="submit" name="Go" value="Go" class="submit" /> <a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/search.cgi">Advanced Search</a> </form> </div> <hr class="hide" /> <div id="ocwrapper" class="clear"> <div id="icwrapper" class="clear"> <div id="leftsidebar"> <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">  </script> <script language="JavaScript" src="http://ypn-js.overture.com/partner/js/ypn.js"> </script> </div> <div id="contentwrapper" class="shadowleft"> <div class="shadowtop"><div class="shadowtopleft"></div><div class="shadowtopright"></div></div> <div class="shadowright"> <div id="content"> <CENTER>   <script type='text/javascript'></script><noscript><a href='http://www.wespreadtheword.net/advertising/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a18ebd28&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://www.wespreadtheword.net/advertising/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=4&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&n=a18ebd28' border='0' alt='' /></a></noscript> </CENTER> <br> <div class="crumb"><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/index.html">Home</a> > <span class="lasttitle">Movie News</span></div> <center><h2>Q&A With Director,Scott Derrickson, of the new movie <br>The Exorcism of Emily Rose</h2></center><br><br> <br><br> 1. Tell us a bit about the film, <i>The Exorcism of Emily Rose</i>. <br> <p>It's the story of a young girl who dies after undergoing an exorcism that has been sanctioned by the Catholic church, and the priest who performed the exorcsim is put on trial for negligent homicide. The film is part horror/thriller, and part courtroom drama. It is an investigation into the girl's condition, exploring whether or not she was really possessed, or possibly epileptic and psychotic. It's very scary, but in a realistic way that is not over-the-top or exploitive. <br><br> 2. Coming off directing <i>Hellraiser: Inferno</i>, why did you choose to write/direct this film? What type of research did you haveto do to bring it to the big screen? <br> <p>I chose to write and direct this film because I saw within it the potential to tell a compelling and deeply meaningful story. It's based on a real event, and I wanted to do justice to that event by creating a quality film that made people think. I am a big fan of the horror genre, but far too often, horror directors sell the genre short by focusing only on visual effects and gore. I felt that this story was an opportunity to make something really frightening, yet also visually beautiful and rich with ideas. <p>The research phase of this project was pretty exhaustive. I read over two dozen books on possession and exorcism, because I wanted to know everything there is to know about the subject. I also saw a lot of photographs and videotapes of actual exorcisms. That phase of the project was very oppressive -- I never want to delve that deep into such dark material again. But it was worth it. Once the writing began, the script was very fulfilling to work on, as was the film itself. <br><br> 3. With the horror genre producing films like <i>Scream</i>, how did you approach writing the script and directing the cast? <br> <p>The script isn't formulaic like most horror films, because it's broken up into a fragmented narrative. The challenge with doing something like that is to keep it from feeling to messy or disjointed. And it's a hybrid -- part horror, part courtroom -- so moving between those two genres was also a big danger. The goal was to create seemlessness by never letting the tension drop to far. All horror films rise and fall in their intensity, but I wanted to keep it from ever falling to far. Movies like "Scream" are pure entertainment, without much thematic depth or realism. This film is very different. It's all feels quite real, and it's not at all campy or fillled with typical horror-film humor. <p>Directing the cast was one of the great pleasures of the film. With seasoned pros like Laura Linney and Tom Wilkenson, most of what I did was block their movements to maximize the visual energy of the film. Occasionally I would direct their acting, but not too often. With actors that good, you can often just stay out of their way. I think the greatest pleasure I had during the shooting of the film was just watching the scenes between Laura and Tom unfold. I had never watched actors of that caliber up close like that before, and it was just incredible. To watch them bring your words to life was so fantastic. Jennifer Carpenter, who is also an amazing actress, demanded a lot more from me than Laura, Tom, and Campbell Scott, because her role was so dependent upon the directorial vision of the film. Jennifer and I spent a lot of time rehearsing alone, and also with the other actors she had scenes with. We only had 40 days to shoot the film, so I wanted to make sure that Jennifer and I had already worked out how she was going to do the possession and exorcism scenes. I knew we wouldn't have much time to rehearse them on the set. I had a lot of ideas from the start, but so did she. It was really thrilling, breaking down those scenes with her and watching them come to life. But in the end, the greatest moments Jennifer has in the film are things she did very spontaniously while we were shooting. I think she will really blow people away with what she does in this picture. <br><br> 4. What made you choose Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, & Campbell Scott as your principle actors/actress for the film? <br> <p>Well, they are all astonishing actors, and they all just seemed perfect for the roles. And I also wanted to make a smart, artful movie. I knew that those actors would keep the material elevated, and would never drage it down. Laura was first suggested to me by the head of the studio, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there was no way the film wouldn't be smart with her in it. She was no easy sell, though -- I had to spend several hours with her, describing my vision for the film and just what kind of movie I wanted to make. She asked me very incisive questions, and wanted to make sure that the film I was going make would be intelligent and ideologically balanced. After that, Tom Wilkinson read the script, and just loved it, so he came on board. I can't imagine anyome being better at that role than Tom. And then Laura suggested both Campbell and Jennifer. I loved the idea of Campbell, as I had been a fan of his for years. And Laura knew Jennifer because she had done "The Crucible" on broadway with her. When Jennifer came in for her call-back audition, I knew before she was finished that I was going to cast her. The four of them are much of what makes the film work. In my opinion, they are as good as actors get. <br><br> 5. After watching this film, how do you want people to walk away from it? <br> <p>I want them to be asking themselves what they believe about the case, and about the larger issues it addresses. Was Emily possessed? Should the priest be convincted? Does the spiritual realm exist? Do demons, the devil, and God exist? If so, or if not, what are the implications of that? What I want, pure and simple, is for people to come away from the film entertained, but also asking themselves (and the person they attended the film with) meaningful questions. <br><br> 6. Was your intention for the audience to figure out for themselves if Emily Rose is really possessed? What kind of restrictions did you put on yourself and did you find it challenging? <br> <p>As I just said, I very much want them to figure out for themselves what they believe about the story. The main restriction I put on myself as the director was to not propogate my own point of view. I wanted everyone who sees the film to feel that their point of view has a place in the movie. I found that challenging, but I also had a lot of help from Paul Boardman, the co-writer and one of the producers of the film. Paul and I have very different opinions about most spiritual and religious subjects, so there is an inevitable balance that comes out of that. Still, what was most challenging was making the medical/non-religious perspective interesting and compelling. The spiritual perspecitve of possession and exorcism is so explosive and visceral, I had to make sure that the other perspective was equally compelling. Campbell Scott really carries the burden of that as the prosecutor in the film. His arguments and the visions he paints for the audience are great, and yet he never falls into typical over-the-top lawyer speeches. He carries that part of the film really well, I think... <br><br><p>The Exorcism of Emily Rose hit theaters September 9th nationwide. To watch the trailer of the movie <a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/moviewnewsarticles/emilyrose.html">click here</a>.</div> </div> <div class="shadowbottom"><div class="shadowbottomleft"></div><div class="shadowbottomright"></div></div> </div> <div id="rightsidebar"> <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">  </script> <script language="JavaScript" src="http://ypn-js.overture.com/partner/js/ypn.js"> </script> <br><br> <script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript' src='http://wespreadtheword.net/advertising/adx.js'></script> <script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>  </script><noscript><a href='http://wespreadtheword.net/advertising/adclick.php?n=a943cdbe' target='_blank'><img src='http://wespreadtheword.net/advertising/adview.php?what=zone:7&n=a943cdbe' border='0' alt=''></a></noscript><br> <br> <FONT face=verdana size=-2> <A href="http://applesofgold.com" alt="14K Gold Jewelry, gold chains, bracelets, gold crosses, Christian Jewelry.">Apples of Gold Jewelry</A><br> <A href="http://christian-jewelry-gift.com" alt="14K Gold Christian Jewelry, gold crosses, religious jewelry, rings, and pendants">Christian-Jewelry-Gift.Com</A><br> <A href="http://Wedding-Band-Ring.Com" alt="Wedding bands, wedding rings, Celtic rings, gold and platinum wedding bands.">Wedding-Band-Ring.Com</A><br> <A href="http://www.mychildoncd.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=100" alt="personalized kids cds, kids cds, personalized cds">MyChildonCD.Com</A> </FONT> </div> </div> </div> <hr class="hide" /> <div id="footer" class="clear"> <a href="http://topsites.wespreadtheword.net/"><img src="http://topsites.wespreadtheword.net/button.php?u=ldstryfe" alt="WeSpreadTheWord.net Top Christian Sites" border="0" /></a>  <script type="text/javascript" src="http://edge.quantserve.com/quant.js"></script> <p>© 2008 WeSpreadTheWord.net</p> <p>© 2008 WeSpreadTheWord.net</p> <script type="text/javascript">_qacct="p-961kdLri_0zDc";quantserve();</script> <noscript> </noscript>  <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-322232-1"; urchinTracker(); </script> </div> </div> </body> </html>