Summary

• Director Scott Derrickson's sons loved The Exorcism of Emily Rose, finding it better than expected.
• Despite mixed reviews, The Exorcism of Emily Rose was a box office success, launching Derrickson's directorial career.
• Derrickson has evolved as a horror filmmaker, with upcoming projects like The Black Phone 2 and The Night of the Hunter remake.

Scott Derrickson reflects on The Exorcism of Emily Rose almost two decades after its release. Loosely based on a true story, The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a 2005 horror film about a lawyer who decides to take on a homicide case involving a priest who performed an exorcism on a young girl. The Exorcism of Emily Rose featured a leading cast including Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Campbell Scott, and Jennifer Carpenter.

Taking to Twitter, Derrickson discusses revisiting The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

The director revealed that his two sons, who are 18 and 20 years old, had never seen the film. He then discusses his plans to show it to them, saying he himself had not seen the film since its 2005 premiere. After he said “hope it doesn’t suck,” a fan requested an update. Derrickson’s update noted that “The boys loved it.” In terms of the director’s own perception, he noted that “it was better than [he] was expecting.”

Scott Derrickson’s Horror Legacy Explained

The Exorcism of Emily Rose was not incredibly well-reviewed at the time, scoring 45% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences only liked the film slightly better than critics, giving the movie a 60% approval rating. Nonetheless, the film saw huge returns at the box office, making $145.1 million worldwide on an estimated $19 million budget. This success helped put Derrickson on the map as a director, as The Exorcism of Emily Rose was the director’s feature film debut.

Seven years later, Derrickson made Sinister. This film would receive far better reviews, this time bringing in a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. It also made a horror film star out of Ethan Hawke, who at the time was better known for his roles in Dead Poets Society, Training Day, Before Sunrise, and Before Sunset. Derrickson later teamed up with Hawke again to work on The Black Phone.

With each entry into Derrickson’s horror filmography, the director seems to get more and more polished. The Black Phone received positive reviews from critics and audiences, with Hawke’s villain The Grabber shocking film viewers. Since the release of The Black Phone, The Black Phone 2 has been announced and will release on June 27, 2025. Derrickson will also continue to expand his genre-film stylings with the just-announced The Night of the Hunter remake. Derrickson has grown significantly since The Exorcism of Emily Rose, but it is still sweet to know that his family can appreciate the film.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose is available to rent or purchase on VOD.

Source: Scott Derrickson/Twitter