Netflix's newly released The Deliverance is a horror/suspense film gathering the viewers' attention as it delves deeper into what happened to Latoya Ammons, a mother of three who claimed that her family was being haunted by demons.
The Deliverance is inspired by the terrifying real-life events that allegedly took place in the lives of the Ammons family who experienced haunting activities, including Latoya's son walking backward on the wall of a hospital, after they moved to a new house in Gary, Indiana, in 2011.
In the film, Ebony and her children suffer great pain and constantly find themselves in haunting situations, especially her youngest son Andre Jackson. In real life, Latoya Ammons allegedly went through around three exorcisms and finally left the rental house which was later demolished.
Is The Deliverance based on a true story?
Yes, The Deliverance is indeed based on the true story of Latoya Ammons who is named Ebony in the film and is played by Andra Day.
The director of the film Lee Daniels, wanted to feature the story of Ammons through his lens and closely followed the events claimed by the mother of three. In a 2014 interview, shared by IndyStar on YouTube, Ammons shared her story and explained:
"We would lock the basement room and you would hear something hit the door boom... and you would hear dogs barking... no dogs outside..."
Ammons shared that witnessing a lot of flies in winter around her house was strange, and then they started experiencing other bone-chilling events in the house.
Rosa Campbell, Ammons's mother, also described her grandson's eerie behavior and his stomach being stretched giving him pain. As seen in the Netflix film, Jackson also went through an exorcism to take the demons out of her body.
What happened to Andre Jackson in The Deliverance?
Featuring Andra Day as Ebony Jackson in The Deliverance, the film is based on the story of Latoya Ammons who claimed to have experienced startling experiences in her life soon after her family moved into a rental house.
The haunting events in the movie begin with the Jacksons discovering black flies all over their house, despite cleaning them. Her children's physical appearances look suspicious as their eyes suddenly turn red, they begin smiling rather oddly, and even speaking in demonic voices, abusing Ebony and claiming that the evil spirits have captured her youngest son's body.
Following these occurrences, many suspected that Ebony was torturing her kids, and an anonymous report was sent to the Department of Child Services (DCS), similar to what happened in the real life of Latoya Emmons. The investigators immediately took custody of the children, but later a nurse witnessed Andre walking on the wall of a hospital room.
In the film, Jackson then decides to seek help from priests and local churches, leading to exorcism on her and Andre which reveals that they were indeed possessed by the devil's spirits.
Since there was no evidence that Jackson was abusing her children, she successfully regained their custody after abandoning the haunted house.
Did Lee Daniels take creative liberties with The Deliverance?
The makers of The Deliverance extensively followed the claims made by Latoya Ammons and her mother, but to create a more impactful experience, director Lee Daniels did take some creative liberties.
The changes made by Daniels in his film include the portrayal of the exorcism. In real life, Latoya went through a traditional exorcism with the help of priests, but in the film, the character is guided through belief in God.
In terms of changes to characters, Rosa Campbell is a black woman. But, Daniels changed the race of Latoya's mother in his film as the character is played by actress Glenn Close. They also altered the deliverance expert from a man to a woman and added a few more figures to the film.
While many might think that the film is another horror on the streamer, Daniels's goal went beyond that. He crafted The Deliverance with the approach of a "faith-based thriller". Daniels also told The Hollywood Reporter,
"I really wanted to separate as much as I could so I could make it my own story."
Where is Latoya Ammons now?
While specific details about Latoya Ammons and her family are unknown, Lee Daniels revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he had a conversation with her before starting the filming of The Deliverance.
The director said:
"I purposely didn't want to meet her because I was nervous. But I spoke to her, I believe once or twice, in the beginning. And she's lovely. She was at peace."
At the end of the film, it is revealed that the haunted house remained vacant for years before it was demolished in 2016, and strange occurrences are still reported in that area.
Where is The Deliverance streaming?
The Deliverance is becoming impressively popular among the viewers, as more people are interested in delving deeper into the story of Ebony Jackson, and how her faith in God freed the family from the demons.
You can watch The Deliverance on Netflix with a subscription, and the trailer is also available on YouTube.
Keep coming back to SoapCentral for regular entertainment!
