To say the possession movie has been done to death is like saying holy water is wet.
It’s also a strange step for director Lee Daniels (The Butler, Precious, The United States vs. Billie Holiday) to take on his career ladder.
But maybe he and co-scripters David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum have something new and interesting to add to the genre?
Inspired by the true story of Latoya Ammons and her family, who lived in a haunted Indiana home, The Deliverance features the demonic occurrences that plague Ebony (Andra Day), her three children and her mother Alberta (Glenn Close).
For more than half of the movie Daniels and his writers focus on family drama amid Ebony’s struggle to care for her kids and her troubled relationship with Alberta .
It gets to the point you actually forget you’re watching a horror flick – and The Deliverance would probably have worked better sticking to the dramatic route.
For when the possession tropes begin, the film’s quality takes a severe nose-dive as every Exorcist knock-off that’s hindered many a genre outing gets unveiled quicker than projectile vomit.
Like last year’s The Exorcist: Believer, the script tries to shake things up with a different exorcism theme – this time a “deliverance prayer” – but it’s a lame effort as everything degenerates into an over-the-top mess you won’t believe is the same movie you were watching an hour earlier.
Keeping the flick from totally plummeting into the cinematic abyss is a memorable turn from a nearly unrecognisable Close.
Straight-talking, relentlessly loyal to her family, flirtatious and fiery, Alberta is an intense presence, with the veteran actress also latterly sporting nasty make-up and spouting the foulest of language.
But no-one in the film is especially likeable – Ebony certainly won’t win any mum-of-the-year awards – and Stranger Things’ Caleb McLaughlin ( Nate ) has little to do beyond look troubled, shake around and scream.
Failing to deliver anything fresh or positive to a crammed genre, not even the power of Christ should compel you to watch this.
● What are your thoughts on possession movies? Have they been done to death?Pop me an email at [email protected] and I will pass on your comments to your fellow readers.
● The Deliverance is streaming on Netflix now.
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