True Story That Inspired Netflix’s THE DELIVERANCE: The Ammons Haunting Case

THE DELIVERANCE is based on the true story of Latoya Ammons and her family being haunted in their new house. Get the scoop on the real story behind the Netflix horror movie The Deliverance here! **Spoilers**

The Deliverance true story is actually The Ammons haunting case, which is also known as the “Gary Demon House”. This inspired the new Netflix horror movie. Understandably so.

It’s one of the most chilling and widely publicized paranormal events in recent American history. This terrifying account of a family’s struggle against malevolent forces has captured the public’s imagination.

No wonder it served as inspiration for the 2024 Netflix movie The Deliverance.

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But what is the true story behind this haunting? Let’s delve into the details of this spine-tingling case that has both skeptics and believers debating to this day.

The Beginning of the Haunting

In November 2011, Latoya Ammons, a mother of three, moved into a rental home at 3860 Carolina Street in Gary, Indiana, with her mother, Rosa Campbell, and her three children.

The house, an ordinary-looking property in a quiet neighborhood, soon became the center of a series of inexplicable and horrifying events.

According to Latoya Ammons, the haunting began with strange phenomena that gradually escalated. Not unlike the events many horror fans may recognize from the Enfield poltergeist case. A case that was portrayed in The Conjuring 2 (2016).

Initially, the Ammons family noticed swarms of flies congregating on the porch in the dead of winter, a disturbing occurrence considering the cold weather. Not long after, the disturbances moved indoors, with footsteps echoing through the house, even when no one was present.

The Unsettling Escalation

The paranormal activity in the Ammons’ home grew more intense and terrifying as time went on. Latoya Ammons reported seeing shadowy figures, hearing disembodied voices, and witnessing doors opening and closing by themselves.

But the most disturbing events involved her children.

Ammons claimed that her children began to exhibit bizarre and violent behavior. One of the most harrowing incidents occurred when her 12-year-old daughter was allegedly seen levitating above her bed while unconscious.

Again, similar to the Enfield case, though the two cases are in no way connected.

Another son was said to have walked backward up a wall in full view of medical professionals and social workers. These shocking events prompted visits from local authorities, child protective services, and even a hospital chaplain.

Involvement of Authorities and Experts

The bizarre occurrences in the Ammons home eventually drew the attention of the police, social workers, and medical professionals. Gary Police Captain Charles Austin was one of the first law enforcement officers to investigate the case, and his experiences reportedly left him a firm believer in the supernatural.

Austin claimed that while in the house, his car’s seatbelt inexplicably tightened around his body, and he experienced a host of other eerie phenomena that convinced him something unnatural was occurring.

The Department of Child Services (DCS) became involved after reports of the children’s strange behavior and possible abuse.

Medical staff who witnessed the boy walking up the wall were reportedly shaken by what they saw, with some later stating they couldn’t explain the events by any rational means.

The Exorcisms

Desperate to rid their home of the evil forces, Latoya Ammons turned to the church for help. Reverend Michael Maginot, a local Catholic priest, was brought in to perform an exorcism on Ammons and her children.

After several interviews and observations, the Diocese of Gary authorized a series of exorcisms, which is extremely rare in the modern Catholic Church.

Father Maginot conducted several exorcisms on Latoya Ammons, including a major exorcism in Latin, the church’s most solemn form. According to the priest, these exorcisms were successful in driving the demons out of the family.

Following the exorcisms, Ammons and her children moved out of the house, and the paranormal activities reportedly ceased.

The Aftermath and Public Attention

The Ammons haunting case gained widespread media attention after the Indianapolis Star published an extensive report in 2014. The article included official documents, interviews with witnesses, and chilling details of the case, sparking a nationwide debate over the existence of supernatural forces.

Skeptics have questioned the validity of the haunting, suggesting alternative explanations such as psychological issues, environmental factors, or outright fabrication.

However, the sheer number of credible witnesses, including police officers, medical professionals, and social workers, lends an air of authenticity to the case that is hard to dismiss.

“The Deliverance” and Its Legacy

The eerie tale of the Ammons haunting has now been adapted into the Netflix movie The Deliverance, directed by Lee Daniels. The film dramatizes the terrifying events that plagued the Ammons family, adding a cinematic twist to the already frightening true story.

The main character in the movie has been renamed. Instead of Latoya, her name is Ebony and she is portrayed by Andra Day. She still has three children and lives with her children and mother in the house.

The Ammons haunting remains one of the most compelling paranormal cases in recent history, intriguing both believers and skeptics alike.

Whether you accept the supernatural explanation or lean toward a more rational perspective, the story of the Ammons family is a chilling reminder of the mysteries that still elude us in the modern world.

For those fascinated by true hauntings and the potential existence of the paranormal, the story of the Ammons haunting continues to captivate and terrify. In many ways, it has solidified its place in the annals of American ghost lore.