A 2024 Demonic Possession Horror Movie Shoots Straight To The Top Of Netflix Charts

Aside from IP with mass appeal and superhero stuff, horror is about the only thing that seems to make any money at the box office these days. That's mostly due to the fact horror movies typically don't cost a whole lot to make, leaving more profit on the table at the end of their theatrical runs. But horror isn't just a reliably popular genre at the box office. It also does well on streaming, where we've actually had some pretty decent offerings in recent years.

By far the best example is "His House," which hit Netflix back in 2020 and was even better than your favorite horror movie. Indeed, the film earned a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and proved that Netflix could be much more than a delivery method for middling Kevin Hart projects and instantly forgettable streaming films. Unfortunately, not all the horror that emerges on Netflix is of quite the same standard. Case in point: "The Deliverance."

This supernatural possession thriller from director Lee Daniels ("Precious") stars Andra Day, Glenn Close, Mo'Nique, and Caleb McLaughlin, and looked promising upon its announcement. Sadly, as Chris Evangelista points out in his review of "The Deliverance," the movie relies on too many possession movie cliches to really rise to the heights of "His House." What's more, with a 30% score and 4.9 average rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this possession-fest isn't going to become quite as esteemed as classics of the genre such as "The Exorcist" or "Poltergeist." But that doesn't mean it can't inhabit the minds of the Netflix crowd before it's banished to the depths of hell. Which, it turns out, is exactly how things are playing out over on the streamer.

We should have known something was up when "The Deliverance" first pulled that old horror trick of claiming to be based on real events. As Forbes explains, the movie is inspired by the grim story of Latoya Ammons, who claimed that her Gary, Indiana home was inhabited by evil forces. Ammons also claimed that she and her three children became possessed by demons after trying to rid the house of spirits, leading to a bizarre series of events in which medical professionals, police, and preachers all attested to witnessing seemingly supernatural events.

No doubt, the demons at the center of this tale will be incensed to learn that Netflix has done them a disservice with "The Deliverance," adapting their prolonged torture of Latoya Ammons and family into a film that the Telegraph dubbed "undiluted tripe." Still, perhaps these critics will be spared their own possession as "The Deliverance" is actually doing quite well on Netflix.

The movie arrived on Netflix August 30, 2024, and, according to streaming viewership tracker FlixPatrol, immediately became a hit. "The Deliverance" charted in 86 countries as of August 31, taking the top spot in 14 of them, including the United States, Spain, Mexico, and France. Since then, the demons' influence has only spread, possessing enough people around the world to push their movie to number one in a full 45 countries globally as of September 2. Bad reviews aside then, "The Deliverance" has become a certified global hit, and is now charting in 92 countries.

At the time of writing, "The Deliverance" looks set to capitalize on its success even further. The film is currently number two in 36 countries, and could well take the top spot in several of them as the week goes on. That would make this a serious win for Netflix, and depending on how you feel about this kind of thing, somewhat of a loss for audiences worldwide. Or, perhaps you thought "The Deliverance" was quite good, in which case, more power to you (and also give "His House" a stream while you've got Netflix fired up).

Sadly, this is not the first time a horror movie with abject reviews has topped the streaming charts. Just this year we've seen "Tarot" absolutely kill it on Netflix, despite Variety referring to it as "little more than a clearinghouse of horror clichés." Similarly, last year saw Spanish slasher "Killer Book Club" defy bland reviews to triumph on Netflix. That said, we did manage to send the actually quite good "Pearl" to the top of the streamer's charts in 2024, so all is not lost.

In order for "The Deliverance" to maintain its possession of the charts stateside, it will need to fend off attacks from Cameron Crowe's "Aloha" (which is currently in the number two spot) and Sonic the Hedgehog, who's in third with his debut film. Judging by the way "The Deliverance" has dominated thus far, though, it likely won't be exorcized from the top spot any time soon.