Scott Derrickson Movies
Scott Derrickson established himself in the 2000s as a successful screenwriter and director of horror fare; he used that controversial genre to examine the struggle between good and evil and to explore the possible existence of a supernatural realm. A graduate of Biola University, Derrickson attended the University of Southern California film school and received his premier screen credit by helming the direct-to-video sequel Hellraiser: Inferno and the slasher outing Urban Legends: The Final Cut. The 2005 horror outing The Exorcism of Emily Rose, however, brought Derrickson his first serious attention as a craftsperson of mainstream horror fare. The tale of a young woman who develops symptoms of demonic possession but dies in mid-exorcism (prompting criminal charges against her parents), it emerged under the directorial imprimatur of Derrickson, from a script co-authored by Derrickson and Paul Harris Boardman. A contemplative and reflective piece, it far outstripped the financial expectations of its studio, clocking in as the third-highest September opening of all time and thus paving the way for loftier and more lucrative screen assignments for Derrickson. In 2008, he helmed the remake of Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still at about the same time he signed to helm one of his dream projects: a cinematization of John Milton's 17th century poem "Paradise Lost," about the temporal parallels between mankind's fall from grace in the Garden of Eden and Satan's attempted mutiny in Heaven. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi- 2014
A cop and a priest team up on a case of demonic possession in this Screen Gems horror film. Scott Derrickson directs from a script he wrote with Paul Boardman. Eric Bana, Edgar Ramirez, and Olivia Munn star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
A struggling true-crime novelist stumbles into a grim supernatural mystery that threatens the lives of his entire family in this nightmarish horror yarn from director Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Day the Earth Stood Still). Ellison (Ethan Hawke) is seeking inspiration for his latest book when he moves his wife and children into a home where an entire family perished under gruesome circumstances. Terror soon hits closer to home, however, when the writer discovers a box of old family movies in the attic of his new house, and watches in horror as images of various families being murdered flicker before his eyes. Now the deeper Ellison investigates the disturbing case, the more he begins to fear he has stirred an ancient evil that won't rest until it has claimed his entire family. Vincent D'Onofrio and James Ransone co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2009
The Exorcism of Emily Rose director Scott Derrickson takes the helm to direct a screenplay penned by writers Byron Willinger and Phil DiBlasi and based on the 1667 poem of the same name by John Milton. As the Devil attempts to stage a mutiny in heaven, Adam and Eve experience a fateful fall from grace down on earth. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2008
- PG13
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Keanu Reeves tops this adaptation of the seminal 1951 sci-fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still with this 20th Century Fox production. Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) helms the story of an alien traveler, Klaatu (Reeves), who heads to Earth along with his bodyguard robot, Gort, to deliver a warning of planetary destruction if the people of the world fail to stop laying waste to the environment. Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, and Kathy Bates co-star in the David Scarpa-penned film. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, (more)
In this blend of psychological thriller and courtroom drama, Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) is a 19-year-old college student who begins displaying bizarre and troubling behavior; as her actions become increasingly destructive and shocking, Emily begins speaking in strange tongues and destroying religious symbols that surround her. Emily's parents believe that their daughter has become possessed of the devil, and the Catholic Church agrees to authorize an exorcism of the young woman. As Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson) attempts to drive the demons from Emily's body, the girl dies in the midst of the taxing ceremonies, and Father Moore finds himself charged with negligent homicide. Attorney Erin Bruner (Laura Linney) is hired to represent Father Moore against prosecutor Ethan Thomas (Campbell Scott), who intends to prove there were concrete medical explanations for Emily's behaviors, including epilepsy and schizophrenia, all leading to a heated courtroom debate between the notions of faith and science. The Exorcism of Emily Rose was inspired by the real-life story of Anneliese Michel, a young woman from Germany who died in 1976 after priests in Wurzburg spent eight months attempting to exorcise demons from her body. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, (more)
Wim Wenders drama Land of Plenty stars John Diehl and Michelle Williams as two very different people who are brought together for an unconventional road trip. The film takes place after September 11, 2001, and the main characters are dealing with their grief in very different ways. Paul (Diehl) keeps his paranoid eye on the lookout for terrorists wherever he goes. His niece Lana, Williams) does charity work for the indigent. After a young Muslim is shot dead, the uncle and niece travel together - her to bring the body back to the family, he to wipe out the terrorists he is convinced the young man worked with. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michelle Williams, John Diehl, (more)
Supernatural villain Pinhead finds himself on the wrong side of the law in this, the fifth film in the Hellraiser franchise. Joseph (Craig Sheffer) is a detective with the LAPD who one morning discovers he's no longer living in California -- he's been exiled to Hades, and the only way to escape is by solving the mystery of the all-powerful puzzle box. The box is now in the hands of the fearsome demon Pinhead (Doug Bradley), and Joseph finds himself in a life-and-death struggle with the demon for control of the puzzle box. Hellraiser: Inferno also stars Nicholas Turturro as Tony, Sasha Barrese as Daphne, Noelle Evans as Melanie, and James Remar as Dr. Paul Gregory. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Craig Sheffer, Nicholas Turturro, (more)
Tall tales turn into chilling reality in this sequel to the 1998 horror hit Urban Legend. Amy Mayfield (Jenny Morrison) is a film student at Alpine University who for her thesis project (which will also be her entry to a prestigious competition for young directors) has decided to make a horror film about urban legends that suddenly and disturbingly come true. However, as Amy and her student cast and crew begin filming staged murders for the project, members of her team begin dying for real, and the survivors have to track down the killer before they become the next victims. And where do Travis (Matthew Davis), Graham (Joey Lawrence), and Toby (Anson Mount), three other students vying for the same prize as Amy, fit into this scenario? Urban Legends: The Final Cut marked the directorial debut for John Ottman, who previously distinguished himself as an editor and composer (he also performed both of those functions for this film). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jennifer Morrison, Matthew Davis, (more)
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