Deliver Us from Evil

Demons are lousy room painters, and owls are not what they seem. A senselessly swollen mix of police procedural, a dark Fincher thriller about the crisis of (post) postmodern society, and all the exorcist horror movies you've ever seen. Instead of a chilling treatment of the actual events, Satchie's supposedly real case appears to be a confused excerpt of a viewer who has seen far too many genre films. Derrickson's style is very cumbersome compared to the sophistication and accuracy of Sinister, and there is very little work with gradation. After a few minutes, when guys with loose make-up and creaking devil whores parade on the screen, the film moves exactly on the unpleasant edge of terror and mockery. Although in my opinion he never went too far to one side, he also certainly didn't settle on the good one either. An excessive number of aggressive and unimaginative jump scares, this time mostly dysfunctionally involved in various ways of shooting, a couple of traditionally luxurious sonic terrors that are important for storytelling, excellently cast starring roles, and proof that Doors are evil only good enough for Sumerian demons. I was expecting an (un)pleasant summer ride through a haunted castle in the style of the excellent Conjuring, and what I got was a confused patchwork of many films blinded by didactic discussions about good, evil and atonement for guilt. Were it not for the traditionally powerful Bana and especially Ramirez, who should be hired by the Vatican as a sexy Jesuit, it would be a mess. This way, its slightly above-average, but at the same time a demonstration that Derrickson doesn’t do all that well in a genre that he should be good at. Of his three horrors, Deliver Us from Evil is the weakest. (02/07/2014)

As the lightning struck a lone tree by the roadside, I began to suspect where the director's path would lead. This is because Derrickson's undoubted talent was given a financial infusion and bigger-name actors, but in doing so, he signed up for the Bruckheimerian devil that relies on clichés and plot banalities in the plot. In fact, it’s not really pulled off even by the few skillfully-conceived scary scenes and instead makes you lament how dysfunctional the chemistry between the characters is. This makes it subjectively about half an hour longer, and slightly more excruciating in the end than the filmmakers intended. (07/11/2014)

Well done! A horror film that is watchable and enjoyable, unlike all that weird mainstream stuff. The film builds on a good story and cast and is filled with a perfectly grim atmosphere from the start. I was going to give it five stars, but I was put off by the ending. From the rescue of the wife and daughter until the closing credits, it turned into a very unpleasant surprise and even disappointment. The screenwriter is not to blame, he couldn't have come up with a different ending, as the film was based on true events... (10/08/2016)

Technically, this is absolutely divine. Legendary shot composition, transitions in focus, lighting, and masks. Thank you. The rest of the cast, led by the haha hoo hoo owl and the integrated demonic MP3 in the hero's head, does its best to make you spit Bruckheimer-flavored popcorn at the screen and giggle through the next two scenes. Fortunately, we're told that the senselessness of the dark forces' actions is due to the fact that we as humans are unable to grasp it, so that takes care of that. Plus, I'm of the opinion that Scott Derrickson’s ol’ pal Jesus should dock his allowance. (25/10/2014)

The only problem with Derrickson's film is that it presents exactly the type of horror that any experienced viewer is currently oversaturated with: ghosts, strange noises under the bed, a peculiar priest, exorcisms. This template is so tired that despite the director's enormous skill, which holds the viewer's attention throughout and searches for themes beyond all James Wan's ghost stories, the film doesn't have much chance to break through. Big plus points just for pushing an interesting detective storyline, for the music by The Doors, and for Eric Bana, who's still got it. But even that is not enough to satisfy me this time... 70% (24/10/2014)