Andra Day in The Deliverance (2024)

I just watched this Netflix horror movie called The Deliverance. This movie is about a dysfunctional family who moves into a new house and figure out the house is inhabited by an evil force. It stars Oscar nominee Andra Day, 8-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close, Oscar winner Mo'Nique and Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.

The first half of this movie is an effective and quite powerful family drama with horror bubbling in the background. The mother (Andra Day) is an alcoholic and sometimes abuses her children. Her newly Christian mother (Glenn Close) lives with her and her kids, who was also an abusive mother. The family is struggling and there is a PO (Mo'Nique) that comes checking on the family once a week. Soon the children start acting out in strange ways. This all works well as a commentary about abuse.

Then the movie takes a turn for the worse when it becomes more blatant horror and turns into every other demon possession movie. It gets more cliche the longer it goes on for until it reaches a finale that is very in your face. A women who is a prophet (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) introduces herself after the mother is at a point of real desperation. She spouts the typical possession movie dialogue and does the typical possession movie stuff. Ellis-Taylor is the one weak link in the cast. She has this look of "that paycheck is worth it."

Here is my real praise of the movie. The acting. Andra Day is giving this performance her all. There were parts later in the movie that should have been unintentionally funny, but her performance is so captivating that I couldn't laugh. Next is Glenn Close, who plays her mother, who one of those white women who only dates black men. She also gives a dedicated performance, and the cherry on top of her performance is when the demon takes the form of her character and you get Glenn Close looking like a demon and delivering vile  dialogue in a little girl voice. When the demon takes her form it is still ridiculous, but she sells it totally. We then have Mo'Nique, who gives a subdued and empathetic performance as the parole officer, who really does want the best for this family.



This is a very mediocre horror movie that is very well-acted. Andra Day carries this movie. The movie is worth watching for her performance.

I have to give a shout out to Double Toasted, because their review is why I watched the movie.

www.youtube.com/@doubletoasted_