Lee Daniels’ newest supernatural horror, “The Deliverance,” makes a different kind of impression. His sixth film is told through the eyes of Ebony (played by Andra Day), a single mother working to make ends meet. She moves her three children — Shante (Demi Singleton), Nate (Caleb McLaughlin), and Dre (Anthony B. Jenkins) — into a scarily vacant house in Pittsburgh.
While the film initially presents the home itself as a horror-filled demonic chamber, it becomes apparent that the family has a few dark secrets of their own. In most media, a film’s heroine is the audience’s champion. An underdog they relate to and root for against all else. Ebony is a drunk with a penchant for breaking the law and the kids resent her for it. She’s steadfast in her willingness to discipline them, often with a raised hand. Her mother Alberta, chastises her and worries for the children. The demons in the house aren’t the only ones to be fought.
Still, Daniels makes his intention clear, underneath the terrifying ploys that don’t read all that scary. The real fear is in the environment. Ebony’s life is a blend of a very specific kind of oppression; even when society won’t allow it, she’s a victim. The flies that overtake her basement, creepy mumblings, and blank stares from her children, frighten her as they should, but no more than the threat of her kids being taken away. A threat made real by DCS worker Cynthia Henry (Mo’Nique).
The climax reveals the devil has complete control, making its way through the children, and finally in Ebony herself. She challenges this imposter, and after a few minutes of some chilling possessive speech, Ebony returns to herself. The film is not without its poking of societal discrepancies, the hallmark of a Lee Daniels creation. It may not have been as fearful as it intended, but the cast creates moments to believe in, glimpses of true panic, and eventually reconciliation.
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