My wife and I watched The Deliverance (2024) on Netflix. The storyline follows a single mother with three kids who has recently moved into a new home, with her own mother also moving back in with her. As she tries to balance her new environment, finances, and the pressures imposed by her mother, something strange seems to be affecting the family. The children begin acting as if they're possessed. Can the mother hold the family together before something in the house destroys them all?
Directed by the iconic Lee Daniels (Precious), The Deliverance stars Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday), Glenn Close (Fatal Attraction), Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things), Mo'Nique (Precious), and Omar Epps (Juice).
This film felt like Lee Daniels trying to make a Jordan Peele movie and failing miserably. The first half of the film was fantastic. The family dynamics and their dire circumstances are well established, and the entire cast delivers solid performances, except for Anthony B. Jenkins, who was inconsistent. Glenn Close is magnificent in this picture and stretches her range in this odd Daniels film, nailing every scene she's in. Unfortunately, the horror elements are awful. The CGI, particularly in the hospital and basement scenes, is brutal. There are moments so bad that my wife and I couldn't help but laugh. It's hard to believe Daniels even directed the second half of this movie. The voice work for the demons is terrible, and the infusion of religious themes to "save the day" completely misses the mark. This movie is abysmal.
In conclusion, The Deliverance has a promising setup but is ruined by a poor infusion of horror elements into what could have been an engaging storyline. I would rate it a 2/10 and recommend that Daniels steer clear of the horror genre.
