Deliver Us mixes nun and pregnancy horror. At least, that is what it sounds like it is going to do. When a nun (Maria Vera Ratti) in a remote convent claims immaculate conception, the Vatican sends a team of priests to investigate. They soon learn of an ancient prophecy that tells of the birth of twin boys; one the Messiah and one the Antichrist.
The gory opening sets the stage for audiences. There is going to be a lot of blood, plenty of tropes, and some jump scares. Deliver Us provides plenty of gruesome moments for gore hounds and its early moments never go too long before something leaps out of the shadows. Early on, it seems directors Lee Roy Kunz and Cru Ennis are going to strictly follow a formula.
The hideously scarred villain is introduced in the cold open and the handsome priest (also played by Kunz) that only exists in the movies is first met shortly after. Naturally, he is skeptical about the nun’s claims, but in a change of pace, he believes wholly in his religion. The end is nigh plot is what would be expected from this type of film, though.
It does not take long for Deliver Us to become something different, however. It moves away from pregnancy horror to focus on a paranoid atmosphere and prophecies of doom. That is par for the course for the sub-genre, but it plays out differently here. It is a jarring feeling; at first, there is a sense of “now what?”. Other times, the story feels like it has introduced too many characters giving a somewhat aimless feeling.
The feeling of dread remains constant throughout. Father Fox begins to question everything that is happening as his dreams become more confusing and dangerous. As things progress, Deliver Us relies less on sudden frights and fosters distrust. The lack of a strong villain is noticeable, but the methodical take on nun horror is a nice change of pace.
Deliver Us will be available in theaters and VOD September 29
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