Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Deliver Us from Evil Blu-ray Movie Review

Unholy Horror or genre purification?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 18, 2014

The cinematic landscape has become littered with mind-numbing repeats, copycats, and frankly lazy movies that don't dare tread new ground or give the audience any real reason to watch beyond that it's "something to do" or "something new" even if its novelty really only lies in its release date and the names in the credits. Deliver Us From Evil falls somewhere in that "safe zone" of "been there, done that" genre moviemaking, though it certainly pushes that area's boundaries like it wants to escape from the oversized bubble of cliché, repeat structure, uneventful storytelling, and generic scares. It's a relatively hard-R Horror film -- which is itself something of a minor novelty these days considering all the watered-down PG-13 pictures out there -- that digs into the predictably routine, at times, but that also clearly tries to provide its audience with a more solid core foundation, even if that doesn't yield any kind of consistently spectacular results. They movie is infinitely watchable and never truly insulting, never giving the audience any real reason to be wholly disappointed in the overall experience. Will viewers sometimes wish that it might have done things differently? Sure. Will they be angry enough to walk out? Never. This is one of the better mainstream scary movies in quite a while and one that Horror fans will want to absorb, which is maybe light praise but praise to be sure.

On the case.

New York Detective Ralph Sarchie (Eric Bana) spends his nights on routine calls that are suddenly becoming something abnormal, even for a guy who has pretty much seen it all. A domestic violence call yields a strange after hours call to the zoo which in turn yields a call from a family sleeping huddled together in the living room, close to the front door and fearful of what may be lurking in their own home. He meets an undercover preacher named Mendoza (Édgar Ramírez) who senses in him something unique, something his partner Butler (Joel McHale) calls his "radar." As they dig further into the case, the more bizarre it becomes and the more it becomes clear that the odd yet seemingly random events are connected. Together, they must face an ultimate evil that will challenge everything they know and jeopardize everything they love.

Deliver Us From Evil works through fairly standard plot advancement routines that see the characters become slowly more absorbed in and slowly more understanding of the horrors that await them with every move, the terrors that are dictating their actions, the unholy elements at play in the larger game that slowly comes into focus. The characters work well in that gradual graduation from strictly working the beat and dealing with the bizarre to understanding not only how things are happening, but why, and particularly why they're at the center of it. The picture proves to be somewhat deeper than the average "possession" and "exorcism" movie, working in some very well realized characterization that's so often lacking in lesser films of this variety. The characters occasionally engage in deep spiritual and philosophical discussion that flows naturally from the story and serves to not only enhance the periphery of evil but dig more deeply into the characters' very cores and reinforce a few good ideas on their own spirituality and fate. The performances are convincingly strong, particularly from the lead primaries in Eric Bana and Édgar Ramírez, both of whom fully appreciate the characters and the driving forces that influence and change them through the story, both those in the evolving present and the defining past.

Yet the film still falls into its share of pitfalls along the way, albeit rather shallow pits. For as nicely moody as and darkly bleak as it frequently appears, there's not much to the atmosphere that hasn't been done before. That's to be forgiven, however, because the classic "dark and stormy night," for all the hate it gets, remains a fairly effective moody background that allows for a nice bit of play with light and sound to enhance a scary sequence or further build tension in some specific environment. The picture makes use of several classic -- and eye-rolling -- "jump scares," that variety that are so commonplace these days in which a sudden, horrific image appears on the screen, seemingly out of nowhere, and is accompanied by some loud, shrill and shrieking sound effect, the type from which the lesser Horror films nowadays attempt to secure almost all of their scares. Fortunately, those are limited in number and don't overwhelm the experience. There are a few other yawn-inducing classic crutches, like the old "Jack in the Box" gag that has simply lost its steam, going from creepy to lame and sure to cause more eyes to roll than skins to tingle. These are enough to yank the viewer out of the movie every time, not so much because they're poorly executed but because the gap in quality between the core story, the solid performances, the well-written characters, and genuine bits of mood and atmosphere are so much greater than what amounts to a few recycled thrills that almost feel out of place, even if they do, mostly, serve some function beyond aiming for an easy jump. Overall, however, the movie is effectively good and is always able to overcome its various lapses into everyday Horror.

Deliver Us from Evil Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Movies like Deliver Us from Evil can be a challenge even on Blu-ray. The film is frequently dark and sometimes impenetrably so. It was also photographed digitally, leaving little margin for visual error. Fortunately, Sony's presentation represents the best-case scenario. The image, often slathered in darkness, looks remarkably good, with crisp, perfectly defined imagery evident even through the shadows and surrounding darkness. Skin textures excel, and image clarity is remarkable, revealing the finest little details on everything from roughly textured paint to bloody makeup and prosthetics. Colors are excellent, with city lights frequently standing nicely apart from dark, shadowy backdrops. Those black levels are perfect, inky and deep without crushing details, no matter the setting or depth of darkness. The image suffers from no perceptible noise, banding, blockiness, or other maladies. This is visual excellence at its best for such a dark film.

Deliver Us from Evil Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Deliver Us from Evil's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 losses soundtrack is every bit as good as the 1080p video and a fine accompaniment for the film. It handles a wide range of sound elements -- from lightly critical ambience to the frenzied final minutes -- with equal precision. The opening Iraq segment offers a good microcosm, with solid, surrounding gunfire met with equally precise atmospherics and smaller primary sounds, like slithering snakes and creeping spiders. Music is clearly delivered and precise, with a good, full stage presence, a healthy surround element, and excellent clarity throughout the range. The low end is healthy and heavy but never unkempt or rattly, whether in music or sound effects. Light city din satisfies, rolling thunder and driving rain are realistic, and other supportive elements such as the sounds of a zoo at night are beautifully composed and presented. A few occurrences of sonic mayhem are expertly clear and precise. Dialogue delivery is firm and naturally placed in the center. This is a reference quality Horror track from Sony.

Deliver Us from Evil Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Deliver Us from Evil contains a well-rounded collection of extras. A UV digital copy code is included in the case.

• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Scott Derrickson opens with a neat little anecdote about the logo that opens the film and moves on to speak on shooting locales, conditions on the shoot, visual effects, characters and performances, the real Ralph Sarchie and the stories that inspired the film, changes from reality to the film, themes, music, and some strong monologues on several topics, including science and religion. This is an excellent, very well spoken, and captivating track that nicely blends casual observation with deep insight. The disc is nearly worth buying for the track alone. With optional menu-selectable English subtitles.
• Illuminating Evil (1080p, 13:36): A more detailed look at Ralph Sarchie -- including interviews with Sarchie himself -- and how his life influenced the film. Also included is a look at the primary characters and performances, the film's script and the benefit of its heavier themes, and the setting and shooting locales.
• Deliver Us From Demons (1080p, 8:25): A closer look at Santino's makeup design, application, and story purpose. Also briefly covered is Sean Harris' performance.
• The Two Sergeants (1080p, 8:05): A discussion of the film's balance between reality and fiction, with a focus on the filmmakers' desire to create a film about Ralph Sarchie, not so much a film depicting the accuracy of what he experienced. Also in the piece is a closer look at Eric Bana's performance.
• The Demon Detective (1080p, 9:37): A more detailed look at Ralph Sarchie's life and work.
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

Deliver Us from Evil Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Deliver Us from Evil is a far better film than modern rubbish like The Last Exorcism Part II but a far cry from genre classics like The Exorcist. Franky, that middle ground is a fairly good place to be. Nowhere near as densely populated as the modern Horror trash bin and with some room to stretch and strut its stuff, the film proves itself a worthy, if not ultimately somewhat unspectacular, effort that makes its mood, its characters, its scares, its visuals, and its themes work for a greater good. Never does the film feel like a thoughtless push through required scenes but instead a real, genuine try at digging deep into what this Horror sub-genre has to offer, both on a larger exterior and in a more intimate personal interior. It stumbles a few times but generally provides a very watchable, frequently enthralling, and consistently enjoyable experience that puts this style of film back on the map and, more importantly, back on track. Sony's Blu-ray release of Deliver Us From Evil features pristine video and audio. A healthy assortment of bonus content is included. Recommended.