By Dwight Brown
NNPA Film Critic
(**) “Whatever it says, don’t listen to it. It will play on your heart. It will play on your mind.”
Nice dialogue for an Exorcist kind of movie. But not enough to hold this horror/thriller together for its entirety. The setup is pretty routine: A mom, Ebony (Andra Day, The United States vs Billie Holiday), her mother (Glenn Close) and three school-age children move into a haunted Gary, Indiana home. Slowly her kids Nate (Caleb McLaughlin), Shante (Demi Singleton) and little Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins) start acting weird. Like they’re possessed. Turns out they are in the devil’s corridor and he’s messing with them.
The script by David Coggeshall (Orphan: First Kill), Elijah Bynum (Magazine Dreams) and director/writer Lee Daniels (The United States vs Billie Holiday) is based on the Ammons haunting case, that occurred in Gary in 2011. That’s when Latoya Ammons, a single mom, her mother Rosa and three young offspring experienced paranormal activity in their new home. The creepiness started with swarms of black flies, escalated to footsteps in the basement, creaking doors and shadowy figures. All the makings of a good fright film.
Daniels and crew don’t venture far off the genre path. And when they mistakenly do, their efforts trail off into stupid soap opera-ish melodrama. Ebony’s mom Alberta lives with them and is a thorn that is constantly berating her daughter’s parenting skills. Cynthia the social worker (Mo’Nique, Pariah) stops by to observe and needle the mother who’s drinking problem aggravates her child abuse issues. No wonder she needs monitoring. No wonder it won’t be easy for audiences to care about this fractured protagonist.
The preposterous family dynamics feel similar to those in a bad Tyler Perry movie. But Daniels, director of Precious and The Butler, has a much stronger pedigree than the Madea filmmaker, so why this? Why would he risk his reputation on this project? Is it because it’s based on a real-life occurrence? Why? Even more of a mystery is why the satanic special effects are so skimpy, lackluster and unimaginative. B-movie grade.
There are horror film beats, rhythms and rituals that must be met, and there is no indication on view that Daniels’ direction is capable of delivering those crucial elements. As the victims go through their contortions and body malformations, brought on by demonic possessions, bone-chilling fear and scares never emerge. Fans of horror films know when they’re seeing a real shocker, or a campy, midnight fright-fest movie. They expect to be terrorized to death or amused in a macabre way. This endeavor never delivers those nightmarish effects.
Technically the cinematography (Eli Arenson, The Watchers), production design (Steve Saklad, Juno), art direction (Carlton Lee Jr. and Ella Thompson), music (Lucas Vidal), editing (Stan Salfas) and costume design (Paolo Nieddu) are OK, separately. But not as a cohesive unit. Thus, the footage lacks a central, distinguished style and it’s as if these artists were working in silos.
Andra Day should have won the Oscar for Best Actress for her raw, stunning role in The United States vs Billie Holiday. This portrayal is not in the elite category. Ebony is painted as a street-savvy, pugnacious and disturbed woman who is so unbridled she beats up the neighborhood kids who bully her children. Day is too refined to make that persona believable. It’s like she’s acting like a tough girl but isn’t one. However, her vulnerable scenes are much more credible. E.g. when she sees her angelic son and questions her mothering: “I don’t know how such a good person came out of somebody like me.”
When Mo’Nique enters the picture as an agent from Child Protection Services, she has an air about her that shows a strength and street savvy Day feigns. The two actresses should have been cast in each other’s roles. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (King Richard) turns the character of Apostle Bernice James, the exorcist who will do the “The Deliverance,” into that of a strong woman of god. She crusades against the devil in a holy fight-for-life battle. Guarding the mother, she warns: “Ebony that demon wants your son!” Then she forcefully challenges the evil monster: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!” Unfortunately, Close is miscast as the white trash older woman who loves Black men. Not believable in one single frame. A cameo by Omar Epps, as Ebony’s husband, is appreciated but not long enough for him to show his talent.
This horror/thriller plays on your mind, but not enough to scare the bejesus out of you. That’s a clear sign of a flailing Exorcist wannabe. Many will expect more from Lee Daniels. Many will be disappointed. Maybe the devil made him do it.
Visit Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.
