The Deliverance | Scary New Netflix Movies

The Deliverance opens with the camera panning across a wall featuring art. The visuals are used to describe events in whatever context they proclaim to show. The story, pivotal to a young boy, is etched out symbolically following along with what looks like his family unit. There is a male adult, a female adult, an older girl, and a younger boy. The young boy is smiling and holding one hand each.

Soon, the drawings grow darker and more ominous but less clear with their intentions. The clues are vague. There is the silhouette of a man at the top of the stairs. There are little boys with looks of terror in the dark.

Then it becomes clear that the family being drawn is the family about to be introduced. The young boy is the artist and is first shown drawing a new mural on a new wall. On-screen, we are only allowed to see what filmmakers want us to see. It’s effective and does a good job of keeping the mysteries at bay.

Andre shares a room with his brother and sister, Shante.

Mom Ebony is on and off the wagon, but currently and historically quite physical with her kids. Everyone is doing it tough.

Is The Deliverance Based On A Real Story?

The Deliverance wants you to believe it’s based on a true story. There are links to the case of Latoya Ammons which is a real news event. Latoya moved with her family into a Gary, Indiana, rental home in 2011. It was her children that sparked the cause for alarm when things got extremely creepy. At her wit’s end, she commissioned a priest who came in to do an exorcism. After that, the house was knocked down.

If you’re interested in the documentary, “Demon House” and more about the original family, visit this link on Wikipedia.

Here in the Lee Daniels-directed supernatural horror movie, the film aims for the origin story in a similar setup. In The Deliverance, there is still a dysfunctional family stemming from a mother’s alcohol addiction. Her family, each suffering not from ghostly apparitions, but from the anger, guilt, and hatred, reprised from their situation.

Or is it?

The CGI antics of bed thrashing, wall crawling and swearing gives evidence the real story might be true.

Quote from The Deliverance Film 2024

“I need forgiveness for my sins. But I also need deliverance from the power of sin. I need forgiveness for what I have done. But I also need deliverance from what I am.”

The Deliverance hooks you in with a strong opening. There’s a compelling narrative to be uncovered between the original story, the documentary, and this production.

By delving into the psychological impacts on the Ammons family and exploring the likely consequences of prolonged trauma, this could have been a better film. Instead, The Deliverance film trudges back down the road of generic scares.

A dead blackbird in the yard appears first. Flies frequently appear in the basement too. Then comes the sporadic sleepwalking. Andre begins going on a nightly bender. The scenes are far from frightening. For most of the film, the likelihood of a mother who doesn’t have it all together being the source of all events, becomes a more plausible theory.

However, The Deliverance isn’t interested in providing a logical scenario. Instead, it sends all three kids into supernatural overdrive. Movie lovers looking forward to an exorcism hit, will be mildly satisfied.

Written by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum, the story flips over, brings in an extremely unconvincing supernatural expert (Rev Bernice James, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), and falls into a textbook exorcism story.

The Deliverance is many things, but its beats are weirdly paced. Over coffee between Ebony and Rev Bernice James, we learn everything about the house’s history. Who Andre’s imaginary friend turns out to be is glossed over quickly, and what the spirit wants doesn’t seem all that convincing.

At the same time, the only thing I was enjoying about The Deliverance got killed off. Starring Glenn Close, her moment of demise was when my interest began to waver. It’s not that the other cast members are bad, it’s just they aren’t given much to work with.

In a catchcry heard from many different critics about how The Deliverance is put together, the supernatural elements are the films biggest disappointment. They aren’t bad. They’re just uninteresting.

Andra Day, as Ebony is a stark reminder, that there are scarier things than what might be in the basement in the dark.

The Deliverance is rated

2 weak exorcism movies out of 5

Directed by Lee Daniels (Precious 2009) | Written by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum

Starring Andra Day, Glenn Close, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Mo’Nique.

The Deliverance 2024 Trailer

For a similar film to the Deliverance, watch The Pope’s Exorcist or The Exorcism next.

For a better movie about an imaginary friend watch Z or Imaginary.