Review of Deliver Us from Evil (2014) by Andrew M — 05 Mar 2016

Modern horror doesn't get much more run-of-the-mill than Deliver Us from Evil. This is particularly strange considering Scott Derrickson's last foray into the horror genre, 2012's Sinister, was quite successful in creating a chilling atmosphere with tense scares.

Deliver Us from Evil, on the other hand, fails in almost all of the ways Sinister succeeded. The film, which is "inspired by true accounts" of police sergeant Ralph Sarchie, is full of good ideas, but never capitalizes on them in a manner that feels fresh or engaging.

The ideas it does focus on feel woefully underdeveloped, which is odd considering its 118 minute running time. It doesn't help that certain plot points are often quite absurd: frequent references to The Doors feel silly more than anything else.

And, as in every horror movie released in the past decade, the film is chock full of lazy jump scares and "screamers." The acting here is fine, but nothing remarkable. Eric Bana is a fine lead, and Edgar Ramirez is good as the "sidekick" priest, but they just can't elevate the poor script.

Overall, Deliver Us from Evil is an unfortunate misfire from Scott Derrickson that wastes its potential on a typical horror film. If you're looking for an inventive horror film that subverts the numerous tropes of the genre, this sadly isn't it.