‘You haven’t seen true evil’
Deliver Us from Evil is a 2014 American supernatural horror film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, directed by Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose; Sinister; Hellraiser: Inferno) and co-written with Paul Harris Boardman, loosely based on a 2001 book entitled Beware the Night by Ralph Sarchie and Lisa Collier Cool. The movie stars Eric Bana, Édgar Ramírez, Olivia Munn, Joel McHale and Sean Harris.
Plot:
New York cop Ralph Sarchie is pulled into a case that a renegade priest convinces him, against the officer’s religious beliefs, is demonic related. Together they work to solve the case and combat the paranormal forces working against them…
Reviews:
“The pacing is also pretty solid; the film is almost two hours long but it really doesn’t feel like it. Both Eric Bana and Édgar Ramírez are are impressive in their roles in the film. There are scenes that will creep some people out, but I don’t think anyone will be looking back at this film to find a scene that they have to see again.” Awful Horror Movies
“This is a smart blend of cop drama, thriller and paranormal elements. It’s a compelling and surprising mix that raises this genre movie into the realms of an imperfect but solid thriller. Fact or fiction. It’s scary and grisly in all the right places.” The Charlotte Post
“Bad enough that this flick is basically another rote police procedural conducted by a cardboard movie cop, but its notion of evil simply cannot compete with reality. Almost the entire horror genre needs to significantly up its game if it wants to genuinely horrify us today.” Flick Filosopher
“Deliver Us From Evil will get audiences yelping here and there because there are parts when dogs jump out and bark when you don’t think there’s a dog there to jump out and bark. You could also save yourself the ticket price and go to a pet store.” The Guardian
“Technically, Derrickson’s made a fine-looking film that evokes the sort of gritty imagery of Lumet-era New York cop films mashed up with the more uneasy, creepy approach he’s known for with films such as Sinister. If only Deliver Us From Evil‘s story had balanced the cop and horror movie elements as deftly as the director’s visual style.” IGN
“Sarchie’s domestic tribulations — Olivia Munn plays his wife — are boilerplate, and a few horror movie tropes, like a screeching cat, turn up, but for the most part Mr. Derrickson and the cast keep things fresh and scary. ” The New York Times
” …Derrickson delivers a gripping experience – one that balances crime thriller suspense with absorbing supernatural mythology. It might not be the scariest movie of the year but, thanks to a compelling look at evil in our world, Deliver Us From Evil is still very frightening.” Screen Rant
“An impressively staged climactic exorcism, during which British actor Sean Harris’s devil-possessed ex-soldier contorts his body and distorts his voice in distressing ways, compensates in part for the random, far-fetched storytelling that precedes it.” Time Out London
” …a professionally assembled genre mashup that’s too silly to be scary, and a bit too dull to be a midnight-movie guilty pleasure.” Variety
“Cinematographer Scott Kevan and production designer Bob Shaw imaginatively turn routine horror movie locations — psychiatric wards, old basements — into evocative cathedrals of shadows. Derrickson has always been better at creating mood than in terrifying audiences, and Deliver Us From Evil has plenty of niggling unease.” The Verge
Choice dialogue:
Mendoza: “This is it. I think the Addams Family lives here.”
Cast and characters:
- Eric Bana … Sarchie
- Edgar Ramírez … Mendoza
- Olivia Munn … Jen
- Chris Coy … Jimmy
- Dorian Missick … Gordon
- Sean Harris … Santino
- Joel McHale … ButlerMike Houston … Nadler
- Lulu Wilson … Christina
- Olivia Horton … Jane
- Scott Johnsen … Lt. Griggs
- Daniel Sauli … Salvatore
- Antoinette LaVecchia … Serafina
- Aidan Gemme … Mario
- Jenna Gavigan … Lucinda
Filming locations:
- Liwa Oasis desert in Abu Dhabi
- New York City, New York
Technical credits:
118 minutes
Aspect ratio: 2.39: 1
Audio: SDDS | Datasat | Dolby Digital | Dolby Surround 7.1
Box office:
The movie took $87,937,815 worldwide against a reported budget of $30 million.
Film Facts:
The film is suffused with references to rock band The Doors.
