Sunday Bloody Sunday Matinee: Deliver Us [Film]

Welcome to Day 15 of Trainwreck’d Society’s Month of Horror Showcase. Every day during the month of October, we will have a horror related interview and/or film review for your fright-filled reading pleasure! The set up will be the same as usual, but the topics will be far more terrifying. Enjoy!

“Exorcism is still a fact of contemporary life. Every year, more and more people claim that their illnesses are caused by demonic possession.

Father Cataldo is a veteran, one of the most sought-after exorcists in Sicily. Every Tuesday, many believers follow his mass of liberation, searching for a cure for some adversity for which there does not seem to be a label or a remedy.

The Catholic Church reacts to this crisis by nominating priests as exorcists in increasing numbers and by organizing training courses for them. In order to respond to the rising number of requests for deliverance from evil, all French dioceses have installed at least one exorcist. In Spain, the archdiocese of Madrid is desperately trying to fill seven additional positions.

In Rome and Milan alone, the number of exorcists has grown from six to 12, and the Church has set up an emergency call center.
In the US, the number of exorcists has increased tenfold over the last few years.” – Uncork’d Entertainment

I have to kick this one off by saying that this really isn’t technically a “horror film” of any kind. But, it may actually be one of the most horrifying things I have ever seen. And I don’t mean the production of the film itself. No, that is fantastic. Deliver Us is definitely a brilliantly timed piece of art if nothing else. It is a wonderful documentary that moves swimmingly through the confusion of what exactly the hell is going on. I honestly never thought I would say this, but for a documentary about exorcisms, they do manage to have a little bit of fun with it and show a bit of light heartedness. This is all true. But seriously folks…what the fuck!

As a traditional Pacific Northwest bred kid, I am not a believer of any sort of faith. But, I tend to have great respect for religious types who do it correctly. The ones who preach love and forgiveness, and yada yada yada, whatever makes me sound the most pretentious. Anyway, whilst watching Deliver Us, I had a whole hell of a time trying to decipher what I was watching. I didn’t realize it was a documentary at first. I seriously thought I was watching a Blair Witch meets Borat type of situation. But, I was quickly drawn to realize I was mistaken.

This shit is actually happening people. Whether you believe in the power of a God above or not, this shit is actually happening. For the lack of a better word, people have “psyched” themselves out enough to believe that they actually have had demons enter their bodies, and they require the relinquishment of a priest in order to rid themselves of such evil. And even if you think this sounds like absolute bollocks, just truly think about the power of the human psyche, and realize that it is absolutely possible to find yourself in this same scenario. To believe in something so damn much that you soon find yourself in utter hysteria, and then find the only way to calm the reaction is to continuously return to such hysteria as several subjects of this film did? That is absolutely maddening!

I really have to say that everyone should check out this film. Whether you are a professional zealot or a devout atheist, this is a film you are going to love. For the latter, please think of this film as an amazingly portrayal of the power of the human exploit. This is a film that attempts and succeeds to portray the power of the human emotion to be provoked at a moment’s notice. And whether you believe that emotion is brought upon by the belief in a higher being, it is seriously fascinating to ponder about either way.