The Deliverance (2024) Review: A Solid Cast Can’t Save This Disappointingly Uneven Mix of Domestic Drama and Demonic Possession Horror Thriller

The Deliverance marks the first time Lee Daniels directed a horror movie. A movie about demonic possession, to be exact. The familiar horror subgenre that has manifested the cinemas and streaming services for over half a year in 2024 alone. We already have previous releases from The First Omen to Late Night with the Devil and The Exorcism, all arrived with varying degrees of success.

In Daniels’ new movie, his first in three years since the Billie Holiday biopic The United States vs. Billie Holiday, he reunites with actress Andra Day. The latter plays single mother Ebony Jackson, who recently moved to Pittsburgh — taking place in 2011 —  with her children Nate (Caleb McLaughlin), Shante (Demi Singleton) and Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins) as well as her mother Alberta (Glenn Close). The first half of the movie focuses primarily on the domestic drama  — something that Daniels does best in dealing with the struggling, poverty-stricken family. He also brings out the best in his cast, notably Andra Day as the foul-mouthed single mum who doesn’t mince words with her kids and even her own mother. Her character also happens to be an alcoholic, which explains her volatile behaviour.

Glenn Close’s Alberta, in the meantime, is far from your average, wholesome grandmother type. She’s a born-again Christian, a chain smoker and a cancer sufferer who’s been undergoing chemotherapy. Her relationship with her daughter, Ebony isn’t on the best terms. We see them arguing and spewing profanities as they constantly don’t see things eye to eye. Despite Alberta’s health condition, she loves to strut around with her flashy wigs, heavy makeup and equally showy clothes — low-cut tops, torn jeans and all, complete with brash attitudes.

The movie also introduces another character named Cynthia (Mo’Nique, who previously worked with Daniels to her Oscar glory in 2009’s Precious). She’s a social worker from the Department of Children’s Services visiting Ebony’s home from time to time. She notices the bruises on her kids, suggesting Ebony is involved in abusing them. Her no-nonsense, supporting turn in The Deliverance is worth mentioning here.

The abusive relationship, the rocky family dynamics and Ebony’s internal struggle battling her own personal demons would have been a good, stark metaphor against the demonic possession tropes in The Deliverance. It all sounds good on paper with Daniels blending gritty domestic drama with the aforementioned subgenre.

But once the horror part finally reveals itself in the second half after spending time teasing with suggestive imagery — the mysterious bruises on Ebony’s kids, the buzzing flies, the foul smell in the dark basement, Andre’s imaginary friend, this is where Daniels falters the most. Most of the usual horror clichés are here but Daniels seems to be out of his element. He lacks the sense of timing to deliver effective scares and all the loud noises and subsequent contorted bodies barely work like they supposed to be. The possessing devil itself is hardly scary.

Then, there’s the introduction of Reverend Bernice James (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) appears later in the movie wanted to help Ebony and her family by performing a dispossession. Except it wasn’t the usual exorcism typically seen in this kind of movie. But rather what James would call “deliverance”, which serves the meaning of the title. Daniels fills his movie with both backstories surrounding why the house is possessed and Reverend Bernice James’ haunted past. He also threw in some violence and gore but as I endured watching The Deliverance in the increasingly erratic second half, it doesn’t get any better.

By the time the movie drags towards the underwhelming third act, Daniels ultimately fails to deliver on what matters the most: a much-needed visceral payoff to justify the first hour’s buildup and anticipation. It was truly a pity because The Deliverance works well in its domestic drama angle but the added demonic possession horror rears its ugly head, exposing Daniels’ glaring weakness in combining two different tones to engaging results.

The Deliverance is currently streaming on Netflix.