Deliver Us from Evil

A decent exorcist thriller that puts its money on a realistic environment. No shortage of surprises - and they work pretty well, even though nothing absolutely amazing and, if it wasn’t for the fairly standard story, I would definitely give it four stars. The clash in the finale was intense, thrilling and breathtaking. Derrickson has a talent at creating a great atmosphere, Dr. Strange is in good hands. (10/28/2014)

If it weren’t for the authors pushing the horror elements, I’d even rate it with all five stars. But not only were the occasional jump-scares cheesy, they were also pointless. They were just there to try and create a distinguished atmosphere that the movie already had without them. And that was mostly due to the great combination of story and atmosphere which was definitely inspired by the legendary movie Seven. But after I watched the movie, I was shocked by the fact that it was – once again – based on true events. I can’t help but think that I haven’t seen a familiar story in the news or heard someone speak about a similar experience. It’s always introduced by these sorts of horrors that try to assure us that all that exorcism is based on true events. Isn’t the actual truth going to be a little different? Or maybe it’s a ploy to support the Church? And Eric Bana was great in this, but the authors could have done without the final scene. (07/15/2014)

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. (11/07/2014)

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. (10/25/2014)

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% (10/24/2014)