After decades of producing dramas like the Oscar-nominated , , and , is trying his hand at horror. draws inspiration from the , a Gary, Indiana, mother who, in 2011, claimed her children had become possessed by a demonic spirit. The film — which was released in select theaters on Aug.
16 and will stream on on Aug. 30 — sees the producer and director reuniting with — who won a Golden Globe for best actress and received an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the titular character in — in the lead role of Ebony, a neglectful, alcoholic mother struggling with her own abandonment issues. Daniels also works with again for the first time since their over financial expectations around promoting , the 2009 film for which Mo’Nique won the best actress Oscar.
“First of all, part of me trying to find my higher power [while working on this film] was also understanding what that meant,” Daniels tells in the conversation below. “And that meant forgiveness, that meant apologizing, even if I didn’t understand what I was apologizing for. I had to understand that she was hurt, and that is my sister, and that I love her.
” Joining Day and Mo’Nique onscreen in , which Daniels describes as a “faith-based thriller,” are , who stars as Alberta, Ebony’s mother who’s now found Jesus after not being the parent her daughter needed her to be as a child; and , who portrays Reverend Bernice James. “I was in a fantasy,” Daniels says of working with Ellis-Taylor. “To me, .