Welcome to the world of international staggered release dates!
It seems to me that its a more natural fit over here than there.
How much control do you get over the release of your films?
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The marketing of my movies is something I have no control over!
I usually am shown things, to give input beforehand.
Some directors get really involved with that, but its not what I do.
I dont know anything about marketing, its not my skill set!
Summer dates lend themselves to a certain kind of horror film.
They can do well in early to mid summer.
But this is certainly a darker, creepier, noir-ish movie.
So perhaps that wasnt the best date for it, but we did okay.
Would you describe Deliver Us From Evil as a horror film?
Because Im not sure I would.
No, no, I definitely wouldnt.
Nor would the audience.
And it was unanimous that it was a thriller.
Obviously, a supernatural thriller.
Ive read some of the responses to the film.
There seems to be the painting of a target on your back by implying a true story.
People tend to believe fictional stories and disbelieve non-fiction.
How do you approach that?
Do you think theres inevitable scepticism that comes with things that are said to be based around something true?
Critics, reviewers and bloggers are a little tired of that.
The criticism of my movie was incredibly lazy in my opinion.
First of all because we didnt say it was a true story.
We didnt say it was based on a story.
We said it was inspired by true events, because it was!
And theres nothing about that thats at all misleading.
Its not what I would done, but I dont really get involved in that.
I really appreciate that Sony Pictures let me make the movie I wanted.
And I trust them to market the movie in the way they think they should market it.
you might hear in my tone and my words an irritation in this.
Reviewers and critics needs to not take films the way theyre marketed.
Am I going mad?
Youve talked in the past that with Sinister, you had 100% final cut on a film.
I think afterThe Day The Earth Stood Still, I really stopped thinking strategically about my career.
Even before I wrote the script!
Thats a very rare position to be in.
WithDeliver Us From Evil, it was very much the movie that I wanted to make.
Was it the same idea here?
Was the discomfort inherent in this story that drew you to it?
No, not at all.
Emotionally I had very different feelings and motivations for doing the movie.
Its shrouded in complete mystery.
It made me so uncomfortable, and I thought that would make a good part of the movie.
Hes playing the real guy.
Thats who he is, in the same way that he played Chopper the way the real Chopper is.
To me it was an interesting guy.
Broken and volatile, a really difficult guy, who was drawn into wanting to help people.
Theres more violence and crimes in this precinct than anywhere else in the country.
And Sarchie was out there, every night undercover, stopping crime.
I just thought that guy himself was interesting.
And also the genre blending.
Theres a genre mishmash quality to it that I found invigorating.
It was something that I certainly wanted to see.
Im a huge Eric Bana fan, and I loved him in this.
I think a lot of his work is underrated.
His Hulk movie is one of my favourite comic book films.
I think that what he particularly deserves credit for is his ability to play these larger than life characters.
Chopper and Ralph Sarchie…Black Hawk Down.
These operatic characters, he can somehow play them in a way that feel real.
Because he does his homework and prepares too.
I just think hes a great actor, and a terrific guy.
He did a Curtis Hanson film that I didnt love, but loved him in it.
Lucky You…
Yeah, yeah.
How far down the road did you get with it?
And was it your involvement with Doctor Strange that ended that?
It was getting involved inDoctor Strange.
We made really good progress on that script, and its an incredible property.
It was a really positive process that was going on, and it was a little heartbreaking.
Getting on Doctor Strange, this was the biggest downside of it.
The fact that I needed to step offDeus Ex.
I couldnt expect them to wait for two years for me.
Ive got other things that Im doing and writing.
I think Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom is one of the best examples of this.
Does that kind of thing hold any temptation for you?
That you make a film that pushes a few buttons for a younger audience as well?
Yeah, it does.
My kids are getting older now.
Theyre both boys theyre really starting to get interested in gothic storytelling, and theyve always loved Halloween.
My youngest was playing around in a Chucky costume two days ago!
The full costume, the full outfit.
Theyve not seen horror.
They havent even seen a horror film for kids, theyre still a bit young for that.
But I think that finding a piece of material for that pre-teen and early-teen audience in horror…?
They have seenClose Encounters, and Spielbergs scene in there of the young boy being taken is harrowing.
I feel the tension from them for that scene.
I would love to do something like that.
Id love to see it.
One last thing: I have to ask you what your favourite Jason Statham film is?
My favourite Jason Statham film?
Oh God, thats a great question.
[Thinks] Oh, easy answer.
By a long shot.The Bank Job.
Ive seen that film probably four times.
An extraordinarily well made movie on every level.
Scott Derrickson, thank you very much.
Deliver Us From Evil is in UK cinemas now.
