Netflix’s ‘The Deliverance’: A Deep Dive into the True Story of Demonic Possession

Opening with a title card claiming that its story is “inspired by true events,” The Deliverance chronicles the plight of the Pittsburgh-based Jackson family as they try to contend with a demonic possession that’s threatening to destroy them from the inside out.

Lee Daniels directs from a screenplay he wrote with Elijah Bynum and David Coggeshall in this new religiously-fueled horror that opens in select theaters Aug. 16 ahead of its Netflix premiere Aug. 30, puts a dramatized spin on the ‘real-life’ haunting of the Ammons family in Gary, Ind., back in 2011.

It stars Andra Day as Ebony Jackson, a fictionalized version of Latoya Ammons, a mother of three who began experiencing what she claimed were supernatural occurrences-from infestations of flies to the sounds of footsteps and doors opening in the night-after relocating herself, her mother Glenn Close, and her children played by Caleb McLaughlin, Demi Singleton, and Andre B. Jenkins) into a rental home in Gary that has since come to be known as the Demon House of Indiana.

What was the Ammons haunting?

Ammons’ incredible experience with haunting was covered by the Indianapolis Star in 2014. Ammons was convinced that she and her two kids aged 7, 9, and 12 were possessed by demons that invaded their newly rented house on Carolina Street in Gary. She requested that the Star not interview or mention her children when she spoke to them but she signed releases allowing the paper access medical, psychological and other records which were previously ruled out to be unflattering.

According to Ammons strange events began at her Carolina Street house December 2011 when they saw black flies in large numbers going into their screened porch even during winter months.”This is not normal,” Rosa Campbell, Ammons’ mother told the Star. “We killed them and killed them and killed them but they never went away.”

Subsequently, in the course of the months that followed, things seemed to have taken a turn for the worse as Ammons narrated about more and more strange and dangerous episodes whereby the children levitated, were thrown from one room into another and spoke in low and unnatural tones. The Gary Police Department for Indiana together with local hospitals and the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) were caught up in this case having been reported by people like officers, medical personnel and social workers who had seen such things happen.

However, others thought otherwise saying it wasn’t paranormal but just a case of what could be termed as mental illness or maybe she was influencing them. In April 2012, an anonymous complainant lodged an official complaint with DCS against Ammons for possible neglect or child abuse. The source claimed that they thought Ammons was mentally impaired while the kids were just acting under parental influence as she encouraged them to do so. Shortly after this incident, DCS took the children away from their mom without even going to court about it; later on, this agency became their temporary guardians.

In a recent evaluation of the youngest son of Ammons, a psychiatric specialist concluded that the child’s narratives regarding the possession were “weird, cut-up and unreasonable” and varied every time he narrated them. “This seems like a tragedy and innovation of unfortunate mind-altering experiences that have made this boy believe in such things instigated by his mother”, she concluded. An older two children were similarly reported by another psychologist.

Finally, Reverend Michael Maginot, who is the priest of St. Stephen Martyr church in Merrillville Indiana, conducted three major exorcisms on Ammons at his church in June 2012 and also blessed her new house which she moved to Indianapolis. After relocating to the new residence, Ammons made strides towards achieving the objectives stated in her family’s DCS case plan and managed to regain her parental rights over the children in November 2012.

Carolina Street house was described by its landlord to have had no problems before or after living there by Ammons family. Subsequently, it became subject to Zak Bagans’ 2018 movie; “Demon House” later on demolished in 2016 during filming process. The most popular figure behind this particular series Ghost Adventures hosted by Travel Channel is Zak Bags.

How “The Deliverance” alters the narrative.

As with most horror movies that claim to have been inspired by actual events that are fuelled by possession—consider the Conjuring and the exorcism of Emily Rose—The Deliverance has not been shy in distorting the truths of it’s case, particularly as relates to exorcism or deliverance parts. As far as Daniels was concerned about this film, he made it clear during an interview with Hollywood Reporter that he was working on it as a “faith-based thriller”.

“We had never seen this story, through this lens of this African American woman onscreen and I just felt we’re in such dark times and I don’t think people really know how dark our current stage is. And I felt like I needed to get reconnected to my higher power,” he said. “I’m scaring you to Jesus—for me. It could be scaring you to Allah, it could be scaring you to Buddha, it could be scaring you to whoever it is that you have faith in, but it’s scaring you to a faith.”

When asked by the Reporter whether he spoke with Ammons while making the movie, Daniels stated that he talked to her “once or twice” at the beginning of the process. “It’s my interpretation of her life story. I purposely didn’t want to meet Her because I was nervous,” he said. “But I spoke to her… And she’s lovely. She was at peace.”

The director elaborated further on certain specifics of the Ammons case that he altered. He stated, “What I’ve changed a little bit is I made her mother white because I have so many mixed-race friends and [I wanted to talk about] what it’s like to have a white mother and live in a Black girl’s body.” He then went on to say that the deliverer was in fact a man as opposed to a female figure such as Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor’s Rev. Bernice James in the movie; but due to the fact that there are many women who do this kind of work without being noticed I also edited this part a bit. And then of course there’s their names and so.”
Watch Trailer below 👇

The film also changes the location and nature of the religious right that occurred, moving it from an exorcism that happened within church premises into something called deliverance within one’s house hold making reference to what she understands with respect to differences between both rituals, Day told The Boston Herald. According to her understanding, she posited that deliverance involves more than merely getting rid of a demon from someone. “The person should be delivered completely,” she observed. “It entails more than just casting out demons; it really means establishing some connection with God or Jesus Christ. Therefore, it transforms one fittingly.”Watch Trailer below 👇

Trailer :