There’s a reason why 2014’sDeliver Us From Eviluses the tagline “Inspired by the actual accounts of an NYPD sergeant” instead of “based on.” Although the film features the real-life NYPD sergeant and demonologist, Richie Sarchie (played in the movie byEric Bana), the majority of the storyline is entirely fictional. The film is not only inspired by the real-life figure of Sarchie but also by his non-fiction book,Beware the Night, which recounts the grisly details of the paranormal cases he encountered during his career. DirectorScott Derricksontruly pushed the limits of “based on a true story” and littered many elements of Sarchie’s real accounts of supernatural cases in the largely fictional film. Thronging together the more interesting elements of completely unrelated cases, the plot of the film is largely fabricated yet also riveting, to Derrickson’s credit.
Deliver Us From Evilfollows Sarchie’s spiritual awakening as he follows up on seemingly separate calls and witnesses bizarre cases. Throughout the film, he gradually begins connecting each case together and eventually discovers they have demonic roots. This culminates with a gripping and chaotic exorcism scene, releasing the perpetrator from the clutches of a demon and pushing Sarchie to confess his sins and return to religion. But by the end of the film, we are left wondering: which parts were real?
Deliver Us from Evil
New York police officer Ralph Sarchie investigates a series of crimes. He joins forces with an unconventional priest, schooled in the rites of exorcism, to combat the possessions that are terrorizing their city.
Who Is Ralph Sarchie From ‘Deliver Us From Evil’?
Deliver Us From Evilstays true to who Sarchie is: an NYPD Special Ops sergeant who worked in the 46th precinct in the South Bronx for almost two decades until he retired in 2004. Like in the film, Sarchie wasn’t really religiously devout growing up, but in his book, he recounts how he became more drawn to Christianity after his marriage and eventually started studying demonology after hours. His work as a police officer and a demonologist slightly overlapped, but it wasn’t until after his retirement he fully dedicated his time to what he called “The Work” in his book (viaThe Week). He describes himself as a “committed Christian” in his book, claiming that his mission is to “bust the Devil and his demons.” As such, both his police work and exorcism work lends to that philosophy.
As a demonologist, Sarchie claims to have done 25 exorcisms and “hundreds” of house exorcisms — this number was last confirmed in aUSA Todayinterview in 2014and may have risen since then. Sarchie actually kept tapes of the exorcisms, which Derrickson describes as “horrifying” toUSA Today, but doesn’t showcase them as he offers “strict confidentiality” for his clients. His book also stresses the fact that his spiritual work is a “calling” and that he has never charged once for his efforts. While he completed his duties as a sergeant with a heavy hand and a practical mindset, Sarchie was completely anti-science in his spiritual line of work, ridiculing parapsychologists for their “cameras and gauss meters instead of holy water and relics.”
The character of Sarchie is the most accurate and true-to-life detail in the film. In aninterview with Complex, Derrickson recounts how he refused to progress withDeliver Us From Evilwithout Sarchie’s blessing. Although the storyline was fact and fiction blended together, the character and essence of Sarchie were a significant component for Derrickson. “It’s the real Ralph Sarchie, how he thinks, how he talks, what he does, how he’s changed as a person as a result of the stuff he does,” Derrickson says. “Who he is and what matters to him as a copy and demonologist, which is what he describes himself as, he felt that I got a lot of it right.“Sarchie himself told Colliderabout his role on set, ensuring the portrayal of his beliefs was accurate, and that all police procedures were followed.
Is Father Medoza a Real Person in ‘Deliver Us From Evil?’
Speaking of real people, the unorthodox and compelling priest, Father Mendoza (Edgar Ramirez), is actually a fictional amalgamation of two real-life religious figures: Bishop Robert McKenna and Father Malachi Martin (gleaned from his book viaScreenrant). InDeliver Us From Evil, Father Mendoza is critical in Sarchie’s understanding of the spiritual and demonic forces at play in his case. He is introduced as the priest of the family of Jane Crenna (Olivia Horton), a woman who threw her toddler in a moat surrounding a lion enclosure and showed clear signs of possession. Father Mendoza guides Sarchie through the types of evil and the mechanics of an exorcism, catalyzing Sarchie’s interest in demonology.
Father Mendoza was inspired by two well-known individuals who were both mentors to Sarchie. Robert Mckenna was a bishop and exorcist whose cases were featured in the 1991 film,The Haunted. He worked closely with many well-regarded demonologists, including psychic researchersEdandLorraine Warren, famous for the cases presented inThe ConjuringandThe Amityville Horror. Father Malachi Martin has an impressive resume as a priest, exorcist, writer, biblical archeologist, paleographer, and professor. He is known for his book,Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Living Americans,where he chronicles the exorcisms he performed and assisted with.
How Much of ‘Deliver Us From Evil’ Is True?
Elements of individual and unrelated cases appear in the film, but they are strung together to create a larger case that did not happen. The first case described in Sarchie’s book (via The Week) was “The Halloween Horror,” involving a mother who heard her dead father’s voice and eerie sounds from the basement, details used in the Alberghetti family’s case in Belmont where the first body was found. Similarly, Sarchi also had a case where the victim’s forehead split open during an exorcism, echoing the more exaggerated cut in antagonist Mick Santino’s (Sean Harris) head during the film’s intense final exorcism. These kinds of details were extracted from Sarchie’s cases and incorporated subtly into the storyline. However, the entire premise of the case, including the interconnectedness, is fictional.
Interestingly, Sarchie’s “Radar” was based on a real instinct the sergeant had every time an evil presence was near. In the film, Sarchie’s “Radar” allows him to identify calls that would be more “exciting” and dangerous, to the benefit of his adrenaline-seeking partner, Butler (Joel McHale). As described in his book, the real Sarchie reportedly got a splitting headache in his temple whenever he spiritually sensed an evil presence nearby. A couple of other altered facts are: Sarchie did not murder a child assaulter in cold blood, Sarchie’s daughter’s stuffed owl was not possessed and Sarchie also had a connection to the infamous Warrens, according toclips from a short online Sarchie documentary. During his demonological studies, Sarchie actually contacted Lorraine Warren to express his admiration and found out that one of her associates lived two blocks down from him. With both of them considering this as a spiritual sign, Sarchie partnered up with Joe Forrester and continued his spiritual work alongside him.
Deliver Us From Evilis available to stream on Netflix.
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