Soldiers come back from Iraq infected with dangerous Islamist ideas, like Damian Lewis in the Homeland series, or possessed by demons. The root of all evil, it seems, is the Middle East – whether we are talking about terrorism or the supernatural. The difference, in a post-9/11, post-Gulf War world, is that the word “Iraq" carries a new set of disturbing connotations. Fast forward 35 years and Deliver Us From Evil begins with three American soldiers descending into a tomb in Iraq, where they encounter a mysterious presence. You may recall that The Exorcist begins with Max Von Sydow finding a small effigy of a demon in an archaeological dig in Iraq. The real Sarchie, now a full-time demonologist, has allegedly assisted with more than 20 exorcisms. There really is a Ralph Sarchie, a veteran cop who worked for 18 years in the South Bronx precinct and battled evil spirits in his spare time. Like The Exorcist it’s inevitable that Deliver Us From Evil is based on “true events". Along the way there are references to the demons and poltergeists familiar from The Amityville Horror (1979) to the Paranormal Activity series.Įven the two lead characters have an air of déjà vu: Eric Bana is Ralph Sarchie, a tough cop who neglects his wife and child because of his devotion to the force while Édgar Ramírez is Mendoza, a flawed but dedicated priest, who atones for his own sins by pitting himself against the forces of Satan.Įric Bana stars as Ralph Sarchie in Deliver Us from Evil.
Then there is David Fincher’s chilling serial killer flick, Seven (1995). The primary reference in this anthology of every fear and fancy that has taken up residence in the American psyche, is William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973), which was hailed in its day as the scariest film of all time. Scott Derrickson, director of Deliver Us From Evil is obviously a film buff, as there is barely a scene in his hybrid horror/cop movie that won’t remind cinema-literate viewers of another scene in another film.
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