This supernatural tale of a priest put on trial after a teenage girl dies during an exorcism is said to be based on a true story.

The trouble is it really appears to be based on landmark chiller The Exorcist. Or, more accurately, The Exorcist rewritten by John Grisham.

Ever-reliable Tom Wilkinson plays Father Richard Moore, a priest who carried out an exorcism on 19-year-old Emily Rose (Carpenter) after she was "possessed" by demons.

The trouble is Emily died during the religious procedure carried out by the parish priest when he witholds her anti-seizure medication.

Director Scott Derrickson's own devout Christianity gives this an added interest as he uses flashbacks to relate events (based on the 1976 story of an Austrian girl).

So you see Emily as she is visited every night at precisely 3am (apparently the time Old Nick's at his most potent) suffering brutal hallucinations and blackouts.

The prosecution (Scott) argue that the devoutly religious girl was affected by psychotic epileptic disorder, while the defence (Linney) offer up demonic possession for her condition.

The devilish violence will satisfy horror-philes but when the supernatural manifestations start cropping up in Linney's life it doesn't quite convince.

Most rewarding is the dynamic between Wilkinson's doggedly faithful priest and Linney's cynical atheist and their struggle to find common ground.

Tim Evans