Is “The Deliverance” Based on Real Events or a Book?

Viewers are curious to know whether Netflix’s recently released horror-thriller movie “The Deliverance” is based on a true story or a fictional book. The film centers around Ebony Jackson and her children moving to a new home. As they try to settle in, supernatural events begin transpiring, putting their lives in jeopardy. These strange occurrences convince them about the house’s demonic origin. But, is this spine-shivering story inspired by reality or is it fictional? Find out here.

Yes, Netflix’s “The Deliverance” is based on the true story of Latoya Ammons. Director Lee Daniels, in an interview, said it was his interpretation of Ammons’ life story.

The real-life story follows Latoya Ammons, her mother Rosa Campbell, and three children who moved into a new rental home in Gary, Indiana in November 2011. Soon after moving in, they started to experience disturbing events at their new house. The family heard strange noises, saw a shadowy figure, and witnessed the unlikely arrival of a swarm of black flies infecting their porch in cold weather.

Things worsened when Ammons realized her children were demonically possessed. She saw her 12-year-old daughter levitating over the bed and her 9-year-old son walking up the ceiling backward. Her children smiled creepily and also spoke in deepened voices. The children were rushed to hospital but there was seemingly no medical diagnosis for their disturbing conditions.

Later, it is said that even Ammons was possessed and acted spookily. However, her mother Campbell remained safe during these events as she claimed to have been born with devil protection. These demonic episodes saw the involvement of law enforcement, medical professionals, and clairvoyants.

No, Netflix’s “The Deliverance” is not based on a novel, but a real-life incident that was reported in a 2014 Indianapolis Star article titled “The Exorcisms of Latoya Ammons.”

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lee Daniels said that he wasn’t aware of Latoya Ammons’ story before he worked on “Precious.” He stated that initially, he had no intention of doing a film based on Ammons’ case. One of the reasons is its theme of child abuse, which he had already worked on in “Precious.” However, he explained what finally inspired him to bring this real-life case to the screen.

“The story sort of sat with me for forever. 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 of times we are in. And I felt like I needed to get reconnected to my higher power,” he said.

Source: Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter