To be honest I wasn't expecting a lot from Deliver Us from Evil. And that is why I was pleasantly surprised that despite it's flaws I found it to be compelling and entertaining. But maybe not in the way you would expect.
One of the best things in this film is that it attracts your attention to certain events that easily could be explained with common sense and logic. For the most part at least. And when these events occur it does keep you guessing if what you see is real or someone is making you believe it is. This feeling is enhanced by horror method 101, use of atmosphere and building up tension with minimal means. But if needs be is not afraid to be excessive. While there is tension throughout with some creepy moments here and there it's not super scary to a point that it will make you gasp for air. And that is mostly because a lot of tense scenes are followed by less interesting scenes that only serve as filler.
(I need to address you filmmakers about this. In the last few years I have noticed a high number of movies have exceeded the movie duration of 90 minutes to 120 minutes or more. Nothing wrong with a long duration as long as it is build up with substance. But often it is just a waste of time that detracts from the overall effectiveness and viewing experience. I am an old school movie fan. I prefer films where characters and story are fleshed out. Or where spectacular scenes are give more time to impress. Only I don't like it when dialogue is unnecessary or where attention is raised on characters or events that have no impact on the main story whatsoever. This all becomes apparent in movies where there is not much of a story to begin with. So please stop making films longer than they have to be. Thank you for reading.)
The useless scenes distract you once too often and took me out of the film on occasion. However the finale makes it up to the viewer. There is a reward that is rarely seen. Credit has to go to Sean Harris. His character once he gets introduced to us is beyond creepy and quite scary a few times. Then he shows us something that makes you see things completely different. Mrs. P. and I were amazed by this and I think a lot of the viewers will feel the same. This moment makes the film worth watching. Of course it does not hurt to have Eric Bana who is dependable as always. Although sometimes his character is a little careless which is quite odd since one of the plot elements is that he has this instinct that makes him aware of things other people can't hear or see. You would expect a man like that to be even more careful. Still it is done to give us some tense moments so it is forgiven.
Overall Deliver Us from Evil is one of the better films in the genre and is worth your time at least once.
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