Father Moore thinks he smells something burning, which dawns on him that same smell had been perceived by Emily. He gets up and explores the hallway. As he's walking, the hallway seems to twist in perception or dream-like. He makes it to the front entrance and looks at the stained glass doors. The stained glass lead appears to melt like black blood flowing down the pane and the grid seems to twist.
A black streak of branching-out stains erupt from a wall picture, inciting Moore to cite prayer. In a panic, he scurries down the stairs and exits the building, it's pouring down rain. In the distance, he sees a black-robed dark figure backlit by a violet-colored window pane. Moore believes it to be a demonic manifestation to attempt to excite his fear, and it worked.
Father Moore contacts Dr. Graham Cartwright (Duncan Fraser), an old friend, to have a medical doctor present. The exorcism is performed on October, 31, Halloween night, because Father Moore believes it might be easier to draw out the demons on that night. Father Moore, Jason, Nathanial, and Dr. Cartwright are in the room. Father Moore records the exorcism with a cassette tape recorder. This is regulary practiced by the Church to have a record for later review.
At the moment, we see Emily in a calm state holding a doll. Moore gives instructions to the others to follow his lead and to not listen to "it." They tie Emily's wrists to the bed's headboard as she begins to pant quick short breaths. Father Moore splash holy water on the bed and Emily rises, opening her black eyes. It's begun. Downstairs, Maria and the daughter are huddled on the couch, a heavy thunderstorm rages. Alice gasps when a cross of Jesus hanging on the wall works loose and spins upside down.
The priest recites various passages from the Rituale Romanum. Suddenly, Emily breaks the wrist strap and smacks her father hard using the doll. Speaking in tongue, she shouts at her father, "Dolls and kisses and crosses and wishes . . . you think that can save your little girl?" She throws the doll at Moore, but misses. As they recite the ritual, Emily mockingly finishes one passage, "and deliver us from E-e-e-e-v-i-l!"
Father Moore demands to know the demon's name, but Emily only responds in tongue, counting one through six. Just then a light bulb zaps out. Dr. Cartwright appears in complete shock and sees a swarm of cats entering the room. Suddenly all the cats leap on Father Moore, knocking him down. Emily breaks herself free and leaps out the window, shattering the glass. They see her running for the barn and quickly follow her. A moment later, Alice follows them out to the barn.
Inside the barn, they are subjected to more supernatural phenomena such as unnatural gusts of wind and demonic screams and voices. Alice calls to Emily and that sets the demon off on a prolonged anguished scream that upsets the horses and Alice runs from the barn. Dr. Cartwright checks her vital signs while Father Moore continues the ritual. The doctor reports her heart is racing, 180 beats a minute.
The barn doors are swinging open through the violent storm, rats, insects, and large spiders are scurrying about, and numerous black snakes appear in the barn. One of the snakes falls on Moore. The priest places a Cross on her chest, we hear a sizzling sound as Emily screams. She flies into a furious spasm on the ground, the doctor tries to restrain her. Suddenly she lunges at him and begins to strangle him. The other men struggle to pull her off of him. She speaks in tongues, including Latin, German, Ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic.
The demon inside Emily refuses to name itself after repeated demands from the presiding Father but finally reveals contemptuously that there are not one but six demons. They go on to identify themselves in dramatic fashion, naming themselves one after another in dual voices from Emily. They identify themselves as the demons that possessed Cain, Nero, and Judas Iscariot and one of the Legion. Beyond that two demons name themselves directly as Belial, and "Lucifer, the devil in the flesh."
A horse freaks out and kicks loose the stall gate. Now out in the barn, the horse is buck and kicking, knocking Nathanial to the ground. The other horses break out and run from the barn. Father Moore tells the doctor to help Nathanial, but Dr. Cartwright is paralyzed with fear. Jason and Moore run to Nathanial's aid as Emily collapses to the ground. After Nathanial revives, the excorcism is abandoned, a complete failure. Emily is taken to her room and fell into a deep sleep.
The morning after the exorcism, Emily has another vision. She awakes hearing a voice calling out her name. Emily walks out of the house and sees a dead tree. As she approaches it, she collapses to the ground. A moment later she is now standing, looking down at her own body. Emily hears the voice again, it is the blessed Holy Mother of God. The Virgin Mary looks at her with a smile and says Heaven is not blind to her pain, but the demons are going to stay where they are.
The Virgin Mary offers to Emily to come with her in peace or she can continue this. She will suffer greatly, but through her, many will come to see that the realm of the spirit is real. The choice is hers. She chooses to stay. Emily then receives stigmata, supernatural injuries that correspond to the crucifixtion wounds of Jesus Christ. A sign or mark indicated as touched by God. Emily writes a letter describing her vision and labels the envelope, "To Father Moore."
Her behavior from the time of the failed exorcism continues with violence towards others, screaming for hours on end, driving her head through windows, and breaking her teeth by biting holes in the walls. Father Moore suggests they attempt another exorcism, but Emily refuses and he cannot proceed without the consent of the possessed. Emily has accepted her fate. Father Moore encourages her to eat, but she can't swallow or keep it down.
Moore does not discourage her from continuing medical treatment, but he does advise her to stop taking the Gambutrol. The drug never helped her even when her symptoms were at their peak. Over time, her physical condition reduces her to a grotesque shell of what was once a vibrant young woman. One evening, Maria requests Father Moore to visit them. The letter Emily had written to Father Moore is given to him by Maria. That evening is Emily's last night alive.
The next day,a medical examiner (Terence Kelly) arrives at the house of the Rose family, he knocks but no one answers. He looks around and sees cats hanging around the house and a large beehive attached to the roof awning. Then from an upstairs bedroom window, Father Moore appears. They are double windows with red markings on a black surface in between the windows. Maria appears at the door to allow him in. He sees the children of the Rose family along with Jason, gathered at a table looking distraught.
Nathanial Rose, with a distant look on his face, is sitting in the room holding a doll. Maria leads the medical examiner upstairs, he approaches Emily's bedroom and the door is opened by Father Moore. Moore says nothing to him and leaves the area while the medical examiner enters the room. There's a police officer in the room who closes the door after the medical examiner enters.
Sometime later, the medical examiner and the police officer come down to join the family. He delivers the bad news that he cannot conclude the cause of death was natural. Father Moore stares out the window to the barn, recalling the screams of Emily. The police officer tells Father Moore that he will have to come with him.
Later, policemen escort Father Moore to the Crescent County Courthouse, through a swarm of reporters who are rushing him and asking numerous questions. The news broadcast is seen on a television inside a conference room. The prosecutor's department is having a private meeting to determine who should be the prosecutor. They decide to assign Ethan Thomas (Campbell Scott) as lead prosecutor due to his religious background, though he is not a Catholic, he is a Methodist who is very active in church activity, and he is shrewd in the courtroom.
Meanwhile, Lawyer Erin Bruner (Laura Linney) is at a bar having a drink while going over work papers. Karl Gunderson (Colm Feore), a senior partner in her law firm, is with a group of colleagues, and calls her over. They discuss the Van Hopper trial, which was a controversial case she had won, putting her in the legal world's spotlight. Karl and Erin go to the bar and discuss the upcoming trial of Father Moore, who is charged with negligent homicide.
The DA offered Moore a reasonable plea bargain, but the Father turned it down. The Catholic Church contacted Gunderson's law firm and specifically requested Erin Bruner to defend Father Moore. The Church followed the Van Hopper trial and were impressed with her. She takes the case, albeit reluctantly, because she believes it will elevate her to senior partner at the law firm.
Her initial order is to try to get Father Moore to take the deal, but if it does go to trial, the Church insists under no circumstance that Father Moore should testify, they would consider that an embarrassment to the Church. She assures Karl no worries, if she had put James Van Hopper on the stand, he would be marking time on death row instead of sunbathing on Miami Beach. She tells the bartender to put her drinks on Karl's tab and leaves.
Later, Erin pays Father Moore a visit at his jail cell. She introduces herself, Father Moore expected the Catholic Church to send someone and he is curious why they chose her. She claims she wanted this case, which he perceives as her liking the spotlight and to further her celebrity. She is frank with him, that she is there with the agenda to make Senior Partner at her firm. He doesn't think she is the right attorney for him when she reveals she is an agnostic, and prefers to stick with his public attorney.
However, she assures him she can get him a better deal than the public attorney. Father Moore insists he will make no plea bargain even if that means the Catholic Church will not post bail and he will be stuck in jail through the duration of the trial. Father Moore is not concerned about his reputation or fears jail, he just wants to tell Emily's story. Moore will allow Erin to defend him only if he is allowed to testify. She agrees, but she must be allowed to do whatever else it takes to win, to which he agrees.
Later, Erin visits the Rose family, she notices there's a lot of cats hanging around. Maria has offered her tea or coffee and Erins prods Maria about Emily's background. She explains that Emily was always bringing home stray cats and she was a happy girl before she went away to the University.
Ethan Thomas arrives at a bar, a meeting he arranged with Erin, who is there waiting. He cuts to the chase and declares if it were up to him, Father Moore would get no bargain at all, but the judge feels the community would be better served without this trial and he should offer a new plea agreement. After they go back and forth about moral issues, Ethan offers a plea agreement that will reduce the charge to reckless endangerment.
That would be a sentence of no more than twelve months in the county jail, potentially reduced to six months with probation. If Moore refuses, Ethan will seek the maximum penalty. Erin counters that Father Moore will never accept any plea bargain and he was not neglectible with Emily. He reminds her of the post-mortem photographs, she doesn't respond and announces they will go to trial. They end the meeting both claiming they want the public to know the truth.
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