"Deliver Us From Evil" Delivers Us Some Scares

  

    The horror genre in film is, in a word, a conundrum. I say this because no other genre can be equal parts predictable as it is entertaining, corny yet original, slow yet intense. In my mind there are two types of scary movies: those that "scare" you and those that "make you jump", or "jumpers". Most slasher films are "jumpers"; predictable story lines, debatable scary antagonists, and 99% of the scares are induced by quick camera pans, loud noises and "spoiler music". You know what's coming before it comes. By the time the end credits roll, you're checking your phone for missed texts or laughing about how stupid the characters are for walking into the obvious death trap they find themselves in. Not much to take from them. "Jumpers" are fun, not scary. Like a roller coaster. You might be a bit freaked out as the coaster begins its ascent and at various moments, but you know there's going to be some hairy turns and crazy loops and when it's all done, you're laughing your face off. Now, those of you who are terrified of roller coasters, excuse this analogy. (But they're so much fun! How could you not like them?!)

   When I go see a scary movie I want it to be an experience. A lot of this can be contributed to how you approach your movie-going experience in general. When I'm sitting in the theater as the end credits of a horror film roll completely freaked out and then find myself sleeping with the lights on for a few nights after...I watched a truly scary movie. A few that come to mind that fall in this category for me was the first "Paranormal Activity" and "The Conjuring". Both left me shocked and shaken after watching and they still freak me out to this day. I love that! If you allow yourself to get sucked into the story, it's a blast! An added "effect", for lack of a better term, that scary movies utilize to induce the fear is by labeling them "Inspired by a true story". This last week's "Deliver Us From Evil" falls into that group and has actually used the fact that it's inspired by true events as a strong foundation for its marketing. Something about watching a scary movie that was based, no matter how loosely from the truth, adds a level of discomfort or unease to the experience, making it that much more enjoyable.

   "Deliver Us From Evil" is spooky fun and equally chilling. Inspired by the experiences of New York police officer Ralph Sarchie, played by the awesome Eric Bana, the movie follows Sarchie's investigation of a series of crimes. Finding a strange connection between the crimes, he teams up with an unconventional priest Mendoza, played by Edgar Ramirez, to thwart the powers of evil. How close the film's portrayal comes to actual events, I'm not entirely sure though I'm inclined to think that there were quite a bit of liberties taken by the filmmakers. At any rate, the movie utilizes some of the "jumper" aspects, in that there are instances when you can predict almost to the second when a scary moment is about to occur. They still make you jump. Now don't get confused, almost all scary movies will use "jumper" moments, but "jumper" films base their scares and horror entirely on these moments alone. It's when these moments prepare you for a bigger scare, whether it be through a grisly image or intense plot point, that "jumpers" move into "scarers". "Deliver Us From Evil" has plenty of gore and jumps and scary moments to avoid being sentenced as a "jumper".

   What helps any movie find success is good writing and good acting. Horror movies especially. "Deliver Us From Evil" has both. Eric Bana plays the flawed cop really well, making it easy to relate to Sarchie as he goes through the insane events of the story; and he's complimented greatly by the equally engaging Edgar Ramirez. It's also worth noting that one of the more interesting and fun characters was that of Sarchie's partner Butler, played by the funnyman Joel McHale in a performance that probably ranks pretty high on his list. (I don't know what it is about comedians playing dramatic roles but they're almost better than their comedic ones.) The story behind the priest Martinez is intriguing enough for a whole other film on its own, though you really only get enough information to suit this particular story. The story as a whole is intriguing and wasn't all that predictable. It's a fresher take on the demonic genre, which seems to be the go-to move for scary movies nowadays, i.e "The Conjuring", the "Paranormal Activity" franchise, among many others. Thematic elements such as demons and possession are sensitive to some, so be aware of that if that type of horror isn't your cup of tea.

   Scary movies are fun if you lose yourself to them. "Deliver Us From Evil" will scare you, it will freak you out, maybe even intrigue you to look further in to the story of officer Sarchie, who now is retired from the force and is a full-time Demonologist. At any rate, the movie is entertaining and worth a see on the big screen.