The Deliverance

The Deliverance is a 2024 American supernatural horror thriller film directed by Lee Daniels and written by David Coggeshall, and Elijah Bynum. Inspired by the Ammons haunting case,^[1] it stars Andra Day with Rob Morgan, Caleb McLaughlin, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Tasha Smith, Omar Epps, Mo’Nique, and Glenn Close. The film was released in select theaters on August 16, 2024, and will stream on Netflix on August 30.

Single parent Ebony Jackson moves her family to a new home for a fresh start, but something evil already lives there. Inspired by terrifying true events.

Why is Deliverance called Deliverance?

The film never tells the audience the origin or significance of the title Deliverance, but James Dickey’s novel explains that its four city-dwelling protagonists, Ed, Lewis, Bobby, and Drew, take their backwoods canoeing trip seeking “deliverance” from the stresses of their modern, day-to-day lives.

Themes and Symbolism

Deliverance is renowned for its exploration of deep and often uncomfortable themes. At its core, the film is about the fragility of civilization and the ease with which it can be stripped away. The river serves as a powerful symbol, representing both the uncontrollable forces of nature and the journey into the darkest recesses of the human psyche.

This Upcoming Horror Movie Based On A True Story Is Exactly What The Genre Is Missing In 2024

The Deliverance may become one of the best horror movies on Netflix in 2024 due to its terrifying use of demonic possession.
The film is inspired by true events, making it scarier and more unnerving for audiences.
It stands out among other 2024 horror movies by incorporating both demonic possession and a true story element.

The Deliverance's Demonic Possession Is The Trait That Most 2024 Horror Movies Lack

Two of the clips in the trailer for The Deliverance feature characters experiencing demonic possession. The classic lack of pupils in their eyes with their bodies contorted into clearly very uncomfortable positions is a dead giveaway. Mo’nique, performing an exorcism, also asserts that the horror in this film will come from a demon terrorizing these characters. The fact that this horror tactic is featured in this film is guaranteed to make it quite creepy to watch.

The Deliverance, being the only horror movie released so far in 2024 that includes both inspiration from a true story and a terrifying demonic possession, helps round out the genre for the year. So far, most of 2024’s terrifying horror movies are not even paranormal, as The Deliverance is. Demonic possession was indeed featured in The Exorcism (2024). However, that film did not take inspiration from actual events for the storyline. Including a horror flick that involves both demonic possession and some truth behind it adds more types of terror to the genre this year.

The Shocking True Story Behind The Deliverance

What started as an attempt at a fresh start in November 2011 for a young family became one of the most remarkable cases of supernatural hauntings on record. A series of events plagued the Ammons at their rental house on Carolina Street in Gary, Indiana, baffling the police and the community. The Ammons family, mother Latoya Ammons, her mother Rosa Campbell, and their three kids aged 7,9 and 12 (names not made public) were at the center of the events. The family instantly noticed that something was off with their home: a collection of flies that would return no matter how many they killed and noises coming from the basement at night that sounded like someone coming up the stairs. Yet, this was just the start of their nightmare and the home that the community and press would later deem the “200 Demon Home.”

March 10, 2012, marked the first major incident, when reportedly one of the kids began to levitate, drawing the family together in prayer around the kid to try to combat whatever force had overtaken the child. To combat the evil presence, the Ammons began to reach out to various organizations, with the Church hesitant to approach directly but offering advice to cleanse the home. The Ammons also reached out to clairvoyants, one of which ended up being the one to state the house had more than “200 Demons,” and advised them to move. Unfortunately, moving wasn’t an option for them, and they were advised to build a shrine to appease the spirits. Tackling the forces on any front they can think of, the family reported a few days of peace… until things worsened.

It was then reported that all three kids began to show signs of possession, with Campbell and Ammons stating, “The kids’ eyes bulged, evil smiles crossed their faces, and their voices deepened every time it happened.” The youngest would spend hours in the closet talking to another entity about what it was like to be killed. The same seven-year-old would also be tossed around the house as if thrown by an entity, causing injury to himself and the other siblings. The 12-year-old, who did see mental health professionals, reported that they were often overcome by the sensations of being choked and unable to breathe.

Was the Ammons Family Haunted, and Where Are They Now?

The landlord of the home, of 33 years, noted that he had no issues with any other tenants before and after the Ammons family took possession. This, combined with various other elements, has led skeptics to believe that all the events that happened were either staged for financial gain and attention or the result of Latoya Ammons’s mental health struggles. Some point to exaggerating accounts/coverage, like a fake ghost photo circulated under the claim that police took it. Additionally, many believe the family staged the incident of levitation and report of wall climbing, not the result of malicious spirits in a haunted house. Above all else, most look to psychiatric reports as the most accurate assessment of the situation.