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Lee Daniels has responded to “outrage” over a shocking scene involving Glenn Close in The Deliverance.
The horror film is currently the most-watched title on the streaming service and has led to many discovering the story of “the Demon House”, which saw an Indiana family claim they were haunted by a demonic presence and swarms of unkillable flies in 2011.
With the movie, Daniels, whose past credits include Precious and The Butler, has taken a foray into the horror genre – he even claimed strange occurrences plagued production.
The film stars Andra Day, Mo’nique and Close, with the eight-time Oscar nominee playing Alberta, the chain-smoking mother of Day’s character.
*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*
By the end of the film, Close’s character is being exorcised by a priest, which shows the actor disappear into one of her roles in a way film fans have not see before.
As part of these scenes, she utters a phrase that has since gone viral on social media, following the film’s release on Friday (30 August).
While being possessed by a demon, in a scene reminiscent of The Exorcist, the character sniffs and says to her daughter: “I can smell your nappy p****y.”
One viewer shared a clip of the film, writing:” Lee Daniel’s you will pay for your crimes for having Glenn Close say this,” to which Daniels replied: “Had to do it.”
Daniels has repeatedly praised Close for her performance, promising viewers ahead of its addition to Netflix: “Y’all are not ready for Glenn in this.”
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Speaking about the role, the filmmaker wrote: “Every Black person knows an Alberta. She’s part of the fabric of our community, but we’ve never seen her on screen before. Thank you Glenn for bringing her magnificently to life.”
The Indianapolis Star article the film is based on chronicled claims made by Latoya Ammons, who said her family were haunted by evil spirits after hearing unexplained footsteps in the basement and seeing a shadowy figure of a man pacing back and forth in the living room.
Ammons also claimed that she saw her 12-year-old daughter levitating above her bed one night, and that all three children were possessed by demons who contorted their faces and deepened their voices.
Both the seven and nine-year-old boys were admitted to hospital, at which point the nine-year-old was claimed to have walked backward up a wall and onto the ceiling.
The Deliverance is available to stream on Netflix now.
