As a staunch horror movie lover, one of the best lessons I've learnt is to have unwavering faith in my abilities. I say this because trials and temptations–from the people around you– may arise, but standing strong is usually a better option.
About a month ago, one of the neighbours in the temporary apartment I stayed in walked into my room and asked “wongi, have you seen the deliverance”. I hadn't so I said a casual “no” . A few seconds later, the young lady sat on the most comfortable seat in the room and began talking. “I heard the horror movie is very scary. The movie director said he was never going to produce such a scary movie again. Even one of the cast members was diagnosed with cancer after acting in the movie.” These, we're just a few of the things she said.
Naturally, my attention was piqued. Has someone finally produced a horror film that would give me proper chills? The neighbour in question strictly advised me to watch the film during the day and not at night but what sort of horror film enthusiast would I be if I saw a horror film in the morning?
With the newly acquired information, I hurriedly went on Netflix to have a blast and what I witnessed was far from a blast.
About The Movie
The film “The Deliverance” tells the tale of a family living in a haunted house in Indiana. The family discovers strange and demonic occurrences in their home shortly after moving in. The mother, Ebony Jackson, is sceptical at first but once reality sets in, she is left with the choices of either conquering the demon or losing her children to the demon haunting their home.
The horror film released on the 16th of August, 2024, is allegedly based on a true life story of a woman who lived in Indiana with her family.
The film was directed by Lee Daniels with a rotten tomatoes review of 35%; meaning 35% of critics liked the movie. One can only imagine what the other 65% thought of the movie.
Casts
This movie was a small-cast film with only a handful of characters. Some of the main characters include;
Andre Day as Ebony Jackson
In the movie, Ebony was the leading character. She played the role of an alcoholic living with three kids and her mother. Just like many alcoholics, Ebony wasn't mentally stable and wasn't financially buoyant. This naturally posed a problem.
Irrespective of her malfeasance, one thing I admired about this character was her ability to always protect her kids. She stood up for them like a mother should and always wanted the best for them.
Glenn Close as Alberta
Alberta played the role of Ebony's mother but like they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. During her youthful days, Alberta was equally an alcoholic who didn't have her life together.
Caleb McLaughlin as Nate Jackson
Nate was Ebony's first son and eldest child. For a kid with the type of mother he had, he was surprisingly very well-mannered. The more time Nate spent with his mother, the further away from her he wanted to be.
However, Nate was the first person in the family to be possessed by the demon, confirming the fact that some dark forces were indeed lurking in the four walls of their home.
My Opinion.
I usually have a few good things to say about movies but if I'm being honest, I cannot remember mentally commending anything about the movie. Starting from the plot itself to the video quality, nothing particularly stood out for me.
Personally, I feel the plot was a substandard duplicate of the movie “the exorcism”. There were scenes that felt very cloned like the scene where the demon was toying with the Reverend.
This was supposed to be a typical jump scare horror film but the characters gave away most of the scenes, automatically quenching any form of suspense or anticipation.This movie was very far from what I expected. Boy was I disappointed! I feel the disappointment wouldn't have been so intense if I didn't get prior information about the movie that led to my adrenaline spike.
There were many scenes that got me laughing or yelling(not out of fear but of frustration). The scene that broke this particular camel's back was the one when the Reverend sister was about to begin her exorcism ritual. For someone who claimed to be so experienced, the demon totally made a mockery of her. Just a few minutes into the exorcism and she was giving Ebony instructions on how to overcome a demon that had overcome her. How do you dish out advice that you cannot implement to save yourself?
Recommendation.
This is a good movie for those who want to watch horror films but do not want to witness the unnecessary suspense, jump scares and even gore. @jhymi babygirl, this would be a great movie for you; a good way to kickstart the horror film journey I absolutely want you to begin:)
On the other hand, I do not think that horror film lovers would particularly be thrilled by this film. Overall, I would give the movie a 3.5/ 10 rating.
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
Love🤍