Just perfect...

A Masterpiece!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I wish the movie poster and the title of this movie had been different, as it limits what the movie is, what to expect, and sets those looking to be scared up for disappointment-unless you're easily spooked. Whether you're an atheist or devoutly religious, whether you do or do not believe in the spiritual or the demonic doesn't matter. This movie is an examination of faith vs. facts, facts vs. possibilities, and whether any of us can make room for reasonable doubt about the good in people. Compelling and with solid acting from start to finish, with its share of unsettling moments. While I did hope for more scares, and while I did predict certain plot elements, it didn't take away from my experience of the movie. If you like police or crime dramas, or better yet, if you believe that maybe it's time to admit that we simply can't and don't know many things for sure, watch this one.

I don't understand why these exorcism movies keep getting remade with the same exact story every time. There is nothing new here. Just look up the exorcism in any fantasy dictionary and you will know the plot. There is no suspense and I wouldn't call this movie horror. The ending was obvious and they didn't even try to do anything imaginative or new. It is a drama told in flashbacks about a failed exorcism. The priest goes to trial where they presented creepy evidence yo the jury who are also told about odd circumstances. You can guess how it ends. All in all, I don't know why this movie was made. It had no point. The movie followed the most obvious path and ended in the most obvious way. It was boring.

Looks like a horror film from the marketing, but it's actually a pretty effective courtroom drama - thanks to strong performances from Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson and especially the understated Campbell Scott.Meanwhile, the exorcism flashback scenes are made disturbing not by CGI or jump scares, but by a turned-up-to-11 performance by the bizarrely underrated Jennifer Carpenter. Honestly can't understand why she hasn't been featured in more.I liked it, despite the eyeroll-inducing ending, but if you're looking for a scary, exorcism-based horror, though, this isn't it.yetanotherfilmreviewblog.tumblr.com

I remember watching this movie a few years ago and I got absolutely creeped out yet loved it back then (Hey! Don't blame me I was just a kid then).Recently I popped it in again and re-watched it. And I was really happy that my choice a few years ago wasn't bad (lol!). Because this movie is an absolute gem amongst horror.It steers clear from typical horror movie because it doesn't follow the usual "build-up-halfway-throw-everything-after-half-time" strategy. The movie is based around a true controversial story. It's unusually is a court drama-esque horror which accounts the case of manslaughter of the eponymous girl against a priest. Dealing with faith vs doubt, it highlights a lawyer's internal conflict on being doubtful yet defending a priest. The horror in this case is shown throughout the movie. It is overall very intelligently made.But the unusual setting or the plot isn't what makes this movie great. The strong performances by both leads (Laura Linney and Jennifer Carpenter) is what sets this cut above the usual horror movies out there. Linney does well here, her character's internal conflicts on what to believe, her agnostic approach to defending a priest are carried out great but Carpenter is the true hero of this movie. A naive girl being possessed by multiple demons, her demonic countenance, her bloody contortion, deserves an award based on how well they were done. Her performance will scare you out, so be warned.The performances, the screenplay, the directing, everything works on this movie's favour. While it could've done better with a shorter length, you won't regret using up your 120 minutes on this movie, because it's spectacular. 9/10