Deliver Us from Evil
User Score
8.6 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 23
  3. Negative: 2 out of 23

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  1. Bill
    Jun 8, 2009
    9
    This is often an extremely difficult film to watch, especially if (like me) you're a parent. After years of reading about clergy sexual abuse in the church I expected mainly to be appalled by the bottomless narcissism of the central figure, Oliver O'Grady. And I was. However, the institutional evil that saturates the hierarchy all the way to the top of the Vatican seems an order of magnitude more chilling. Deposition footage of the Bishop of the Diocese of L.A. and a Monsignor there makes one believe he is looking at Satan incarnate. I did not sleep well after watching this. A very important documentary for everyone to see. It's perhaps the best horror film made in years.… Expand
  2. VeraAA
    Oct 13, 2006
    9
    I must say this movie was disturbing, real, powerful, moving and brilliant. Although it was somewhat slow and repetitive it was still unbelievable to get a real life look at the ignored crime of Catholic Clergy Sexual abuse and child molestation. The most powerful story is that of two parents among other adults in the film, whose daughter was sexually abused by a varied victim madman. The story of there horror and the pain that they struggle with is so indescribably moving and superb. The effects that the news had on them of there daughter being abused is stunning. This movie is truly brilliant Grade A for a documentary. The man behind the crime should be jailed for life to bring true justice to the many female and male victims and the crime should be acknowledged by the Catholic Church and worldwide. This is a big step in decreasing the amount of sexual abuse in church related manner.… Expand
  3. KristenS.
    Oct 18, 2006
    10
    Thank God. This movie will reach believers to hopefully cry for their church to be better, hold itself to higher standards and serve the people -- not its own interests. I'm so thankful to those with the courage to speak up. Their victimization by those perpetuating this evil (within the church) needs to be stopped. It starts by talking about it and the priests and church to be accountable to those they took an oath to God to serve.… Expand
  4. SamS
    Oct 13, 2006
    9
    This movie may bee too long and may have some unpowerful content amount its brilliant script, profound characters, and heart throbbing moments. But its brilliant and messy powerful pizzazz makes it a documentary classic. It is both stunning and powerful. It takes you into the mind of a confessing madman and gives you a in-depth look at the life that his once young victims now live.
  5. SaraK.
    Jun 23, 2007
    9
    Just watch this movie, its unbelievable! I have never felt SO bad for anybody as I did for the victims and their families.
  6. cabrita
    Jun 14, 2012
    10
    It is more powerful and haunting then any horror film. More suspenseful then a thriller. More thought provoking then an art film. It is simply amazingly powerful. It ranks with the best documentarys of all time. Every person in the catholic church should watch this film and act on it
  7. Nesbitt10
    Feb 16, 2013
    9
    There is no dancing around the way "Deliver Us From Evil" unfolds. The spellbinding power of this Oscar nominee for best documentary comes from its chilling subject matter a notorious pedophile priest and the case that director Amy Berg--makes for a cover-up of his heinous acts by the Roman Catholic hierarchy in California. Her approach is not sensationalistic. She does not step in front of the camera--she lets O'Grady and the victims speak for themselves. She uses archival interviews and depositions to obtain testimony from others, like Cardinal Mahoney. She uses the comments of Father O' Doyle to put everything in perspective. Simply put, jaw-dropping. An incriminating examination of betrayal in the trust of the Catholic Priesthood accompanied by gross negligence of those in authority. Father O' Grady, a serial pedophile, was relocated around Northern California in the 1970's by the Catholic church fully aware of his predilection for over 30 years and continued to allow him to abuse countless children. Filmaker Amy Berg masterfully exposes how deep this corruption is rooted. The sequence in witch the victims are embracing each other before they set off on a fruitless attempt to get a sympathetic ear from the Vatican a bit melodramatic. Still, that takes the action to where it properly belongs, As Berg, armed with anguished testimony from the families of the abused and their lawyers, seamlessly presents indisputable evidence that the Church knew about O'Grady's activities-- and moved him from parish to parish, simply to avoid public scandal and the sabotaging of highly placed careers.

    Present day, walking around the streets of Dublin, O' Grady peers into schoolyards with an interest that can only appear perverse after what's been revealed about him. He seems so removed from his crimes--that he could be an actor playing the part of a pedophile ex-priest. It's almost incomprehensible to hear him talk about his sexual urges the sight of children in swimsuits turned him on. That he agreed to appear in "Deliver Us From Evil", is an indication not just of an oversized ego, but also a failure to comprehend how he will be perceived--and what he has actually done. Father O' Grady walks freely today in Ireland--not even registered as a sex offender. Father O'Grady will start receiving interest from an annuity purchased in his name by his former employer. The film alleges that it is hush money, offered in return for O'Grady not testifying against Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, who, while bishop in Stockton in the 1980s, shuttled the priest from one parish to another every time an abuse accusation was made, allegedly out of fear that if the truth came out--the bishop would never rise in the ranks. Watching this documentary, and especially the interviews with O'Grady, is so much more disturbing than any piece of fiction could ever be. This is a real monster victimizing children, and it was allowed to go on by a group that was claiming to do God's work.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 23 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Sheri Linden
    80
    With an immediacy and intimacy that news reports can't provide, this deeply affecting documentary explores the pedophile crisis that has shaken the edifice of the Catholic Church.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Robert Koehler
    80
    So harsh and damning is the pic toward the current Catholic leadership -- personified by Los Angeles-based Cardinal Roger Mahony, who oversaw O'Grady's stewardship at various central California parishes in the 1970s and '80s, that charges the church operates "like the Mafia" sound spot-on.
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  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Ella Taylor
    80
    Berg by no means excuses Father O'Grady, but she offers evidence of a devastating childhood that explains his pathology. For the ambitious creeps who allowed him to indulge it, and who still sit in office, there's no excuse.
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