Over the course of a career (which is close to going on a quarter of a century now), Lee Daniels has been something of a polarizing figure as far as filmmakers tend to go. Some view him as a genuinely gifted, original voice that aims to elevate stories of marginalized communities and the people who reside within them, while others perceive him as someone who uses his status in the industry as a means to pander to his own perverse curiosity about certain groups, especially those within the working class and who exist along the poverty line in many cases, viewing them as the fodder for his self-indulgent flights of fancy. My personal opinion has always been that he is someone with a strong vision, but who has not quite found his niche as a filmmaker yet, and has spent years trying to establish a clear style, never quite striking the right chord to be seen as truly brilliant, despite clear talents. This has resulted in a process of bouncing between genres, adapting his ideas to fit a number of different conventions in the hopes of bringing his unique perspective to scenarios where they would not normally be found. His latest endeavour comes in the form of The Deliverance, which is loosely inspired by the experiences of Latoya Ammons and her family in the early 2010s, when they began to experience paranormal phenomena in their home in a working-class Indiana neighbourhood, leading to the belief that they had inadvertently moved into a house that contained a portal to Hell. A heavily dramatised retelling of these events that is only loosely structured on reality, but still proves to be compelling enough to hold our attention, even if it does come with the consequences of surrendering to something driven by a sense of unintentional absurdity. As Daniels’ first official foray into horror, the film is a wickedly entertaining genre piece that showcases some of the director’s most bespoke skills, carefully curated to an entirely new context that proves to be unexpectedly fitting for a director who has constantly pursued a more rambunctious style of filmmaking, which has rarely been more fitting than in this bizarre and outrageous work of contemporary horror storytelling.

Daniels is certainly not the first name that we envision when it comes to horror films about demonic possession and the aftermath of supernature occurrences that terrorize a family and their surrounding community – but this is only more reason to allow our fascination with The Deliverance to grow to the point where it becomes truly unmissable cinema. When we look beneath the surface, it’s not difficult to understand what drew the director to this material based on how, despite its more horror-based elements, it matches his sensibilities in numerous ways, or at least contains traits that he can amplify to match his curiosities as an artist and storyteller. Primarily, the film is designed as an intense melodrama about a dysfunctional family – in fact, the horror only fully enters the story in the third act, with only a few allusions and brief moments of disorientation taking place prior. Most of the film focuses on the relationship between the character of Ebony Jackson as she struggles to raise her children during a contentious custody battle, through which she has to prove to several detractors – which include her overly-critical mother and a particularly pernickety social worker – that she is a capable parent. If we approach the film from this angle, it is clear what attracted Daniels to the material, and what elements in particular he chose to focus on. There is an argument to be made that he is the closest the contemporary generation has to our own Tennessee Williams – not necessarily in terms of being a wordsmith, but rather capturing a very specific kind of snapshot of the human condition, focusing on those who exist within society, but are rarely represented, which he chooses to do through layers of thick, intense melodrama that we quite simply do not see being made anymore. Melodrama and horror do not normally tend to intertwine, but under Daniels’ direction, we can see similarities, specifically in how they are both genres built on artifice and suspension of disbelief, and where the audience simply needs to surrender to the premise and allow ourselves to be strung along, or else risk never quite understanding the purpose of the material. The Deliverance has many moments of peculiarity drawn from both sides of the narrative, and Daniels’ efforts to capture all of it in vivid detail, through the most earnest means imaginable, is all part of the charm.

The concept at the heart of The Deliverance is undeniably quite odd, so it required Daniels to assemble a cast of actors who could find the perfect balance between the different tones needed to bring the story to life. Despite some inconsistencies as a filmmaker, he has always shown a remarkable aptitude when it comes to casting, especially in terms of going in unexpected directions. There has never been a film he directed where every role went to an actor who made sense in theory, but once we saw their work in motion, it became extremely clear precisely why they were chosen. Daniels reunites with Andra Day, who he helped transition from an acclaimed singer to a genuinely exciting actor – and despite this being only her third major film performance, she has once again proven herself to be a generational talent, taking this otherwise thinly-written character and infusing her with heart and soul, avoiding cliche and actively doing her best to shade in the nuances, a challenging endeavour for something that doesn’t have too much time for character development. The same can be said for Glenn Close, who was cast as Day’s mother in one of the most bewildering decisions of the past few years – but the moment she steps on screen, it becomes extremely clear that she is still at the peak of her abilities, and that no one is willing to commit to a part quite as much as Close, who is yet again delivering a performance far better than the film around her may deserve. What is important to note about her performance is that, despite playing a very broad, eccentric character, there isn’t a single moment where it feels as if Close is leaning into stereotype or playing the part as a caricature. There are layers to this performance that the film doesn’t have time to explore, and, unsurprisingly, she is responsible for some of the most impactful moments in the entire story. Smaller but not any less exceptional performances come from Mo’Nique (reuniting with Daniels after he directed her in Precious, which remains one of the most impressive dramatic performances from a comedic actor in recent memory) and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, both of whom have smaller roles, but who are still vital to the overall narrative. The performances in The Deliverance are broad, over-the-top and ridiculous, but there is a soulfulness behind them that is difficult to ignore, and the entire cast elevates it beyond the constant chaos that threatens to envelop the entire film.

It would be easy to say that in the hands of any other filmmaker, The Deliverance would be tacky and bizarre, but even under the direction of Daniels, it is the epitome of a camp spectacle, and the fact that we are never quite sure whether or not the director or anyone involved intended it to be as such is part of the incredible appeal. It goes wildly off the rails at several points, and it seems to become an exercise in perseverance since there is never even the vaguest hint that this was intended to be anything other than completely serious – Daniels is just a director who leans into the more heightened side of reality enough for it to give off the illusion of being intentionally subversive, when in reality he takes himself quite seriously. However, if we look beneath the surface we do find that, beyond the melodrama and camp, there is something deeper behind this film. This is essentially a story of a woman seeking redemption, which she hopes to achieve through proving herself as a mother, the most important task she has been given and the one she is most intent on demonstrating as being within her abilities. This is not a concept that we haven’t encountered before, but when filtered through the lens of a more explicitly outrageous genre, these elements somehow become more prominent. It is certainly true that some of the film is beyond salvation as far as seriousness goes, and it can veer towards becoming unwieldy in some parts, but the intentions are still clear, even if they eventually become secondary to the overall process of telling this story. It would be foolish to suggest that The Deliverance is entirely successful in absolutely every one of its endeavours, especially since Daniels doesn’t shy away from going overboard in terms of certain aspects, but the effort is clear and the aims are admirable. No one will ultimately walk away from this film feeling motivated, but through the bewilderment and perversely entertaining nature of the narrative, we discover that there is a deeper meaning embedded in the film, it just takes some time and effort to unearth it, which makes it ultimately much more rewarding than simply the wall-to-wall madness that will undoubtedly enshroud this film.

Offbeat and outrageous, while still having a strong centre that lends itself to a specific kind of storytelling, The Deliverance is the very definition of an acquired taste, but one that will profusely entertain those who are able to leap onto its wavelength from its first moments. It’s not an entirely compassionate film, and it can sometimes present itself as a bit of a novelty, but there is still enough heart at the core of the film to sustain our attention and keep us invested. Ultimately, this is the definition of maximalist cinema, the kind of bold and audacious style of storytelling that takes many bold swings and doesn’t give too much credit to the idea of consistency or subtly, neither of which have ever factored into the director’s previous work, and which he was certainly not going to implement with this film. Whether or not the film was intended to be as outlandish and unconventional when it was first conceived remains to be seen (but it’s not likely, considering Daniels tends to underline the hysterics in even the most subtle of moments), but we can relish in the fact that we have something so incredibly entertaining, we can overlook some of its narrative deficiencies and artistic shortcomings in favour of the sheer spectacle that accompanies the film. It’s oddly engaging and consistently captivating, and with strong performances that commit wholeheartedly to the premise, coupled with some genuinely peculiar narrative choices, everything coalesces into an outrageously entertaining bundle of ideas and setpieces that remind us of the timeless value of a film that is both bizarre and heartfelt, a combination that has become increasingly rare, and which we are glad to find is alive and well, even if it does take some time to adapt to Daniels’ unhinged vision that guides this film and makes it so thoroughly unforgettable in terms of both concept and execution.