Don't Deliver Us from Evil (1971) (2025)

Popular reviews

• Review by Sean Baker 1

  This film has been in my queue for awhile. Known for the French film that was banned in France... due to its anti religion bias. I was expecting standard nunsploitation fare but it ends up being something very different. I didn't realize until watching the DVD extras that this was based on the the Parker-Hulme case in New Zealand... the same case that inspired Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures! Who knew that there was an earlier film version... I certainly did not. Very different take but the image of two schoolgirls (one blonde, one brunette) running through the woods holding hands is very reminiscent of Jackson's film.

  Impressive debut of actor/writer Joel Seria. Most definitely playing up the erotica but also…

• Review by 🎃 c h r i s 🎃 ★★★★ 10

  it’s better when you’re dead. dig a ditch, dig it deep

  mesmerizing in its unholiness, blasphemy and feminine innocence turned angst but also bewildering at the eagerness our two female leads were in renouncing Jesus and dedicating their lives to devil-worship, out of boredom and rebellion against society and the Catholic Church. the girls create a fantasy world of their own, killing and sinning in the name of Satan; Don’t Deliver Us from Evil is loosely based off the Parker/Hulme murders, something Peter Jackson tackled in Heavenly Creatures, which wasn’t nearly as sleazy and perverse as this, but both films managed to heighten how powerful the girls friendship turned infatuation became towards one another.
  the French in the 70s were…

• Review by Ian West ★★★★ 2

  Natural Born Sinners.

  Don’t Deliver Us from Evil is a depraved coming of age story of friendship steeped in satanic vows, cruel intentions, forbidden books, and a macabre atmosphere—which was just what I was in the mood for. It’s sleazier than it is violent, controversial for its time, and if you ask me it still packs quite a punch when it comes to how real the two girls’ friendship felt, as well their evolution into the world of cruelty and perversion—the dark and the wicked… Heavenly Creatures.

  Hopefully this gets a nice remaster one day… fingers crossed!

• Review by Gentry ★★★½

  “To sin has become our chief aim.”

  Two flowers of evil. An accurate depiction of the sort of sin born out of youthful boredom. Idle hands, the devil’s plaything. You know the phrase. Immature lust turned perverse, but also, beauty in a friendship so close it’s beyond blood, beyond hell’s fire.

  “We shall be together forever.”

• Review by jasmin 🌙 ★★★★ 2

  Hooptober X: Ten-Tastic Terror 👻

  Film 3/31
  Country: France
  Satan/Devil centered film 1/3

  Anne and Lore are two teenagers and best friends and they do best friend things together! You know, spending the summer vacay together, teasing boys, take a vow to sin and serve satan, read a book, play with animals, get others in trouble.. don't deliver them from evil!

  Oh, the French. How I adore them. This was fun. It is fun and scary to see how innocent the girls are able to act and just how unscrupulous they are, laughing joyfully as they keep doing fucked up shit. It's an unholy coming of age story that will either make you confess all your sins or embrace the…

• Review by J. K. ★★½

  Blasphemous to it's very core, and difficult to watch for a multitude of reasons. The most of which is it's blatant sexualization of young women (although the actresses are of age, the characters they're portraying are not). It almost plays like a satanic/anti-catholicism version of Daisies. There is no doubt that it is effective in its ability to shock the audience. Which is what good horror is supposed to do right?

  Yes and no... The film was banned in it's native country (France) as well as others for it's portrayal of adolescent crime and sexuality. There is a scene with animal cruelty, several rape scenes, and just a generally nihilistic vibe throughout the entire film. The reason behind it's ban…

• Review by Bob McCully ★★★½ 2

  A daring early 70's French film that tackles the same true story as Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures. Much looser in its retelling of the Parker-Hulme case, we start off with the two girls already steeped in a devious world of their own, in the league of Satan and ready to sin with wide-eyed naivete.
  As to be expected now with a Mondo Macabro release, this boasts some sophisticated execution but is also rather sleazy and edgy. If I had never seen Heavenly Creatures, I would be more inclined to give this a 4 and glue my eyes harder to the screen, but alas it's a bit on the sleepy and rapey side and would ultimately not be my go-to for this particular story.

  Still, it's a pretty damn good film and that ending was incredible. The dreamy hazy elegance, the nostalgic overtones of the voice-over, and the strong-as-fuck concept go a long way, making this a decent li'l Eurotrash obscurity.

• Review by emma ★★★★★ 1

  I love sapphic satanists

• Review by julianblair ★★★

  boxd.it/oXzTq
  Hooptober X - Films from 6 different countries

  This is a French film and it is both impressive and utterly nihilistic, so it may be a difficult watch for some ( especially parents). It is the maiden voyage for director Joel Seria and it's quite a debut.

  The story concerns two teen girls who have been sent to convent school by indifferent parents. One of the girls, Lore, seems to be regarded somewhat as a pet poodle might be in a self-consumed family, while Anne's wealthy parents are superficially kind but don't seem to be cognizant of their daughter's needs. It' a perfect storm for what follows.

  Off at Convent School the girls chafe against the legalism of the…

• Review by carolina ★★★★★

  i loved pretty much everything about this (armpit hair particularly) but these cute lil psychos need to understand the #1 rule of evil - DON'T HARM ANIMALS! NOT COOL! HUMANS ONLY

• Review by chelsea ★★★★½

  it’s better when you’re dead. dig a ditch, dig it deep. it’s better when you’re dead. dig a ditch, dig it deep.

• Review by evilbjork ★★★★

  This is like a cheap exploitation movie that accidentally transcended its genre and resulted in one of the most exciting and rebellious films of the 70s, something that many other great 70s films could also be described as. It's a shamelessly blasphemous film about two girls trying to be evil. A lot of the film feels pretty pervy, but the morals manage to stay on the right track. The ending alone turns this from a cool experience to a genuinely great one. It's a wild ride.

  Added to My Film Canon