The Deliverance director defends wild Glenn Close scene after fans vow he’ll “pay for his crimes”

You might have switched on The Deliverance to be scared out of your skin, but it’s an unexpected Glenn Close scene that’s got people talking – with the director now defending it.

We’ve had some seriously scary horror movies this year, from the grisliest scenes in In A Violent Nature to the quiet psychological terror of Longlegs. What we haven’t had much of is horror comedy… until now.

Unintentionally, Netflix’s new movie The Deliverance has become one of the funniest horrors of 2024, and it’s all thanks to what goes down in the final 20 minutes of the movie. The story is based on the real-life Latoya Ammons case, including the exorcism she had performed at her haunted house by a local reverend.

In the movie, the house’s spirits have possessed Ebony’s (Audra Day) son Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins), who transforms into a version of Berta (Glenn Close) during the exorcism. While her eyes glaze over, she tells Reverend Bernice (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) – in the wildest of moves – “I can smell your nappy p*ssy.”

It’s not clear why she says it, leaving fans absolutely flummoxed… but director Lee Daniels has defended the decision.

“Lee Daniels you will pay for your crimes for having Glenn Close say this,” one fan posted on X/Twitter, with Daniels replying, “Had to do it.”

“The fact that she got several good sniffs too,” another fan weighed in, with a third stating, “You can’t say Glenn Close doesn’t commit to a character.”

Close’s character Bertha is a world away from the actress we know and love, and it’s not just this scene in The Deliverance that’s caught people’s attention.

“I never thought in all my days that I would see THE Glenn Close doing a sew-in with French manicure tips, chewing gum like a cow, with a cajun accent and doing the ‘girl straighten yo head up’ move,” another fan tweeted.

Another fan said to Daniels, “Sir, you had THE Glenn Close in a 26-piece wig, doing a sew-in on the porch in the hood, the Secret Service needs to get involved at this point,” to which he replied, “This tweet could be an ad.”

Close has received praise for the role since the movie dropped on the streaming service, but she revealed to People Magazine it wasn’t something she took lightly.

“When [Daniels] told me that there are white women like this in every Black community, I was intrigued and I wanted to do her justice,” she explained. “And so the journey began.”

The Deliverance is available to stream on Netflix now. For more scares, check out the best serial killer documentaries of all time, the best horror movies on Prime Video, and the best scary films from Neon. You can also find more new movies streaming this month.