The Deliverance follows Ebony, a single mother who begins experiencing strange occurrences after moving into a new house with her family. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Ebony, a single mother, moves to a new house with her children—Andre, Nate, and Shante—to start afresh. Ebony’s mother, Alberta, also moves in to help her with the children.
Ebony faces financial difficulties because, in addition to providing for her children, she has been secretly paying for Alberta’s chemotherapy.
Ebony’s children are unhappy and wish to live with their father, as Ebony struggles with anger issues, a result of the abuse and assault she suffered in her childhood, leading her to often hit her children.
Her drinking problem, criminal record, and the Department of Children’s Services officer, Cynthia, who regularly visits to check on the children’s well-being, add to her problems.
Soon after moving in, Ebony’s youngest son, Andre, starts talking to an imaginary friend named Trey in a language Ebony does not understand. He is frequently drawn to the basement, where a cat’s corpse was found.
Andre experiences trances, during which he is not aware of his actions, and eventually, Nate and Shante also start experiencing similar trances.
Sometimes, all three children experience inexplicable things together. Ebony herself is not unaffected by the house’s strange influence; she hears unsettling sounds and has eerie visions.
One day, after all three children have breakdowns at school, they are rushed to the hospital, but doctors find nothing wrong with them physically or psychologically.
Despite this, Ebony knows that something is very wrong, especially when the children become a danger to each other. She suspects that the strange behavior of her children might be influenced by the house itself.
Then, a woman named Bernice approaches Ebony to offer help. Bernice, who had been observing Ebony’s family, reveals that an evil spirit haunts the house.
Bernice is a reverend and explains that twenty years ago, a family of four lived in the house. They had two children, one of whom was named Trey, the boy Andre has been talking to.
Trey was possessed by the demon that still resides there. Bernice’s attempt to perform a deliverance to expel the demon failed, as it was too powerful.
Eventually, the demon possessed the entire family, driving Trey’s mother to kill him, his sister, and then herself. Bernice warns that the demon is now targeting Andre.
She tells Ebony that the demon is possessing Nate and Shante through Andre. Its goal is to ensure that everyone in the house meets the same fate as Trey’s family.
However, Ebony, who is not religious like her mother, dismisses Bernice’s warnings, unaware of the difficulties that lie ahead.
Ending explained:
A heavy blow
While Ebony is with Bernice, Andre, under the demon’s influence, kills Alberta. Ebony returns home to find her mother dead and her children not in their senses.
Shante, recognizing that Ebony cannot care for her and her siblings alone, decides to risk angering her mother by calling Cynthia for help.
Fearing that her children will be taken away from her, Ebony decides to run away with them, even though she has nowhere to go.
While driving, Andre accuses Ebony of being responsible for Alberta’s death. His eyes change color, causing Ebony to panic and nearly crash the car.
Ebony leaves her children in the car and rushes to a nearby pub to seek help, but when people arrive, they find the children unharmed and peacefully asleep.
Ebony is deemed unfit to care for her children, who are then sent to a church-run foster care. It is at this point that Ebony turns to Bernice for help.
Rediscovering faith
Cynthia realizes that Ebony was telling the truth when she witnesses Andre’s inexplicable behavior firsthand. Andre is admitted to the hospital after having seizures all night.
He starts speaking in another language, and when Cynthia visits, he talks to her about her dead son. She then watches him break his restraints and climb a wall.
Meanwhile, Ebony confides in Bernice about her lack of faith in God, sharing how she lost her belief after being assaulted as a child and feeling abandoned.
Bernice helps Ebony regain her faith by assuring her that she is loved by God. They pray together, which gives Ebony a sense of hope.
Determined to free her family from the demon, Ebony then works with Bernice. The two of them kidnap Andre from the hospital to perform a deliverance.
Victory over evil
During the deliverance, as Bernice had warned, the demon takes the form of people Ebony loves to shake her faith in God. The demon says hurtful things to Ebony, but she holds on.
However, Bernice fails to defeat the demon because she starts doubting herself. Her doubts and fear weaken her, enabling the demon to kill her.
At the same time, Nate and Shante suffer because of the demon. Ebony must now face the demon alone to save her children, who are on the brink of death.
Initially, she struggles, with the demon torturing her. However, memories of her children keep her from giving up.
These memories bring her closer to God, and her faith gives her the strength to fight back. With her newfound belief, she overpowers and exorcises the demon, saving her children.
Following the ordeal, Ebony decides to move to Philadelphia to live with her aunt until she finds a new home. She is determined to get her children back, and Cynthia is willing to help.
Six months later, Ebony successfully regains custody of her children. She informs them that she and their father are giving their relationship a second chance, much to the children’s happiness.
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