Deliver Us From Evil

A rare (and altogether colossal) misstep from Scott Derrickson, Deliver Us From Evil follows hard-boiled cop Ralph Sarchie (Eric Bana) as he becomes convinced that a supernatural force is behind a grisly series of murders. It’s clear fairly early on that despite the otherworldly bent of the movie’s narrative, Deliver Us From Evil generally plays out like a generic and overly familiar police procedural – as Derrickson places an ongoing emphasis on Ralph’s investigation into the increasingly strange happenings. There’s little doubt, too, that the stale atmosphere is exacerbated by Derrickson’s use of decidedly hackneyed elements, with the best and most cogent example of this the continued presence of Ralph’s comedic-relief partner (Joel McHale, unable to convincingly step into the shoes of this tough-guy figure). Derrickson’s inability to wring any real scares or suspense out of this scenario is, to put it mildly, rather problematic, while the filmmaker’s overuse of dark, dank visuals – ie every other scene is flooded with flickering lights – grows tiresome virtually from the get-go. By the time the seemingly endless climax rolls around – it’s impossible to recall a more uninteresting and flat-out dull cinematic exorcism – Deliver Us From Evil has certainly cemented its place as a distressingly underwhelming thriller that pales in comparison to Derrickson’s previous endeavors.

*1/2 out of ****