The movie “The Deliverance” is based on a true-life story that happened to Latoya Ammons from Gary, Indiana, and brings to life one of the most terrifying and well-documented paranormal cases in recent history. However, rooted in the core events, it elaborates on much horror and suspense, making it more terrorizing for viewers like me. It is a great movie, a family suffering at the hands of forces they cannot quite see or explain, elevated to way above popcorn horror by its fantastic performances.
The film focuses on the character based on Ammons, Ebony, a mother trying to get back into her modest home with her three children to restart her life and rebuild. The actress playing Ebony, Andra Day, portrayed this quiet struggle of her change from hopeful hope to utter desperation as supernatural forces overcome her family within the house. At the movie’s beginning, the mother is revealed as loving, straightforward and determined to protect her children. She then becomes frantic in the face of ever-increasing haunting at a loss for actions to take against the evil forces working against her family. Day’s mix of fear and determination is captured as a mother who would do whatever it takes to save her children despite the horrors she goes through.
The children in the movie, who also play significant roles in the haunting, are equally convincing and unsettling. The youngest son was the main character of these supernatural events, and Anthony B. Jenkins, who played his character reflects innocence and terror quite well. In scenes where the child is being possessed and using his distorted voice and body language or dealing with demonic entities and using his wide-eyed fear and physical reactions come off as sincerely unsettling. The two older children are also strong in their portrayal, especially during scenes when they experience the dark forces targeting their family. Their unraveling little by little with the constant barrage of the paranormal adds to the emotional feeling in the story. This shows that the haunting is not all about fear; it takes a psychological toll on the family.
It is cinematic in lighting and sound effects that fill the atmosphere, as in general unsettledness. Much of the action occurs in the poorly lit rooms where the shadows almost seem to have a life unto themselves, further weighing the general perception of being watched. Among the film’s great strengths is mixing the supernatural with the facade of everyday reality. The horror takes place in an entirely unremarkable suburban home, and there is something invasive about it being found there. It is just a typical house in an ordinary town, adding to the sense of terror that such a house can be visited upon you. The mix of standard and paranormal makes it relatable to the audience in this movie, as it shows how muchAmmons and her family felt scared inside their own homes.
The film about the haunting of Ammons creates a delicate balance between supernatural horror and a family with emotional and psychological problems. The characters are multidimensional, thanks to solid performances, mainly by the actress who plays the mother and actors who play the children, while the supporting cast builds the tension and the drama. The cinematography and the sound effects perfectly complement each other to create a sense of dread that escalates throughout the movie and reaches its climax in a genuinely terrifying and emotionally charged ending. The movie stays near enough to the actual events at the core yet amplifies the horror to entertain and unsettle the audience.
