The Lee Daniels-directed Netflix film “The Deliverance” starring Glenn Close and Andra Day is getting a lot of attention That scene (more on that later), but there’s something else to note about the film: Like many previous films about demonic possession, this one is “inspired by true events.” But what are those true events? And to what extent is “The Deliverance” a true story?

The film is an imagining of what Latoya Ammons, her three children and her mother Rosa Campbell experienced in their Indiana home in 2011, as described in a 2014 article published in the Indianapolis Star.

Ammons and her children all claimed to be possessed by demons, so convincingly that the late Gary police Captain Charles Austin eventually admitted he was “a believer” after many home visits and interviews.

The outlet obtained access to more than 800 pages of official documents and also interviewed “police officers, DCS personnel, psychologists, family members and a Catholic priest” about the details of Ammons’ story.

It started in 2011, when the family moved into a rental house in Gary, Indiana. Their porch was suddenly infested with black flies one December, which was unusual for that time of year. Despite their best efforts to rid themselves of the flies, they kept coming back—and that wasn’t the only thing about the house that felt strange.

Both Ammons and Campbell said they sometimes heard footsteps in the basement or creaking doors, even though no one was in either location. Things reached a frightening level in March 2012, when Ammons said her then-12-year-old daughter was levitating above a bed. When she woke up, the girl had no memory of what had happened.

The couple began reaching out to community members, hoping for help or something that might help them understand what might be happening in their home. Eventually, the newspaper reported, church officials told them the house was known to “have spirits in it.” They contacted two psychics who said the house contained more than 200 spirits. Ammons “poured olive oil on the hands and feet of her three children and then smeared oil in the shape of crosses on their foreheads” to protect them.

Ammons and Campbell destroyed the house and burned it with brimstone; they made an altar and all wore white. For three days the family was at peace, but then demons allegedly possessed Ammons and all three children. Campbell, she said, was spared “because she was born with protection from evil.”

The family consulted their physician, Dr. Geoffrey Onyeukwu, and eventually a report was filed by the Department of Children’s Services. In part of the report, Methodist Hospital staff said that Ammon’s youngest son “was picked up and thrown against the wall without anyone touching him.”

DCS Family Case Manager Valerie Washington investigated the claims and evaluated Ammons and her children, all of whom were found to be safe and had no evidence of physical abuse to their bodies; Ammons was found to be mentally healthy. Instead of blaming Ammons, Washington saw the younger boy growling like an animal and trying to strangle his brother.

She and nurse Willie Lee Walker took the two boys to a separate room, where the younger told the older, “It’s time to die. I’m going to kill you.”

Then, according to Washington’s report and supported by Walker, the older brother “walked backwards across a wall toward the ceiling,” flipped over Campbell and landed — while holding his grandmother’s hand. In the police report, Washington said the 9-year-old “slid backwards across the floor, wall and ceiling.”

Ammons’ children were removed from her care and placed in the care of DCS.

In 2012, the family sought the help of Pastor Michael Maginot. After a four-hour conversation with the family, Maginot was a believer. The family left the home for a week, then returned so DCS — accompanied by two police officers out of “professional curiosity” — could investigate. One of the officers was Austin.

Both officers reported problems with their audio recorders and radios in their vehicles. Austin also said his garage door at home wouldn’t open and his car seat moved on its own.

In 2012, Ammons filed a petition to have her children returned to her custody. Clinical psychologist Stacy Wright, who examined her youngest, concluded that “this appears to be an unfortunate and sad case of a child who has been placed in a delusional system that has been perpetuated and possibly reinforced by his mother.”

Clinical psychologist Joel Schwartz, who examined the two eldest children, also concluded: “There also appears to be a need to assess the extent to which (Ammons’ daughter) may have been unduly influenced by her mother’s concerns that the family was being exposed to paranormal experiences.”

As the DCS case against Ammons built, her home was still being investigated by authorities. Church officials performed an “intensive blessing” on the home; those who were part of the investigation began experiencing health problems. Maginot performed three exorcisms on Ammons, the last of which took place in June 2012.

Ammons’ landlord, Charles Reed, told the Indianapolis Star that no other tenants had reported problems before or after she lived in the home. Ammons was granted custody of her children in November 2012, and the family moved out of the home (which was demolished in 2016) for good.

Oh, and as for That scene mentioned above? You really have to see it to believe it, and Daniels clearly has absolutely no regrets.

The post The Gripping True Story Behind Netflix’s ‘The Deliverance’ appeared first on TheWrap.