*Some might call Lee Daniels’ frightening foray into the supernatural horror, but he begs to differ. Daniels describes “The Deliverance” as a “faith-based thriller” film.
Based on true events, “The Deliverance” takes a cue from a case widely covered in Gary, IN. Latoya Ammons and her three children experienced strange incidents in their home there that grew progressively worse.
The Gary Police Department of Child Services, the local church, and the hospital all became involved, filing reports that took the supernatural occurrences seriously.
Officers, doctors, and social workers said they witnessed many of the incidents, including one in which Ammons’ 9-year-old son walked backward up a wall.
Lee was on hand recently at The Whitby Hotel in New York to answer questions about “The Deliverance.”
Supportive cast members Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”), Mo’Nique (“Precious”), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (“Origin”), and Demi Singleton (“King Richard”) also made an appearance.
He had kind words for them all. Mo’Nique expressed great gratitude, with a hand on the chest when Daniels said, “[She is] so legendary on so many levels…everything that Aretha Franklin song was about. Young, gifted, Black, Academy Award winner, funniest woman on the planet, Gary, smartest woman on the planet, and we’ve known her ever since by just one single name, like Prince.”
Sunny Hostin (“The View”) was the event’s moderator. She expressed what we all felt after seeing the movie.
A “staunch” Catholic, Hostin said she was “shook and scared,” adding, “I just believed everything I just saw.” We were all shaken to the core by what we just saw. There are very few movies since “The Exorcist” and “The Omen” that are genuinely scary.
“The Deliverance” hits home on so many levels.
“My mom didn’t want me to do this film, Daniels revealed, “because she believed in spirits, and she knows I’m an open portal when I work. I, like most Black people, believe in spirits.”
The script that had been sitting around for years is now a wake-up call and more relevant than ever, Daniels believes:
“I feel like we’re in dark times. And for me, it was about finding my higher power. It was about finding Jesus again for me. I don’t know whether or not we’re going to be around tomorrow. I’m trying to scare you to your higher power, be it Allah or Buddha. For me, it’s Jesus Christ.
“It’s also about Black women never being believed. She’s never believed. And so, I really wanted to drive that home. Even her Black social worker didn’t believe her.
“The Deliverance” also stars Glenn Close. and no stranger to strange things, Caleb McLaughlin (“Stranger Things”), Omar Epps, and Miss Lawrence.
“The Deliverance” is in theaters now and streams on Netflix starting August 30.
Veteran, syndicated journalist Marie Moore reports on mainstream media and the Black diaspora. Facebook.com/TheFilmStrip X: @thefilmstrip Instagram: @thefilmstriptm
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