Horror Movie Director Says Cast, Crew ‘Prayed Every Day’ On Set
By Movieguide® Contributor
Director Lee Daniels recently revealed he had an on-set preacher to pray over cast and crew during the production of horror movie THE DELIVERANCE.
THE DELIVERANCE tells the story of “a woman [who] moves her family to a new home for a fresh start — but something evil already lives there,” according to Netflix’s website, adding that it is “inspired by terrifying true events.”
“I had a deliverer on set the whole time, someone who actually did this for a living,” Daniels told Variety. “Listen, I read those books about the making of POLTERGEIST and the making of THE EXORCIST. And I’m like, ‘Nope, not today, Satan.’ So we prayed every day.”
Daniels added that Netflix was not pleased about this decision, telling the director “This could be offensive to people and you can’t.”
“I go, ‘Wait a minute — we’ve got to figure something out, because I can’t go in this jungle without praying every day,’” Daniels recalled. “So we figured out a system where I could say, ‘I don’t mean to be offensive, but for those of us that aren’t into prayer, feel free to leave the set.’ And there were a few people that did, but most people, most of the 200 or so crew knew that they wanted to be protected. They clearly read the same books that I had.”
Andra Day, who stars in the movie alongside Glenn Close, told CBS SUNDAY MORNINGS that she was relieved to have spiritual protection during the production.
“We were taking seriously the topics we were dealing with — not just the paranormal and the spirit realm, but also the emotional weight of what we’re addressing,” Day said. “These characters can stay with you and even traumatize you for sure. I think it’s important to take certain things seriously, but I also don’t believe we’re supposed to walk in fear.”
The actress continued, “That was part of the reason I agreed to do the movie. I was reminded through prayer that I have authority over these things, that they are underfoot. It was important for me to remember that and to show this woman exemplifying and overcoming it. It was amazing having [Apostle Lewis] on set, praying with the team.”
The Movieguide® review for THE DELIVERANCE reads:
THE DELIVERANCE is a horror movie on Netflix where a black family encounters a demonic presence when they move into a new house. The main character is the mother, who’s parenting her three children alone. She’s also a recovering alcoholic who often physically abuses the children. When the demonic presence in the house starts physically attacking them, the mother is suspected to be the perpetrator.
The horror is strong in THE DELIVERANCE. At times, it feels as if the Christian elements are under-emphasized in countering the demonic material. The movie spends most of its time stressing demonic power rather than God’s power. So, when the faith element does shine through at the end, it feels a bit like “too little too late.” Aside from intense scenes of horror violence, THE DELIVERANCE has a surprising amount of foul language. Also, the execution of the story is adequate. Sadly, it often doesn’t rise above the cliches of other supernatural horror movies. Finally, the abusive mother in THE DELIVERANCE is too unlikeable. That makes it harder for viewers to feel drawn into the drama.
