What role did Glenn Close play in The Deliverance? Character role explored

What role did Glenn Close play in The Deliverance? Character role explored
The Deliverance (Image via Netflix)

The Deliverance, directed by Lee Daniels, was released in select theaters on August 16, 2024. The movie, starring actors like Glenn Close and Andra Day, debuted on Netflix on August 30, 2024. The film was written by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum. It explores the terrifying experience of a family trapped in a home that appears to be a gateway to hell.

The Deliverance features Glenn Close as Alberta Jackson, a character who plays a crucial role in the story. Alberta is a deeply religious mother who is undergoing cancer treatment while trying to support her daughter Ebony (Andra Day) and her grandchildren.

Based on the real-life Ammons haunting case, The Deliverance follows the Jackson family as they battle an unseen evil that threatens their lives. As the supernatural events begin to unfold in the Jackson family's new home, Alberta becomes a victim of possession. Her transformation marks a pivotal point in the plot.


Glenn Close's character in The Deliverance explored

In The Deliverance, Glenn Close plays Alberta Jackson, the elderly mother of Ebony, who is battling cancer while trying to hold her fractured family together. She initially serves as a grounding force for her daughter, offering religious support and wisdom as the family faces increasingly bizarre and terrifying events in their new home.

Alberta is portrayed as a devout Christian, a woman who finds solace in her faith, and this becomes important as the story progresses. She is particularly protective of Ebony, who has a troubled past and is struggling to maintain control over her life and children.

As the haunting intensifies, Alberta's role takes a dramatic turn when she becomes the first member of the family to be possessed by the demon that haunts their home. The possession transforms her into a grotesque version of herself, marking one of the film's most chilling and visually striking moments.

Glenn Close's portrayal of the possessed Alberta is both disturbing and tragic, as the demon gradually takes over her body and mind. The transformation is not just physical but emotional, as Alberta's nurturing and protective nature gives way to something malevolent.

Glenn Close as Alberta Jackson in The Deliverance (Image via YouTube/Netflix)
Glenn Close as Alberta Jackson in The Deliverance (Image via YouTube/Netflix)

The demonic possession is depicted through careful makeup and prosthetics, with Close enduring hours of makeup application to create the unrecognizable, twisted version of Alberta, as per Variety. The character's physical deterioration reflects the increasing power of the demon, and Close's performance emphasizes the horror of losing one's self to an otherworldly force.

Glenn Close's portrayal of Alberta during her possession is also enhanced by the visual effects, which are grounded in practical techniques. The most notable of these is the use of black scleral lenses, which Close agreed to wear for authenticity, as reported by Variety.


What is The Deliverance about?

The Deliverance is based on the Jackson family, led by Ebony Jackson, who move to a new house, believing there will be a new future for them. They soon discover a series of supernatural occurrences apparently linked to the house's mysterious past, which they must face.

Ebony is a mother with a bad past, fighting her own personal demons, alcoholism, a criminal past, and financial instability. Amidst this, she tries to take care of three children and an elderly mother, Alberta, who is fighting cancer.

The horror begins when Ebony's youngest son, Dre, starts communicating with an unseen entity he calls Tre. Dre's disturbing behavior, along with the strange occurrences in the house, eventually leads Ebony to seek answers from a Pentecostal pastor who reveals that the house is a portal for a demonic presence.

The supernatural forces become increasingly violent, and Alberta, under the demon's influence, transforms into a terrifying figure. In the chaos of demonic possession spreading to the whole family, Ebony is constrained to confront her past and her faith in order to save the children.

The film is inspired by the real-life Ammons haunting case, in which a family in Indiana experienced disturbing paranormal phenomena that were believed to be linked to demonic possession.


Interested viewers can watch The Deliverance starring Glenn Close on Netflix.

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Edited by Riya Peter
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