Netflix’sThe Deliverancewalks viewers through a gripping paranormal drama that leaves them looking for more similar horror films. SinceThe Deliveranceis based on a true story, it is a singular film in the horror genre, blending the real-life horrors experienced by a real family with some creative liberties that further elevate its terrors. However, despite this,The Deliveranceinvolves several familiar genre tropes and themes found in many other horror films, making them perfect spiritual follow-ups for the replacements for the Netflix movie.
Directed by Lee Daniels,The Deliverancefeatures a talented cast, including Andra Day, Glenn Close, Caleb McLaughlin, and Mo’Nique. Unfortunately, despite having a brilliant set of actors as its lead, the film has not been able to impress critics and only has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 33%. However, even with the low RT score,The Deliverancehas managed to drive good numbers on Netflix, prompting many viewers to look for similar horror films.
10Pet Sematary
1989
Stephen King’sPet Sematarygets one adaptation almost every five years, which is not surprising sincethe author himself considers it one of his most terrifying novels. While the movie adaptations have not been able to live up to the high standards of storytelling and tension set by the original book, the 1989Pet Sematarymovie remains the most memorable big-screen take on the novel.Pet Sematarydoes not feature demonic possessions likeThe Deliverance. However, likeThe Deliverance, it highlights how far a parent is willing to go to protect their child from evil forces.
Pet Sematary
Eager to start afresh, the young doctor, Louis Creed, and his family–his wife, Rachel, their daughter, Ellie, and their two-year-old toddler, Gage–move to their new home in the small rural town of Ludlow, Maine, alarmingly close to a busy highway. However, after the inadvertent death of Rachel’s cherished tomcat in an awful accident, reluctantly, a desperate Louis will take his friendly neighbor’s advice to bury it in an ancient Micmac graveyard: a mystical burial ground imbued with alleged reanimating powers. Now, despite the terrible results and the insistent warnings from a recently deceased, tragedy-stricken Louis has no other choice but to go back to the Indian cemetery, in high hopes that, this time, things will be different. Nevertheless, can the dead truly return from the grave?
9Insidious
2010
Like the central family inThe Deliverance, the one inInsidiousmoves to a new home,unaware of the floodgates of terror it will unleash upon them. Similar toEbony’s son inThe Deliverance, Josh and Renai’s son inInsidiousalso ends up in an evil force’s grasp, forcing the family to race against time to save their son before it is too late. AlthoughInsidiouslacksThe Deliverance’s narrative depth, it is jam-packed with enough well-timed jump scares to keep viewers hooked throughout its runtime.Insidiousis also a full-fledged movie franchise that includes a total of five movies.
Insidious
When Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) move into a new home, their son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) explores the attic and discovers a malevolent entity. After Dalton slips into an unexplained coma, Josh and Renai enlist the help of spiritual medium Elise (Lin Shaye) to enter the spirit world and recover Dalton’s consciousness, which they believe is being held by an unknown hostile force.
8The Others
2001
Known for introducing one of the best horror movie twists,The Others' opening moments are similar toThe Deliverance’s. In both films, single mothers move to a new home, hoping to create better lives for themselves and their children. However, things take a grim turn when they start experiencing strange things all over the house.The Otherseventually becomes less about demonic possessions and more about the comfort of ignorance. However, the way it walks through a single mother’s struggles as she learns the truth about her new home and her children seems similar toThe Deliverance’s thematic explorations.
The Others
Alejandro Amenábar wrote and directed this cult-classic 2001 Horror film starring Nicole Kidman and Fionnula Flanagan. The premise follows a mother and her two young photosensitive children as they attempt to deal with a mysterious and possibly sinister presence in their New Jersey home.
7Sinister
2012
Scott Derrickson’sSinisterpartially unfolds as a found footage film where a struggling author finds a series of snuff films that reveal the murders of several families by an unknown killer. While he sees the films as an opportunity to write his next bestseller, the demonic being responsible for the murders gradually takes control of his children. Despite being thematically similar toThe Deliverancein more ways than one,Sinisterends on an unexpectedly grim note, where the main character gets so consumed by his greed that he fails to protect his family. This makes the film even more terrifying and hard-hitting.
Sinister
Sinister is a supernatural horror movie that centers around a washed-up true-crime writer named Ellison Oswalt, who finds a box of Super 8 home movies that suggest the murder he is currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose macabre work dates back to the 1960s. As he begins to write a biography about the case, terrifying images start to seep into his consciousness, making him question reality as the horrors of old are made new again.
6Poltergeist
1982
Although 1982’sPoltergeisthas had many franchise expansions and reboots over the years, none have come close to being as memorable and terrifying as the originalSteven Spielberg movie. Nominated for three Oscars,Poltergeisthas a similar setup toThe Deliverancebut unfolds rather slowly. Its titular ghosts initially seem harmless and friendly, which the family initially finds amusing. However, like the demonic force inThe Deliverance, the evil spirits inPoltergeistunleash their true malevolent nature by targeting the daughter in the family. Although the VFX inPoltergeistis slightly dated, it packs enough chills and thrills to keep one hooked.
Poltergeist
Poltergeist is a supernatural horror film directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Steven Spielberg. Released in 1982, it follows the Freeling family as strange phenomena disturb their suburban home, prompting them to seek the expertise of parapsychologists to confront the malevolent forces threatening their daughter.
5The Exorcist
1973
Despite being based on a true story,The Deliveranceseems to share many narrative similarities withThe Exorcist. However,The Exorcistis far more disturbing and memorable because of how it does not hold back from pushing the boundaries of horror and psychological terror. Both films feature demonic possessions and the battle between good and evil, butThe Deliveranceseems a little too gimmicky in some of its pivotal moments, whileThe Exorcistremains a horror classic that stays with a viewer long after its credits start rolling.The Exorcistis also getting a new rebootdirected by Mike Flanagan.
The Exorcist
The Exorcist is a supernatural horror film based on the novel released in 1971 and was directed by William Friedkin. When a young girl is passed by a powerful demon, two Catholic priests are brought to her home to attempt an exorcism to expunge the demon.
4The Conjuring 2
2016
Similar toThe Deliverance’s Ebony, a single mother, Peggy, moves to a new home inThe Conjuring 2. Unbeknownst to her, her family’s life is about to change for the worse as she and her family will gradually experience a series of chilling paranormal events in their new house. Like Ebony ultimately finds help from a local priest, Peggy reaches out to paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who save her children from the evil forces that lurk in her home.The Conjuring 2remains one of the most acclaimed movies in the franchise, making it the perfect watch for anyone who is into horror movies about haunted homes.
The Conjuring 2
The sequel to 2013’s horror hit, The Conjuring 2 is a supernatural horror film that again follows Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators who travel to London to investigate the case of the Hodgson family. When one of the Hodgson’s daughters becomes seemingly possessed after playing with an Ouija board, supernatural occurrences begin happening all over the home.
3A Dark Song
Although relatively obscure,A Dark Songis an intelligent occult horror movie that dives intoa mother’s struggles with loss, faith, and love. UnlikeThe Deliverance,A Dark Songis not about a family moving to a new home and later discovering it is haunted. The film’s main character, Sophia, willingly chooses to go down a dark, risky path for her son’s sake. However, like Ebony fromThe Deliverance, Sophia ultimately learns some valuable lessons about believing in god and finding the strength to forgive as she touches the darkest depths of the supernatural world.
2The Babadook
2014
Marking Jennifer Kent’s feature directorial debut,The Babadookexplores themes surrounding parenting, grief, and paranoia. Although it takes time to build its unsettling atmosphere and fully unfold the true scope of its visual storytelling, it keeps viewers on their feet in its second half as it accelerates its pace and the frequency of its terrors. LikeThe Deliverance,The Babadookpresents supernatural elements as allegories to the main female character’s internal battles and struggles with single parenting. To make things more interesting, it does not even depend on genre conventions, and, instead of introducing demonic villains, it creates its own unique lore.
The Babadook
The Babadook, directed by Jennifer Kent, explores the struggles of a single mother grieving her husband’s death while confronting her son’s fear of a lurking monster. As they contend with this unseen entity, the sinister presence grows increasingly pervasive in their lives.
1The Wailing
The South Korean horror movieThe Wailingis relatively much bigger in scale and more expansive in setting when compared with Netflix’sThe Deliverance. While, likeThe Deliverance, its main storyline revolves around a family, the film portrays how an entire village is plagued by mysterious events after an outsider enters it. What makesThe Wailingsimilar toThe Deliveranceishow it portrays the tricks its central demonic figure uses to deceive and torment its victims. However, despite the narrative parallels,The Wailingis a far better horror movie thanThe Deliveranceand boasts an almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 99%.
The Wailing
The arrival of a mysterious stranger in a quiet village coincides with a wave of vicious murders, causing panic and distrust among the residents. While investigating the suspect, a policeman realizes that his daughter may have been a victim of the attack.
