'The Deliverance' Is A Mess Of A Movie

Glenn Close and that wig are just one (big) part of the problem.

Netflix’s “The Deliverance” is one of those films that leaves you with a lot of questions — and not in a good way. The horror movie, directed by Lee Daniels, boasts a star-studded cast that includes Andra Day, Mo’Nique, Glenn Close, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Omar Epps and Caleb McLaughlin. Tasha Smith, Demi Singleton, Miss Lawrence and impressive newcomer Anthony B. Jenkins also appear.

Much of the press around the movie notes the reunion of Daniels and Mo’Nique, who ended their yearslong feud after he publicly apologized to the Oscar-winning actor in 2022. Octavia Spencer, who was originally cast in the film, had scheduling conflicts, and Daniels asked Mo’Nique to replace her in the movie. The duo also worked together on another horror flick, “The Reading,” which was released on BET+ in 2023.

However, there’s a lot more to say about “The Deliverance.” The film is loosely based on the true story of Latoya Ammons and her three children, who claimed to be possessed by demons in Gary, Indiana, in the early 2010s. Their story — which started with flies, just like in the film — was deeply reported by The Indianapolis Star. Initially, few wanted to believe Ammons.

The plot of the film is almost just as bizarre. Set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2011, Day portrays Ebony Jackson, a struggling single mother of three kids (McLaughlin, Singleton and Jenkins) who recently moved from Philadelphia into a house haunted by an evil spirit. Close is cast as Alberta, Ebony’s churchgoing mother who, as Daniels said, personifies the white woman “every Black person knows.” She has cancer, wears a cropped mop of a wig and looooves her a young Black man. (We’ll get into more of that later.) Mo’Nique’s character, Cynthia, is a social worker who is tasked with checking in on the Jackson family since their absent father/husband has petitioned for custody of the children. Ellis-Taylor plays the Rev. Bernice James, who is determined to help the family exorcise their demons.

The horror-thriller is not particularly scary nor thrilling, but somehow we got through it all to tell you more about how absurd it is. In this chat below, we discuss what makes “The Deliverance” one of those films that you can’t believe ever made it to the screen.