The Deliverance fails to frighten
Streaming Movie Review - Horror - Netflix
The first horror novel I ever read was William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist, and the first horror movie I ever watched was The Omen, so possession horror holds a special place in my heart. I like the way that possession can be a stand-in for different personal, societal, or religious ills. And it generally has some of the gnarliest-looking visual elements. Lee Daniels hasn’t worked in this genre before, but nevertheless, I was interested to see his take in the new Netflix film, The Deliverance.
Ebony (Andra Day) and her mother Alberta (Glenn Close) move into a rental home in Pittsburgh, PA, with Ebony’s three children, Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins), Nate (Caleb McLaughlin), and Shante (Demi Singleton). Ebony is struggling with alcoholism, which leads to abusive behavior with her children and regular visits from child welfare officer Cynthia (Mo’Nique). But when Cynthia asks about the strange behavior that the children are exhibiting at school, Ebony has no explanation. Ebony catches Andre sleepwalking, and he tells her about his imaginary friend Trey. Eventually, Ebony realizes that she needs to turn to Rev. Bernice James (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) to help save her family.
Horror movies can work if some of the characters are unlikeable, but there has to be at least someone who you can connect with, and this movie just doesn’t have that character. The film is almost two hours long, and the real haunting doesn’t start until nearly an hour in. Still, despite all of the stabs at character development, there is never enough to actually let you feel like you know why they’re in the position that they’re in or why we should care about this family in any meaningful way. There’s a dinner scene at the front of the movie, and after an hour, nothing else is developed beyond what’s revealed in that five-minute scene.
While it’s hard to classify these performances, they are certainly all intense. Day, Close, and Mo’Nique all go for it with their characters, but it’s hard to know if they achieve “it” because the “it” seems hazily defined. The kids are great, but despite being the main targets for the demons, they get very little screen time.
It’s disappointing because this film could have worked as a fascinating exploration of family trauma and the way that addiction can be a demon that needs to be wrestled with. But while that aspect looms large over the movie, it’s never addressed in any kind of thoughtful way. There is some great body horror that happens in the third act, but by the time that finally rolls around, there’s a good chance the audience has already checked out.
Lee Daniels said that in The Deliverance, his goal was not to make the audience jump out of their seat but to scare people into finding their faith. Ebony is forced into that position in this film, but as someone who wasn’t obligated by the script, that was not my experience.
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on August 31, 2024.