Many horror films serve as metaphors for racial and sexual tensions, themes present in Lee Daniels’ films. In his new Netflix film The Deliverance, that metaphor can be anything, the monster as body horror. A manifestation of Ebony Jackson (Andra Day) caring for her mother Alberta (Glenn Close), trying to beat cancer. Or her being a good mother to Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins), Nate (Caleb McLaughlin), and Shante (Demi Singleton). Bruises start showing up on the children, getting the attention of Cynthia (Mo’Nique), the Jacksons’ social worker. There’s an obvious answer to the bruises but a Reverend Bernice Jones (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) thinks it’s the Devil.

This film, at first glance, feels straightforward, that the Devil chose the Jacksons for no deeper reason. But repeat viewings show that depth, that this is the good old battle between believing in demons or doubting it. Ebony throws a birthday party for Shante/ Te, but she eventually puts the kids to bed. Andre or Dre keeps on reappearing downstairs, which Ebony chalks up to Dre ‘not acting right’. Scenes like this show how secularism manifests within racialized characters which is different from their white counterparts. Secularism is in opposition with the fictional evil/ good spirits, and The Deliverance has other concerns.

The Deliverance is similar to Precious and his other work in that he can work well with his actors. The scenes with Cynthia’s visits highlight this, with her saying “What are you looking at?!” to Alberta, or Berta. Berta also comes downstairs, choosing violence, carrying a baseball bat which doesn’t scare Cynthia at all. The film’s only weak cast member is Andra Day, even if she’s still good in her bigger moments. I feel like she’s trying to do levels but sometimes her deadpan moments feel, well, just that. Even with that, the film makes us feel the collaborative spirit between Daniels and these great actors.

Daniels and his cast can produce the right kind of camp, but that requires certain energy levels, although it’s fair to say that The Deliverance‘s levels are at its best during its first half. That’s the film’s ‘realistic’ half, when the horror manifests in hints, when viewers can parse things out. The second half is when the film eventually goes through its full horror which is somehow less interesting. Both halves, though, show off Mo’nique’s ability, even in her big moments, to be the film’s ‘straight woman’. When she starts believing and seeing the devil’s nefarious powers, she makes us believe in it as well.

Watch The Deliverance on Netflix.