As the prayer says, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil", which can be interpreted as asking God to see us through the evil that cannot be avoided. However, in the case of this month's feature film, Deliver Us, it can have a double meaning as a nun is set to deliver twin boys - one said to be the Messiah and the other, the Antichrist. Playing on thousands of years-old prophesies, the film explores and interprets what some of the ancient writings elude to regarding these brothers and their supposedly pre-ordained roles in society. Having premiered in August at the Popcorn Frights Film Festival, Deliver Us will have a limited theater and streaming release on September 29, 2023.
Sister Yulia (Maria Vera Ratti; Inspector Ricciardi) had a troubled upbringing. Because she had unexplainable visions, her parents believed she was mentally ill. They sought out doctors to "heal" her but she ended up being heavily medicated instead. Years later, living at the convent, she becomes pregnant with baby boys who, she states, are the Messiah and the Antichrist. After several investigations, the Vatican asks Father Fox (Lee Roy Kunz; A Beer Tale) to verify that the nun is not lying and that the unexplained incidences occurring at the convent are legitimate. As a skeptic, Father Fox meets with Sister Yulia and, while unconvinced the pregnancy is an immaculate conception, he helps her escape from those who wish to harm her and her babies.
Vera Ratti beautifully portrays the pregnant nun and, for someone who has never had a child in real life, she almost nails the uncomfortableness of third-trimester pregnancy and labor. Kunz, who wears a number of different hats for this production, convincingly plays a man in love, a priest who questions anything supernatural, and a maniac under a devil's spell. Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) portrays Cardinal Russo, a devoted individual who believes Sister Yulia. Thomas Kretschmann (Wanted) exudes a thug-like quality who hunts Sister Yulia and her children to stop the prophecy.
Kunz and Vera Ratti have excellent chemistry that leaps off the screen. Their mere side glances and brief but intimate touches sizzle between them like electricity bursting from a live wire. From the moment they meet at the convent, the audience gets the sense that everything they say to each other and each interaction between them is purposeful and has a deeper meaning.
The story, co-written by Lee Roy and his brother Kane, was a product of their upbringing and the years spent in parochial school. Realizing no one had ever made a horror film of this subject matter before, they decided the time was right. Lee Roy also co-directed the film with Cru Ennis who makes his directorial debut and does so with flair. The pacing of the movie doesn't drag and each scene is well-lit and expertly framed and executed. The visuals are breathtaking, especially when Father Fox jumps into the frozen lake at night to save Sister Yulia and emerges inside a large cross carved out of the ice in the lake.
Deliver Us offers horror fans an interesting story steeped in faith and lore yet grounded in the staples of the horror film genre. It has suspense, gore, weapons, etc. and so many of the usual tropes. Most importantly, it has the legs to become a universe of its own with several sequels organically built in.
If you are not familiar with the church, the Messiah, and the Antichrist, you will still appreciate the story and the cinematography but if you did grow up immersed in the Catholic faith, you will more than likely find extra meaning in the symbolic ideals and items strewn throughout the film.
Grade: B-
