The Deliverance parents guide: How scary and violent is the R-rated horror movie?

After being an executive producer on the BET+ supernatural horror film The Reading, Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels decided to try his hand at making his own horror flick. That horror movie is The Deliverance, which has just been released on Netflix after a limited theatrical release.

Like The Reading, The Deliverance is a supernatural horror film. It was helmed by Daniels from a screenplay co-written by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum. It's inspired by the horrifying true story of Latoya Ammons, a single mother who claimed that she and her family had experienced a series of supernatural experiences in their Gary, Indiana, home.

In The Deliverance, we follow Ebony Jackson, a struggling single mother trying to make ends meet. In search of a fresh start, Ebony moves her family into a new home in Pittsburgh. However, shortly after moving in, the family begins to experience strange, demonic occurrences. These increasingly bizarre incidents lead Ebony to believe that something sinister is living in the house, and it's up to her to protect herself and her family from being torn apart.

Seeing as though The Deliverance is a horror film, it would make sense if you're curious about its age rating. Horror movies are typically scary and can be pretty graphic when it comes to gore and violence. Is this the case for The Deliverance? Find out right below.

The Deliverance on Netflix is an R-rated film

Yes, you read that right. This is not a teen horror movie at all. It's rated R, meaning it may be unsuitable for ages under 17. It was given this age rating for violent content, strong language, and some sexual references. There is some smoking and drinking in the film, but none of it is done by any kids. While there are sexual references, there isn't any sexual content shown. However, there's a lot of cursing in this movie. When I say a lot, I mean A LOT. Curse words such as b*tch, m*therf*cker, a**, etc. are used many times throughout this film.

However, The Deliverance isn't really a gory film. I mean, there's only one scene that's graphic when it comes to gore. A character is shown killing another character with an axe by chopping off their head. Blood splatters everywhere and a slightly bloody head is briefly shown. But other than this scene, you don't have to worry that much about gore in this film. If there's blood in any other scenes, it's kept to a minimum.

The Deliverance does have many violent scenes, though. For example, there's a scene showing a woman kicking a teen boy between his legs. Another scene shows a character slapping another character pretty hard. Then, there's a scene showing a character attempting to drown another character. Two other examples are a scene of a character being thrown around a house by a mysterious force and another scene showing a character's body being contorted in a strange manner.

Now, if you're wondering if this movie is scary, it can be for some people. But I'd say it's more unsettling than anything. Watching a character become possessed by a demon might be scary for some viewers, and that's basically what this movie is about. So, if demonic possessions frighten you, this might not be the movie for you. However, if you're a horror buff, you should have no problem watching this film from beginning to end.

I've watched my fair share of horror movies, and I wouldn't even consider this film scary. If you're looking for a scary exorcism movie, you should check out The Exorcist (1973), The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) or The Conjuring (2013) instead. Now, those films will really startle you and make you feel uneasy!