Not to be confused with John Boorman’s 1972 canoeing-trip-gone-awry classic, The Deliverance is a subpar exorcism movie that’s all the more depressing for being directed by Lee Daniels, whose distinctive flair is only sporadically spied amidst its shopworn clichés.
The story of a Black single mother whose domestic problems turn out to be of the devilish variety, Daniels’ first film since 2021’s The United States vs. Billie Holiday reunites him with that predecessor’s star Andra Day for horror shenanigans that grow less original by the minute. Save for outlandish supporting work by Glenn Close as Day’s biological mother, it’s a third-rate Satanic thriller that doesn’t possess a single original idea.
The Deliverance, which hits Netflix Aug. 30 after a brief theatrical run, claims to be based on “true events” and concludes with photos of the woman and house that inspired its tale. However, nothing resounds as genuine in this conventional affair set in 2011 Pittsburgh, where Ebony (Day) has recently moved into a new place with her kids Nate (Stranger Things’ Caleb McLaughlin), Shante (Demi Singleton), and Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins), as well as her mother Alberta (Close).
