DELIVERANCE: Horror Film or Action Flick?

[AntonioDelLago]

DELIVERANCE was ranked among AFI's Top 100 Thrillers, and I guess that it is one of those movies that can fit into pretty much any genre: horror, thriller, action, etc.

This film was the forerunner of several "backwoods killer" flicks that followed during the late 70's and early 80's, including FRIDAY THE 13TH and JUST BEFORE DAWN.

There's nothing scarier than being lost in the wilderness (just check out THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT), and DELIVERANCE proves that hillbillies are kinky bastards! Yikes!

An added bonus: Burt Reynolds proved with this film that he could act!

The "dueling banjos" scene is a classic.

[This message has been edited by AntonioDelLago (edited 06-17-2001).]

[doctor drew]

Wow, I never even considered Deliverance to be anywhere near the realm of horror. I'd definitely consider it to be a blend of action and drama, seeing as how the plight of the campers turns into a pretty gritty human character study.

Mind you, now that I think about it, the sodomy featured in the movie freaked the shit out of me and to this day, I'm still weary of taking camping trips in the backwoods. The "duelling banjos" scene, which featured that blind and deformed kid creeped me out too.

[CAPTAIN BLAKE]

"Horror" is an emotional response, not a specific set of generic motifs. ALIEN is a good example of a film that walks a fine line between genres (in this case, of course, it's science-fiction and horror). But in the end you have to ask yourself what it's true intentions are for the viewer. ALIEN doesn't exist to offer theories on future science. It uses these trappings as an atmospheric background, while it's main thrust is to horrify you. By this definition, DELIVERANCE is far more of a horror film than just about anything we've been served in the past ten years.

[andy13]

DELIVERANCE IS MY BOOK IS ONE OF THE MOST,
SCARY, POWERFUL, EMOTIONAL, SUSPENSFUL, THRILLING AND GREAT CLASSIC HORRORS OF ALL TIME.
IF YOU DON'T CALL THIS A HORROR WHAT THE
F*%K IS???

[Lindsey]

It has to be horror

[The Arrow]

Deliverance is all horror to me baby! Its a big budget version of films like Hills Have Eyes or Last House ON The Left...its in the same vein. Oink I said Oink like a pig! Fuck me man...that's some scary shite!