Cop turns exorcist in horror movie
Director Scott Derrickson proves fact can be more horrific than fiction in his new paranormal movie based on a New York cop's memoir, writes Kavita Daswani
Director Scott Derrickson describes his film, Deliver Us from Evil, as " Serpico meets The Exorcist".
A good old-fashioned movie that combines violent crime and supernatural horror, it is based on Beware the Night, a 2001 book by former New York policeman Ralph Sarchie and journalist Lisa Collier Cool that tells how the 26-year NYPD veteran was pulled into the bizarre world of demonic possession and exorcism.
The real Ralph Sarchie ... is foul-mouthed, hardcore, volatile. He's a lapsed Catholic who ends up being an assistant to an exorcist
This cinematic retelling is expectedly gritty: it is set in South Bronx, New York, which - back when Sarchie was patrolling the streets - was one of the most dangerous boroughs in the entire United States. As befits reality, its protagonist is a tough nut too.
"The real Ralph Sarchie is an extremely fascinating guy," says Derrickson of the cop turned demonologist. "He is foul-mouthed, hardcore, volatile. He's a lapsed Catholic who ends up being an assistant to an exorcist."
The dramatic potential of Sarchie's story was a major draw for Derrickson, no stranger to horror films: he co-wrote and directed The Exorcism of Emily Rose in 2005, as well as 2012's Sinister. Still, Deliver Us from Evil is not a straightforward adaptation of Sarchie's tale.
