Mais ne nous délivrez pas du mal

Regarding that "Mais ne nous delivréz pas du mal" aka. "Don't Deliver Us From Evil" (1971) is a highly controversial exploitation film and cult-favorite, one might expect something somewhat different before seeing this dark gem. My hopes, however, were surpassed, and I seriously don't know why I didn't watch this gem until recently. While its controversial reputation might suggest that Joël Séria's film is a sleazy, gory and explicit slice of Exploitation, this disturbing gem of European shock cinema has a lot more to offer than mere sleaze and violence. "Don't Deliver Us From Evil" is actually a lot lower on explicit violence and sexuality than I had expected - but a masterwork of macabre atmosphere and ingenious, highly disturbing and genuinely shocking plotting.

Teenage girls Anne (Jeanne Goupil) and Lore (Catherine Wagener) are neighbours, best friends, and roommates in a strict Catholic boarding school for girls. The two have also committed themselves to sin and taken a vow to serve Satan. After beginning with playful rituals and black masses the two soon turn to more grave sins and unspeakable cruelty… The manner how these two girls carry out calculated acts of extreme cruelty is very disturbing. However, none of the other characters in the film are likable. Séria denounces the hypocrisy of the bourgeois society and the Catholic church, the men in the film are either hypocrites or potential rapists who are unable to control themselves once a young girl gets slightly flirtatious with them. Leading actresses Jeanne Goupil and Catherine Wagener are near-brilliant in their roles. Both actresses were adults when the film was made, but they look extremely young. Especially Wagener looks like fourteen, which makes the film as a whole, and the sexual scenes in particular, a lot more disturbing. Satanism always is a welcome Horror topic, and it has seldom been presented in a manner as disturbing as it is the case here. This may due to the fact that this film does not rely on typical clichés and that cruel deeds are presented with shocking sobriety, or because it's young girls who commit devilish acts here. The atmosphere is somewhat eerie and yet seems disturbingly real, the beautiful French settings and the film's haunting score increase this impression. Overall, this film is not as graphic as one might expect from what once apparently was the only film ever banned in France. This film delivers a lot more than cheap shock or graphic sleaze, it is genuinely shocking and a great viewing experience as such. Not for the faint-hearted, but a definite must for lovers of European Exploitation/Underground cinema, "Don't Deliver Us From Evil" is a viewing-experience one will certainly not forget. 8.5/10

I was part of an extremely fortunate bunch of people who got to see this rare gem of euro-cult cinema on the big screen; moreover inside an authentic old-fashioned grindhouse type of theater where the walls threaten to fall down at any given moment and the equipment has surely seen better days already. I can assure you these rather primitive viewing conditions add a large portion of raw atmosphere to an already gritty and unsettling film. But nevertheless "Don't Deliver Us From Evil" suffers a little from its own controversial reputation, as it has got a lot more to offer than just graphic shocks and gratuitous nudity. The film poster proudly announces, in letters that are far bigger than the title itself, that this is the only French film to be banned in France. It's a nice promotion stunt, but it only forces potential viewers to anticipate a non-stop sleazy and exploitative smut flick, whereas Joël Séria's film is primarily a beautifully dark and almost poetic depiction of how adolescents of high social descent deal with boredom and sexual curiosity. The script may be loosely inspired by the real-life Parker-Hulme murder case (the same case Peter Jackson used for his "Heavenly Creatures") but I strongly believe Séria also used the opportunity to criticize the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church as well as the unfair French social classification system. During the long & boring nights at the boarding school, 14-year-old Anne becomes interested in salacious literature and she quickly convinces her friend Lore to join her into exploring the exact opposite of all the Catholic mumbo-jumbo that is forced upon them by the nuns and their deeply religious parents. It all starts with naughty, yet harmless games and the discovery of their own bodies & sexuality, but the situation escalates into something genuinely malice. When summer vacation begins, and the girls spend two months away from authority, they perform a ritual to become accepted as disciples of Satan and cross the line for good. Their innocent games are gradually replaced with the the dangerous seduction of mentally unstable men, vicious rites of animal cruelty, arson and eventually murder.

Séria's criticism towards the Catholic Church and the authorities' obnoxiousness is mainly illustrated through the lack of response by the adults! The film exclusively revolves on the acts of the two girls and never at one point suggests that the grown-ups in their surrounding are even aware of the evil they commit. Anne and Lore actually even bring themselves down in the (downright staggering and jaw-dropping) finale because they THINK they'll get caught. The performances of Jeanne Goupil and Catherine Wagener are simply amazing and also very courageous. It's almost unbelievable to accept they 19-20 years old during filming as they honestly look like inexperienced girls who barely hit puberty. Their age and especially the nude sequences they're in often make "Don't Deliver Us From Evil" a terribly difficult film to watch. It feels incredibly wrong to watch at these girls as they're parading in their panties and provocatively seduce men, but it more or less remains a tasteful film at all times. The impact of the message Séria brings probably was a lot more shocking in the prudish France of the early 1970's – which is undoubtedly why the Church insisted on censorship – but it's still intense enough to upset audiences even today, and particularly the end-sequence will haunt your thoughts for several days afterwards. It's a beautiful film, with enchanting cinematography by Marcel Combes and an excellent 'La La La' theme song that regularly gets repeated during the most essential sequences.

I don't know if I can actually add anymore to what has already been said. The film is raw and amateurish at times. It certainly is no polished piece of work. The editing is abrupt at times which to me says the editor didn't have a lot to work with.

This is not a cerebral piece of work that will linger with you for days or weeks after you've seen it. Certainly won't change your life much. However, there were moments when I felt really uneasy about what was happening on the screen. It's understandable when you are watching a scary thriller or horror flick that you might not want to watch. This isn't a scary movie. It's just disturbing. When it comes to harming animals or babies most people won't want to watch. It's a bit troubling that someone on the set didn't draw the line at some point but this was 1971.

Does the film make a point? The girls here don't have much love in their lives. All they know are rules and the adult world is ugly indeed. They create their own fantasy world but when that turns ugly there is only one way out.

Hard to recommend but there are some moments of curiosity.

If you're like me and you like beauties and beautiful shots in movies like this, then you're in for a treat.

I've tended to become slightly wary of these movies, since sometimes they turn out to be kind of boring - for example much of Jess Franco's stuff. I also thought this was really strange that they would have young girls doing this and wondered what the heck it would be like. I was surprised at the level of sexuality the girls displayed at times, but for me it was a better movie for it. I think females would like this movie as well, unlike a lot of horror movies which is a genre this scarcely fits into.

It's also highly original and unique, I guess the reason it wasn't followed up by others was because it would be hard to match it. The images of it will probably stay with you for a while. I really love some of the up-close shots they gave of the girls. I think the girls complement each other really well: one is dark, the other is blonde. One is calling the shots more - as tends to happen in friendships/relationships.

There isn't a heavy plot line to it, just various things the girls go around doing. Sometimes, it can get a little boring, but the powerful musical score helps it through those parts really well. It's a good movie to watch if you have something else on your mind or are a bit tired, as it won't tax you with a mind-bending plot.

'Mais ne nous délivrez pas du mal' ('Don't Deliver Us From Evil') is a French film from 1971 loosely inspired by the Parker-Hulme murder case, the subject of Peter Jackson's 'Heavenly Creatures' two decades later. However, if you've seen 'Heavenly Creatures', it's not much of a spoiler, because the story plays out very differently.

The film revolves around two teenage Catholic schoolgirls who have a close relationship and a penchant for pulling very nasty pranks. The two seem feed off of each other and the chaos, as their games become more dangerous.

While I can't say I enjoyed 'Don't Deliver Us from Evil', director Joël Séria does do an admirable job pf creating beautiful, memorable images. The film has a timeless quality and because it's a period piece, it's hard to tell when it was shot. It feels like it could have come out this year.

My issue with the film is, it lacks heart and a certain logic. Yes, it's difficult to create an emotional connection to despicable sociopathic characters. But we have to care about them, or at least understand what motivates them. Religious oppression? Dysfunctional family? Domestic abuse? There's nary a hint as to why the girls are acting out in such extreme ways.

And so 'Don't Deliver us from Evil' delivers on the evil in spades, but it all ends up seeming pretty pointless. Yes, nihilism is a thing, but even nihilism needs an impetus in human behaviour. It's a shame, because everything else is so well executed.