Sumith Prasad
NYPD officer Ralph Sarchie encounters mysterious graffiti in several crime scenes in Scott Derrickson’s horror film ‘Deliver Us from Evil.’ He also deals with a strange paranormal presence or experience in the same places, which leads him to Father Mendoza, who unravels the mystery behind the Latin sentence: “Invocamus te vi Ingrediaris ab Inferis.” The meaning of the same helps Sarchie and Mendoza fight the demon that possessed Mick Santino, a Marine veteran who becomes a serial killer. If you are intrigued about the meaning of the same Latin words and their nuances, you are at the right place! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Gateway
The Latin sentence “Invocamus te vi Ingrediaris ab Inferis” translates to “We call upon thee [you] to enter by force from hell.” In the film, Mick Santino gets possessed by Jungler, a demon that causes havoc in New York City by turning the Marine veteran into a serial killer. Jungler is a nihilistic entity that tries to open the doors of the human world to fellow demons and other demonic entities. However, for a demon to enter the same, it should be welcomed by a human willingly or accidentally. Jungler then relies on the Latin words, written on several walls throughout the film, as the gateway to the world.
Whenever an individual reads the same Latin words, they inadvertently welcome a force from hell to the human realm. That’s how Santino lets Jungler into the world he lives in and eventually into himself. Jungler then enables other demons to follow him. By writing the words at the zoo, Jane Crenna falls victim to a demon since she must have read the graffiti at the place, as indicated by the establishment’s CCTV footage. Most likely after reading the same and welcoming a supernatural entity from hell to her life, Jane tries to kill her own child.
Similarly, the graffiti also appears on a wall in Santino’s former colleague Jimmy Tratner’s house. While investigating the veterans’ lives, Sarchie discovers the same, hidden under a fresh coat of paint. The demon that possesses Jimmy makes him subservient to Santino or Jungler in him. That’s why he fights Sarchie and his partner Butler when the two cops set out to capture Santino. Mendoza eventually has to put down Jimmy’s spirit using a cross and holy words, making the demon who possessed him powerless.
David Griggs must have killed himself after reading the same sentence. Since his autopsy reveals that he drank paint thinner without any evidence of force, he must have gotten possessed like Jane and Jimmy as well. To conclude, the sentence, “Invocamus te vi Ingrediaris ab Inferis,” acts as an opening for the evil spirits to inhabit the human world and unleash chaos. Jungler’s aim is not only the doom of people it encounters on its way but also the destruction of the realm it manages to enter through Santino.
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