A Libertação

I don't know what happened to Lee Daniel's. Precious this ain't. As refreshing it is to see Close in a way we have seen before. And she's excellent in whatever part she plays. Audra Day and Mo'nique are both solid. I just wish someone had made a completely different film with the material laid out in the film's first half: a gripping family portrait of a struggling black mother, her kids and her mother.

The way this initially gripping film drifted off into laughable horror territory breaks my heart. No matter how often they tell us "based on a true story", it doesn't redeem what the director did. In the end it became its own parody. Close, Day and Mo'nique deserve better. And shame on Lee Daniel's. I expected so much more of you.

The worst thing about this movie was how good it started. It pulled me in, led me to believe it was going to be original and interesting.

Production value is decent, acting is good. Story seemed to be developing well.. All of a sudden it switched into a completely different movie, full of absurdities and suddenly awful writing! I honestly feel that they changed writers half way through. In fact I'd place a bet on it.

So of course having invested time into watching it, I had to see it through to the end.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry from the ultimate disappointment.

Bottom line - I could have done without!

Was really looking forward to this one and I must say what a let down it is. Nothing original. A rehash of all the demonic possession films we have seen before.

The story has a promising start in the first 15 minutes, establishing characters and their struggles. After that you just wait for something dramatic to build up and set this film apart from other entries of the genre. It never happens. The film wastes the talented cast it had to narrate its story through.

I actually felt sorry for Glenn Close, doing such absurd films. She was the only good thing about thus film.

Avoid and save precious time.

Who would've thought demon removal could be done without a priest? That's why I like this film. It's an original spin on the tried and true demonic possession narrative. This is slow burn horror which plays out fairly well. A fierce, single mother battling debt, alcoholism, her own volatile emotions, the world....and little does she know, an actual demonic presence too. Lee Daniels and the other writers did a phenomenal job writing a metaphorical, horror screenplay. This one has a heavy kind of fear. Psychologically and paranormally. Everyone in the house is afraid of each other, the outside world, and whatever is happening to all of them. My husband wondered if I was in a trance while watching this. That's how compelling this story was. But then...

Here's where Lee Daniel drove his film off the road and into the cornfields. The SFX scenes which occur more towards the end. Less is more. Our imaginations will conjure up far more frightening scenes than you could ever create with SFX. Sound effects are very effective and could've been utilized more instead of the graphic visuals. There aren't many of these scenes. My advice, close your eyes and listen to the sound effects. You're not missing anything vital.

The film was brilliantly casted. And the performances were on par, with what the actors were given. In my opinion, the characters could've been developed a bit more. There was enough of a connection for me to like them and fear for them, but I really wanted to know this family.

Overall, it's a unique horror film that's fairly well written with a very talented cast. I'm glad we're starting to see more smart, metaphorical horror, films, (but please, lose the bad SFX). This one's worth a watch. Enjoy.

Otherwise, it lacks everything else. I understand the interest in black horror right now. And everyone wants to cash in on the Jordan Peele effect. But Lee Daniels needs to stick to Oprah's coattails and make fluffy biopics for her OWN network.

First of all, Andra Day is entirely terrible and her character Ebony is played in such a way that she deserves and earns no sympathy from the audience. I felt bad for the kids. But then I realized that they were just awful as well but in the opposite (under-developed) way.

There is your standard denial of all the weirdness happening. There is an overload of social commentary with all the doubters, "ambiguity" and disbelief over the family's plight . There is the stock Van Helsing. There is Mo'Nique ruining every scene she touches, trying and failing to undo her post-Oscar diva status.

Everything is just so overwrought with Insidiously Get Outie-ness with zero nuance. Other than Glenn Close and her ripped grandma jeans, the movie is both bland and annoying.