From The First Omen to Immaculate, demonic possession horror movies are having a moment, though the subgenre arguably never really went out of style. This summer, writer-director Lee Daniels (Precious, The United States vs. Billie Holiday) debuts his first foray into horror with The Deliverance. The film, co-written by David Coggeshall (Orphan: First Kill) and Elijah Bynum (Magazine Dreams), is loosely based on the true story of the Ammons family in Gary, Indiana (which was also covered in Zak Bagans’ 2014 documentary Demon House).
Looking for a fresh start, single mother Ebony Jackson (Andra Day) moves into a new house with her three kids, Nate (Caleb McLaughlin), Shante (Demi Singleton), and Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins), and her ill mother Alberta (Glenn Close). Ebony struggles day-to-day with her sobriety, keeping up with bills, and the lifelong tumultuous relationship she has with Alberta.
Not long after they move into the new house, they start to experience the typical happenings associated with hauntings/demonic infestations — swarms of flies, random noises, shadowy figures, etc. Andre, the youngest, is the first to begin acting strange but his bizarre behavior is soon followed by the more violent outbursts of his teenage brother, Nate.
Given Ebony’s history of alcoholism and addiction, the kids’ strange behavior and unexplained bruises point to an unstable household, not a supernatural force taking over their souls. This makes surprise visits from Department of Children’s Services social worker Cynthia Henry (Mo’Nique) all the more tense and antagonistic. Her hostile, expletive-laced interactions with Ebony and Alberta get tiring really fast.
The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast of award winners and nominees, so it’s no surprise that the acting is the highlight of the film. Alberta is a surprising role for Close, but she fully embraced the “gangster white lady” archetype and made it her own without being too over the top. Day is believable as a mom frustrated beyond belief that doctors and social workers aren’t taking her seriously. It’s hard enough for her to wrap her mind around her children being possessed, let alone convincing doctors and nurses.
McLaughlin, in particular, delivers a great performance, seamlessly cycling between an angry, traumatized teen to someone terrified by his violent actions he has no control over. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor plays an important role in the story as Rev. Bernice James, an apostle stepping in to perform an exorcism (or deliverance) instead of the usual Catholic priest.
Although The Deliverance is marketed as a horror film, it’s more of a faith-based family drama with some thriller and horror elements that mostly appear in the latter half of the film. The horror genre allows creative ways to explore important themes, which this film tries to do. However, there are too many themes at play — generational trauma, addiction, abuse, faith, poverty, single parenthood — which makes the possession feel more like a major inconvenience rather than the truly terrifying ordeal that it should be.
Director of photography Eli Arenson’s (Lamb, The Watchers) cinematography is sharp, especially the scenes with genuinely creepy imagery towards the end. Soulless black eyes and spontaneous bleeding are always unsettling. And it wouldn’t be a demonic possession film without wall-climbing and body contortion. Big kudos to Day and sound design for convincingly making it look and sound like her bones are actually cracking.
Something that a lot of haunted/possessed house movies don’t always do is explain why a family can’t immediately leave when things get scary (ex. Insidious wisely had the family move out right away even though it didn’t solve their problem). We already know that Ebony is barely getting by as it is, so simply moving out of a house they just rented isn’t a realistic option, which was the case for Latoya Ammons, the real person who inspired the character.
Similar to the infamous Enfield poltergeist case, notably depicted in The Conjuring 2, the true story of Ammons and her family was doubted by skeptics who thought their elaborate tales of levitating and climbing backward up walls (both depicted in the film) were part of a scam. However, clairvoyants believed the house was infested with over 200 demons.
While I think the real story is more interesting, I appreciate that Daniels tried something new and opted to tell a more human story beyond the skeptic vs. believer aspect, even though the result didn’t appeal to me personally.
The Deliverance tackles multiple themes as a family drama but offers little horror or suspense when it comes to the demonic possession at the center of the narrative. Despite its stellar cast and intriguing take on the possession subgenre, the film tries to do too many things at once and doesn’t maintain a captivating story.
This isn’t a film I’d recommend to most horror fans. However, it’s worthy of a casual watch if you’re looking for something a little different when it comes to exorcisms and religion-focused horror movies.
The Deliverance hits select theaters on August 16, 2024, and begins streaming on August 30 on Netflix.
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