Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The Deliverance.It’s not often you see a supernatural horror flick with an almost entirely Black cast these days, especially involving demonic possession, but Lee Daniels’ latest picture, The Deliverance, aims to change that. Hitting the Top 10 on Netflix’s most-watched list after dropping on August 30th, The Deliverance is a different take on the standard demon fare we see in most horror movies, though it still manages to check all the boxes we’re used to. After single mother Ebony Jackson (Andra Day) moves her family into yet another new home, her children are soon affected by the ancient evil dwelling there. Like all your favorite demon-infested horror pictures, such as The Exorcist, The Omen, or The Conjuring, the only way to truly deal with the problem of the demonic is by turning to God himself. How does The Deliverance end? Well, the title itself is a dead giveaway…

What’s the Deal With the Jackson’s House?

It isn’t long after the Jackson family and Ebony’s mother, Alberta (Glenn Close), move into their new Pittsburg home before things get spooky. Unbeknownst to his mother, Ebony’s youngest son, Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins), begins talking with a presence in the house that he calls Trey, and this spiritual force is anything but a friend. Soon, Trey reveals itself to be more malevolent than it originally let on, and Andre, his older brother, Nate (Stranger Things’ Caleb McLaughlin), and their sister, Shante (Demi Singleton), begin to show signs of physical abuse. This complicates things for Ebony who, because of her prior criminal record and history of alcoholism, is already being watched closely by her Child Protective Services agent Cynthia (Mo’Nique), who believes that the mother is physically abusing her children only to later witness Andre’s possession herself.

As the demon begins to manifest itself in each of Ebony’s three kids, turning them into their terrors at home and school, it all comes to a head when it kills Alberta. Though Ebony had a complicated relationship with her mother, this loss is the final straw, and, coupled with losing custody of her kids, she goes to the Church for help. Though Alberta couldn’t get her minister to do anything about the demonic infestation, Ebony confronts a woman named Bernice James (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), a self-proclaimed apostle who has dealt with this specific home and this particular demon before. The Jacksons aren’t the first to be haunted by this malevolent spirit, though they become the first to survive it. Bernice tells Ebony the story of the home’s previous owners, and how the whole family was murdered by the demon inside, which hoped to claim the soul of the young boy, Trey, who first began a friendship with the evil spirit. Now posing as Trey, the demon has continued its mission with Andre.

It’s unclear how long the demon has lived in the Jackson’s new house, or how long the hole in the basement (itself likely some portal to hell) has been there, but what is clear are its intentions. It doesn’t just want to drive the family mad, it wants them to kill one another, as is made clear when the demon uses Nate to nearly drown Andre in the bathtub. Likewise, the murder of Alberta, the only born-again Christian (albeit one struggling with living out her faith) in the house, kept it safe from any other potential dangers.

How Does Ebony Expel the Demon?
Image via Netflix

Demons aren’t exactly the easiest to get rid of, especially when they’ve made a particular dwelling their home, and Ebony Jackson learns that the hard way. With the help of Bernice James, an ordained minister herself, Ebony takes Andre back to their home to perform a “deliverance.” Now, unlike a Catholic exorcism (which sometimes shares this name), a deliverance, in this case, invokes the power of Jesus Christ directly rather than going through a specific priest, saint, or the authority of the Roman Catholic Church specifically. This type of deliverance derives from more charismatic circles of Christianity that believe in modern-day use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12, such as speaking in tongues and physical healing. Thus, Bernice and Ebony take on the demon all on their own, and it goes about half as well as they would’ve hoped.

In the conflict, the demon shape-shifts from Andre’s form to a demonic-looking Alberta, with Glenn Close giving a terrific performance that’s as frightening for us on our couches as it is for Ebony, who is seeing her deceased mother alive again in a corrupted form. But things go haywire when the demon escapes and kills Bernice, giving Ebony no choice but to finish the deliverance all on her own. In confronting the demon in the basement, near the same hole it crawled out of, Ebony — who is first twisted and tormented by the fallen angel — calls upon the name of Jesus for deliverance, and her prayers are soon answered. The evil spirit, which has taken Ebony’s form at this point, loses its power and is forced back to where it came from.

Before her death, Bernice makes a point to tell Ebony not to be afraid. The Bible tells us to “be not afraid” on 365 occasions, one for each day of the year, and Bernice emphasizes this fact with her dying breath. Though she failed in her mission, allowing fear to creep into her heart, she urges Ebony to set aside her fear of losing her children to the demon’s influence, and even death, and instead have faith that God will deliver her. It’s as James 4:7 says, it’s not until one submits themselves first to God that they can then effectively resist the Devil. In the end, that’s exactly what Ebony does, and her family is saved as a result.

There’s More to the Jackson Family’s Deliverance Than Meets the Eye

Six months later, and with the help of Cynthia, Ebony gets custody of her kids back. More than that, she is shown to be a changed woman following her supernatural experience. When meeting with Bernice before the deliverance, Ebony was confronted with the harsh reality of needing to receive Jesus Christ as both her Lord and Savior in order to fight this spiritual battle. Though she wasn’t sure if she could commit herself to God, believing herself to be too far gone, Bernice explained that this wasn’t a transactional commitment. Surrendering her life over to Christ wasn’t just about getting rid of the demon, it had to be a true heart change that would radically shift her perspective on the world. When she is forced to perform the deliverance on her own, we see that Ebony begins miraculously speaking in unknown tongues, which in some Christian circles is considered an outward sign that one has been baptized by the Holy Spirit. It’s only after receiving this gift that the demon is effectively cast out, and the Jackson family is freed from this evil.

Having truly committed to her faith, the Ebony we see at the end of the film is a far cry from the overly aggressive and emphatically insecure woman we see at the beginning. No longer is she blaming others for her problems hitting her kids or even cursing like a sailor, instead she has put aside her rageful and addictive tendencies in exchange for the contentment and forgiveness she’s found in Christ. In many ways, The Deliverance isn’t just about the exorcism of a demon from the Jackson kids, it’s about Ebony’s own deliverance from fear to faith, and how transforming and bettering herself is the only way her family can truly remain together. These themes of spiritual warfare prove that the supernatural isn’t the only battle (nor are literal fallen angels the only demons) that Christians have to face. It’s often the inward enemy that’s tougher to beat, and it’s only by beating herself — hence why the demon takes Ebony’s form in the end — that our heroine is able to overcome in the end.

As the Jackson family moves back to Philadelphia, reunited after months apart, Ebony is a changed woman. She’s sober of mind and body, bettering her life’s circumstances, and trying to reconcile with her estranged husband. Although the film struggles at times to get off the ground, it’s the picture’s hopeful ending — proving that the titular deliverance wasn’t just about Andre, but about Ebony’s own mortal soul as well — that makes the film land. We don’t know what’s next for the Jackson family, but what we do know is that they’re going to face those challenges all together, with a mother now willing to be the woman she’s called to be.

The Deliverance is available on Netflix.

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