Move over Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry’s The Union, there’s a new number one movie on Netflix which happens to feature the legendary Glenn Close in a role that no one could have expected. Debuting on August 30, The Deliverance has quickly risen to the top of Netflix’s charts to dethrone the Wahlberg and Berry action-comedy after its two-week stranglehold on the top spot. Directed by Lee Daniels and also starring Andra Day, Mo’Nique, Caleb McLaughlin, and Demi Singleton, the horror film was the talk of the social media this past weekend, and rightfully so.
Based on the Ammons haunting case which took place in Gary, Indiana in 2011, The Deliverance tells the story of a Black family’s struggle with demonic possession, and the lengths a mother will go to in order to save her children. It’s not the first time the Ammons case has been in the spotlight, as paranormal investigator Zac Bagans of Ghost Adventures fame released the documentary titled Demon House in 2018 after purchasing the Ammons home for $35,000 in 2014 with the hopes of getting to the bottom of the supernatural mystery.
Perhaps the most startling thing in The Deliverance – aside from its portrayal of a family in the thralls of a demonic attack – is the performance of Academy Award-nominee Glenn Close. Close takes on the role of Alberta Jackson, the foul-mouthed matriarch of the family who is also struggling with her own battle against cancer. As a white woman who grew up in the Black community, it’s a part that felt completely alien to Close, who says that she “had no clue” about how to approach Alberta until she had a few discussions with Daniels, who ultimately guided her in the right direction.
What Fans Are Saying About The Deliverance
With just a 31% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s clear that not everyone is impressed with The Deliverance, which is only Daniels’ second venture into the realm of horror following his credit as executive producer on The Reading in 2023. Still, users on social media seem to be having a blast with the genre release, and Close’s performance.
As user @kodakk6000 put it: “Man that horror movie The Deliverance was surprisingly good af, seeing Glenn Close as a hood Grandma was crazy af, she killed it.”
@SHALOMEIBBOTSON echoed those sentiments, saying that while the overall movie might have been lacking, Close’s performance was second to none: “The Deliverance movie gets a 4/10, but Glenn Close, wearing a lace front wig and ripped skinny jeans, gets a 12/10 from me. I’ve always rated Glenn as an actor from way back in the 80s, I’ll watch anything she’s in.”
There’s one particular line in The Deliverance that Close utters that had everyone talking, and even got a response from Daniels. Toward the end of the movie, when an exorcism is being performed on young Nate, the demon takes on the grotesque appearance of Close, and says… Well, we’ll let you watch the clip for yourself.
In a year when horror releases such as Longlegs, In a Violent Nature, and Late Night with the Devil have been standouts, fans would do well to not sleep on The Deliverance. On the surface it might seem like your run-of-the-mill possession film, but Daniels’ movie goes so much deeper than that to highlight themes of addiction, isolation, and faith in such a way that separates it from the pack of other exorcism films that have debuted in recent years.
The Deliverance
is available to stream on Netflix.