In Lee Daniel’s new Netflix horror movie, “The Deliverance”, a young child growls at his mother and walks backwards up a hospital ward.
This may sound like a standard horror movie affair, but the creators of the film claim it is based on real, and recent, events.
How Close To Reality is The Deliverance?
The supernatural events documented in “The Deliverance” are based on a real-life story reported by journalist Marisa Kwiatkowski.
The terrifying events, as documented in an Indianapolis Star article titled “The Exorcisms of Latoya Ammons”, include levitation and alleged demonic possession.
How The Real-Life Haunting Began
Latoya Ammons moved into her new home in Gary, Indiana in 2011.
Things would quickly turn strange for Ammons and her family, and their home would come to be known as the Demon House.
What Happened in The Demon House?
The Ammons family first noticed black flies swarming their porch, despite cold temperatures, and later reported footsteps in their basement.
Later, Ammons’ mother, Rosa Campbell, reported waking up to a shadowy figure in the living room – and saw boot prints when she got up to investigate.
The Terrifying Tale of The Ammons Children
According to the Star article, Ammons went on to find her 12-year-old daughter levitating above the bed unconscious one night.
She said all her children became possessed by demons – showing bulging eyes, deepened voices and evil smiles. She also claims her 7-year-old son locked his hands around his brother’s throat – refusing to remove them until adults pried him away.
Response to Demonic Possession
The boys were hospitalized after speaking in demonic voices and passing out in front of their doctor.
Following these incidents, the Indiana Department of Child Services took the children away from Ammons.
Worsening Symptoms
Ammon’s nine-year-old child walked backwards up a wall in the presence of a Department of Child Services (DCS) case manager.
This incident led the case manager to take emergency custody of the children without a court order.
A Real-Life Exorcism
Following the supernatural occurrences, the Ammons family underwent three exorcisms.
The first two were unsuccessful, however the third (which was performed in Latin rather than English) saw the events cease.
A Happy Ending… Eventually
After moving away from Gary, Ammons continued to drive back to Gary to fight to regain custody of her children.
In November 2012, Ammons regained custody after being away from her children for six months. In 2014, she said they were living “without fear”.
What Happened To The Demon House?
After the Star article was published, paranormal investigator Zak Bagans bought the house for $35K.
In 2016, he had the house demolished – although it’s legend still lives on.
