Explaining the ending of Netflix's new horror The Deliverance (2024)

Netflix's The Deliverance mixes haunted houses and demonic possessions with an intense family drama, all coming together in a powerful ending.

Inspired by the true story of Latoya Ammons, the horror movie follows Ebony Jackson (played by Andra Day), a single mother who just moved into a new home with her family and her mother Berta (Glenn Close).

The family is not without problems – they're broke, Ebony is an alcoholic, Berta has cancer, the father is somewhere in Iraq – and they are forced to deal with one more issue, as strange occurrences start to haunt them in their new house.

With Child Protective Services breathing down her neck, Ebony finds herself fighting to not only keep custody of her children Shante (Demi Singleton), Nate (Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin) and young Dre (Anthony B Jenkins) but also their souls, as a demon threatens to possess them.

We delve into the ending of The Deliverance as we answer the real question – are there really demons, or is it just buried trauma?

The Deliverance ending explained

After spotting the classic signs indicating you're living in a haunted house (birds crashing against the windows, bad smell, ominous flies, mysterious noises in the middle of the night), things start to escalate at the Jacksons' new home.

One day, the kids have a collective mental breakdown at school, with Shante scaring her choir colleagues away with her period blood and Dre bizarrely throwing faeces at his teacher. Yes, really.

By this point, those viewers still thinking the demon's presence is going to be just a metaphor will start to reconsider.

Despite doctors saying this is a reaction to their mother's abusive behaviour, Ebony starts to seriously suspect something evil is infecting her kids.

Sitting in a McDonalds, she meets with a God-sent apostle, Bernice, who can confirm there is an evil spirit in their house. She recalls a previous family that mysteriously and gruesomely died in that same house 20 years ago.

Bernice offers to perform a deliverance – which is different from an exorcism, she explains, because it doesn't require an "intercessor".

When Ebony comes back home from the meeting, the cross on the wall is on fire and her mother, who was ready to fight the demonic forces against them, is dead.

After the incident, Ebony is separated from her children, who are sent to a foster home – all except Dre, who is taken to a hospital as he is growling, hissing, talking in an unknown language and climbing on the walls like Spider-Man.

Cynthia (Mo'Nique), the Child Protective Services agent who's been handling Ebony's case, starts to realise that maybe this is not just a case of bad parenting.

Out of options, Ebony seeks the apostle Bernice, and together they take Dre from the hospital and bring him home for a deliverance. However, the demon is too strong and Bernice dies, leaving Ebony to face it alone.

Finally, Ebony makes her way to the basem*nt, which has been uncharted territory since the haunting started. Down in the basem*nt, which feels like a representation of her subconscious and buried trauma, Ebony fights the demon, who has taken the form of her own body so she's basically fighting herself. There's the metaphor you were looking for!

After a traumatic childhood led her to reject God, Ebony finds a way back to her faith to save her children. The power of Christ runs through her to defeat evil.

Meanwhile, we see Shante and Nate at the care home basically recreating Jesus' wounds and posture on the cross, as they are too liberated from the demon's claws.

As the demon is sucked back into Hell, Dre is returned safe and sound.

The fight against evil might be over for now, but that doesn't mean Ebony will get her children back any time soon. Now, with Cynthia having witnessed Dre's possession, she is willing to help speed up the process as long as Ebony gets her life together.

"Six months later", the movie reads, "juvenile court granted a petition from the department of children's services. Ebony finally got her children back."

We see Ebony and the kids in a car, driving back to their new home in Philadelphia. Ebony tells them she's been in touch with their dad. "We're going to try and work things out," she says, to her children's delight.

The Deliverance ends with a picture of real-life Latoya Ammons, whose story the movie took inspiration from.

The movie also offers an update on the haunted house, for those wondering: "The house remained vacant until it was bulldozed in 2016. Strange occurrences are still reported around the property to this day."

The Deliverance is now available to watch on Netflix.