8 Possession Horror Movies That Broke All The Rules

I don't think any horror fan in the world looked at The Exorcist and said: "You know, this is great, but it would be even better if half of it was a courtroom drama." Apparently, that's exactly what director Scott Derrickson thought though and in response gave the world The Exorcism of Emily Rose in 2005.

To his credit, the mixture actually worked better than anyone could have anticipated. Emily Rose managed to stand out from the crowd because in this movie, the titular exorcism had already happened. The young girl had died, and the priest was on trial for his actions.

Told non-linearly with the court hearing and the build up to the exorcism itself happening simultaneously, it managed to show a completely different side to the regular possession story, and dove into the fallout of such an event.

How much responsibility does the priest bear for the death? Were demonic forces really involved? Should the family have provided a better duty of care?

All of these elements are interrogated with surprising dramatic depth, and the emotional haunting of the exorcism after the fact is just as scary as the act itself.