fertilecelluloid Review of Don't Deliver Us from Evil

Don't Deliver Us from Evil (1971)

Dark, beautiful, erotic masterpiece

[9/10 · 7 April 2006]

Dark, beautiful, erotic. Three words that barely sum up the true nature of this extraordinary tale of two young girls (Jeanne Goupil and Catherine Wagener) whose attraction to "evil" becomes a smoldering obsession. Director Joel Seria has crafted a deliberately paced exploitation masterpiece that is the thematic and sensual equal of such cinematically potent fare as "Maladolescenza" (reviewed), "To Be Twenty" (reviewed) and "Heavenly Creatures". Eager to experience as much "life" as possible, the two protagonists wreak unholy havoc in a small rural hamlet by setting fire to property, killing animals, engaging in anti-Catholic rituals, and using their naive carnal charms to seduce a string of men who all meet unfortunate fates. The seduction scenes, in particular, are very erotic, and it's unlikely they would be attempted today in this highly reactionary, less sexually permissive era. The photography, by Marcel Combes, is stunning, and reminded me of the night sequences in Richard Blackburn's "Lemora, A Child Tale of the Supernatural"; also, the hypnotic musical score, by Claude Germain and Dominique Ney, turns everything to poetry. One of the best films ever made about the attraction of the dark, it is a brilliant achievement both for its dream-like atmosphere and thematic courage of its convictions. The final scene, which possesses both an inevitable element of tragedy and considerable shock value, is wonderful.