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You've probably never heard of Jennifer Carpenter. But starting this weekend, people everywhere will be talking about her.

Carpenter, 26, plays the title character in The Exorcism of Emily Rose, opening September 9. Her performance as a demon-possessed young woman is so convincing, one of the film's producers said that people on the set nervously joked that perhaps she was really possessed. Director and co-writer Scott Derrickson said Carpenter's act was so realistic that "she was, in and of herself, entirely terrifying."

Jennifer Carpenter with director Scott Derrickson

The film is based on the true story of Anneliese Michel, a German college student who died during an exorcism in 1976. Her parents and the priests who carried out the exorcism were later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to six months in prison.

Emily Rose, likewise, begins with the same premise: A young woman dies during the course of an exorcism, and an ensuing court case explores the fundamental question: Was she truly demon-possessed, or merely manifesting mental illness and/or epileptic-like episodes? The movie flashes back and forth between courtroom scenes, the tormented life of Emily (played by Carpenter), and scenes of the exorcism.

At the trial, the defense (Laura Linney) tries to convince the jury that Emily really was possessed, while the prosecution (Campbell Scott) argues that there's a scientific explanation—rather than a spiritual one—for Emily's disturbing behaviors. In the end, it's essentially up to the audience to decide who's right—and who's wrong.

We recently caught up with Carpenter on a day when she was promoting the film.

Why did you want to play this role?

Jennifer Carpenter: I wanted to play this role because I thought the story was so incredible and so fascinating that it's almost unbelievable, which is exactly why I wanted to help tell it. I liked the idea that Scott [Derrickson] wasn't thinking of using a lot of special effects, which was sort of a brave call nowadays. And I liked the idea of being invited to make something new, something that hadn't been made before. In fact, Scott said very early on that if we can't come up with something new, it's not going to make it into the film.

She portrays a tormented soul in the film

Scott said you were so convincing and scary, they didn't need many special effects. And [producer] Tripp Vinson said people were joking on the set that maybe you really were possessed. What exactly did you do to be so convincing?

Carpenter: I know it looks really crazy and loud and messy, but believe it or not there's a method to the madness. And I don't know if that's a scary thought or not. I didn't have a lot of lines to memorize, but there was a constant dialogue going on between my character, myself and supposedly the six demons that were inside. So, it all made this weird sort of sense to me at the time, moment to moment.

So what was this method then? Do you mean it came from the dialogue?

Carpenter: Yeah. I did all the research I could. I tried to build a strong case for the prosecution and the defense. I looked at tapes on epilepsy and seizures. Some of the physicality that came out of the seizures were things I'd never seen before, and I tried to thread those into what a possessed state might look like. And each idea fed the next. So it kind of unfolded to me at the same time it was unfolding to the camera and Scott and everyone involved.

Was there some physical preparation for the role too? Did you have to work out? You're doing some pretty crazy, athletic things in the film.

Carpenter: I've always been a runner, since I've been in grade school. So I knew I had the endurance to make it through the 12-hour days. But it's amazing what adrenaline will do. And when I saw the rough cut of it, I was surprised that my body was bending the way it was bending. I don't do yoga so I don't know how exactly that happened.

Also, since she dies in the end and her body is so worn out, I talked to the costume designer about how can we make me look smaller and worn out. I had been working hard, so I think I looked exhausted. It kind of worked in my favor.

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Horror: The Perfect Christian Genre	Printer view
Scott Derrickson, co-writer and director of the upcoming film The Exorcism of Emily Rose, says horror movies are an excellent way for a Christian filmmaker to address things of faith.