Mais ne nous délivrez pas du mal (1971)

Director:

Joël Séria

Writers:

Joël Séria (dialogue)
Joël Séria (scenario)

Release Date:

December 1971 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

At First It Was Just a Game

Plot:

Anne and Lore, neighbors and best friends, barely into their teens, board at a convent school where they have taken a vow to sin and to serve Satan...

Plot Keywords:

Convent School | Nun | Summer Vacation | Communion Wafer | Seduction

Cast

Jeanne Goupil	...	Anne
Catherine Wagener	...	Lore
Bernard Dhéran	...	L'automobiliste / Motorist
Gérard Darrieu	...	Émile
Marc Dudicourt	...	L'aumônier
Michel Robin	...	Léon
Véronique Silver	...	La comtesse / The Countess
Jean-Pierre Helbert	...	Le comte / The Count
Nicole Mérouze	...	Mme Fournier / Mrs. Fournier
Henri Poirier	...	Monsieur Fournier (as Henry Poirier)
Serge Frédéric	...	Le curé / Priest
René Berthier	...	Gustave
Frédéric Nort	...	Le facteur
Jean-Daniel Ehrmann	...	Le commissaire (as Jean Daniel Ehrmann)
Dominique Ney
Nicole Gueden
Francine Istel
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ann Lewis

Directed by
Joël Séria

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Joël Séria		dialogue
Joël Séria		scenario

Produced by
Bernard Legargeant	....	producer
Ken Legargeant	....	executive producer
Romaine Legargeant	....	executive producer
Joël Séria	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Claude Germain
Dominique Ney

Cinematography by
Marcel Combes

Film Editing by
Philippe Gosselet

Costume Design by
Simone Vassort

Sound Department
Philippe Gosselet	....	sound

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Simone Vassort	....	costumes

Production Companies

• Société Générale de Production (co-production)
• Productions Tanit

Distributors

• Antony Balch Films (1971) (UK) (theatrical)
• Dex Entertainment (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Kadokawa Herald Pictures (1972) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Dex Entertainment (2008) (Japan) (DVD)
• Mondo Macabro (2006) (USA) (DVD) (director's cut) (French language version)
• René Chateau Video (2006) (France) (DVD)
• René Chateau Video (????) (France) (VHS)
• Studio Canal (2006) (France) (DVD) (uncredited)

Also Known As:

"Don't Deliver Us from Evil" - USA (imdb display title), USA (DVD title)
"But don't deliver us from Evil" - Europe (English title) (literal title)
"E non liberarci dal male" - Italy (imdb display title)
"Fräls oss icke från ondo" - Sweden

Runtime:

102 min | USA:110 min (DVD version)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Dolby 2.0) (DVD version)

Certification:

France:-16 (re-rating) | France:(Banned) (original rating) | USA:Unrated (DVD rating) | Canada:18+ (Québec) | UK:X

Company:

Société Générale de Production

Goofs:

Continuity: During the Satanic Mass and the following Lake Scene, the two girls wear see-through dresses. During the Mass, one can easily notice that Lore is wearing black panties, but, during the Lake Scene, she evidently wears nothing under her dress.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hellish Creatures (2006) (V)

Distubing French Cult-Shocker Truly Delivers

Regarding that "Mais ne nous delivréz pas du mal" aka. "Don't Deliver Us From Evil" (1971) is a highly controversial exploitation film and cult-favorite, one might expect something somewhat different before seeing this dark gem. My hopes, however, were surpassed, and I seriously don't know why I didn't watch this gem until recently. While its controversial reputation might suggest that Joël Séria's film is a sleazy, gory and explicit slice of Exploitation, this disturbing gem of European shock cinema has a lot more to offer than mere sleaze and violence. "Don't Deliver Us From Evil" is actually a lot lower on explicit violence and sexuality than I had expected - but a masterwork of macabre atmosphere and ingenious, highly disturbing and genuinely shocking plotting.

Teenage girls Anne (Jeanne Goupil) and Lore (Catherine Wagener) are neighbours, best friends, and roommates in a strict Catholic boarding school for girls. The two have also committed themselves to sin and taken a vow to serve Satan. After beginning with playful rituals and black masses the two soon turn to more grave sins and unspeakable cruelty… The manner how these two girls carry out calculated acts of extreme cruelty is very disturbing. However, none of the other characters in the film are likable. Séria denounces the hypocrisy of the bourgeois society and the Catholic church, the men in the film are either hypocrites or potential rapists who are unable to control themselves once a young girl gets slightly flirtatious with them. Leading actresses Jeanne Goupil and Catherine Wagener are near-brilliant in their roles. Both actresses were adults when the film was made, but they look extremely young. Especially Wagener looks like fourteen, which makes the film as a whole, and the sexual scenes in particular, a lot more disturbing. Satanism always is a welcome Horror topic, and it has seldom been presented in a manner as disturbing as it is the case here. This may due to the fact that this film does not rely on typical clichés and that cruel deeds are presented with shocking sobriety, or because it's young girls who commit devilish acts here. The atmosphere is somewhat eerie and yet seems disturbingly real, the beautiful French settings and the film's haunting score increase this impression. Overall, this film is not as graphic as one might expect from what once apparently was the only film ever banned in France. This film delivers a lot more than cheap shock or graphic sleaze, it is genuinely shocking and a great viewing experience as such. Not for the faint-hearted, but a definite must for lovers of European Exploitation/Underground cinema, "Don't Deliver Us From Evil" is a viewing-experience one will certainly not forget. 8.5/10