After viewing the surprisingly effective teaser trailer for The Deliverance, a hesitance in embracing yet another exorcism or demon possession type movie would be understandable. Over the years, we have been inundated by that subgenre of horror to the point of exhaustion. However, this one is notably different in many ways. For starters, it marks a reunion between director Lee Daniels and two of his superstar performers in Andra Day and Mo’Nique. For another, Glenn Close plays her best role in years as a trashy grandmother going through chemo. Claiming to be based on the true story of Latoya Ammons and the “200 Demon House,” the concept alone will simply chill viewers to the bone. A disturbing exorcism movie with a modern twist, Daniels presents a bold vision of black horror elevated by its sensational cast in The Deliverance.
Ebony Jackson (Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday) and her family move to a new home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 2011. This includes: sassy religious white grandmother Alberta (Close, 101 Dalmatians); wise-beyond-his-years teenager Nate (Caleb McLaughlin, Stranger Things); middle child and family defender Shante (Demi Singleton, King Richard); and Dre (Anthony B. Jenkins, Never Let Go), the lactose intolerant youngest of the bunch. Interestingly enough, the father of the children is frequently spoken about, yet never materializes onscreen. Almost immediately, a fight over too much garlic in the dinner food establishes Ebony as a single parent with attitude, and a severe drinking problem. She constantly argues with and curses at Alberta, who at least tries to make an effort with the children. They do admittedly seem ungrateful at times, as their mother works herself to the bone to make sure they have a roof over their heads in spite of relentless phone calls from debt collectors.
The truth, thankfully, is much more complicated. While Ebony clearly cares about her children, she cannot stay away from alcohol. Weird occurrences begin to happen in their new home that would make any sane person run for the hills. Rancid smells, flies everywhere, Dre banging his head against doors… as the erratic behavior of the children grows more outlandish by the day, Ebony continues to find her escape at the bottom of a bottle. Mo’Nique’s Cynthia, the DCS officer assigned to Ebony, makes a grand entrance in shades and a polka dot dress. She means business—seeing this Oscar-winner playing a polar opposite to her Precious character feels like a stroke of genius in the casting department. As expected, Mo’Nique devours the role, as Cynthia attempts to determine whether the bruises all over the children are cause for them to be snatched away. Eventually, a vital piece of Cynthia’s backstory recontextualizes how much she actually cares for the work she does. It makes sense that she would be so committed, following Ebony from place to place to ensure the troubled woman keeps following the rules.
At school, all three children act out, leading people to question whether the behavior only occurs to please Ebony, or if something sinister actually lords over them. Alberta turns to church for the answers. Can the bruises be easily explained away? Is Ebony really that terrible of a mother, or is she just being gaslit to appear so? A satisfying amount of eerie moments are peppered throughout, as the dramatic tension builds to a thunderous crescendo. We root for this family to survive despite whatever hellish odds are stacked against them. A strange woman follows them around too—is she an associate of Cynthia, or does Bernice (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, King Richard) have a more sinister agenda? Ebony ultimately must face off with the ugly evil at the heart of her new home.
Daniels utilizes jarring violin music as the score, adding that extra edge of tension to the fast-paced storyline. Very twisted visuals, especially in The Deliverance‘s final act, justify the horror elements of the narrative. However, the best scenes are always the dramatic ones that allow his assembled masterclass of actresses to do their thing. Each moment between Alberta and Ebony feels charged with electricity, given their complex history with one another. Who would ever look at Glenn Close and think she would make a great New Jersey-esque villainess? If anything, Close has proven before she can fleet in and out of completely different types of characters—those eight Oscar nominations highlight works from an icy psychopath in Fatal Attraction, to a female English butler living as a man in Albert Nobbs. The biggest weight to carry lies at the body-twisting feet of Andra Day. Mostly known as a Grammy-winning singer, she soared in 2021’s The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Here, Day goes to a different place entirely, smothered in her family’s monetary problems while unable to face her own internal struggles. Day excels even in the sillier moments, delivering a ferocious and unforgettable turn that sits amongst my favorites of the year.
A unique script from Daniels (The Paperboy), David Coggeshall (Orphan: First Kill), and Elijah Bynum (Hot Summer Nights) slowly weaves in generational trauma, religious overtones, and facing one’s literal demons. Whilst its metaphors may be a bit obvious and heavy handed at times, they still make for gripping emotional complexity and piercingly powerful messaging. As far as the true story of it all is concerned, I was impressed that much of the sensationalism and vivid detail remains intact, albeit with most details switched around or altered entirely. Anyone who knows about the so-called Demon House should expect freakiness from the entity held within. Armed with a divisive final act, The Deliverance will not be for everyone, but it is certainly a potent horror debut from Lee Daniels.
Experience the raw religious power of The Deliverance, now playing in select theaters and coming to Netflix on Friday, August 30th.
