The Deliverance on Netflix is based on a true story, but as with any adaptation, there are plenty of similarities and differences from the source material.
The supernatural streaming horror hit is based on the real-life possession case of Latoya Ammons, an Indiana woman who claims the devil possessed her children.
The film, directed by Empire's Lee Daniels, stars Andra Day and Glenn Close, among other A-list talent.
How True to the Real-Life Story Is The Deliverance?
Despite being based on a true story, The Deliverance on Netflix takes some creative liberties with the real-life tale while staying as faithful as possible.
And for those wondering, yes, the latest streaming horror blockbuster from Lee Daniels keeps things pretty close to the actual events it is based on.
The Similarities
The film has been noted to have been inspired by the real-life haunting of Latoya Ammons and her family, a case that was first opened in 2012 following some inexplicable events a year prior in 2011.
The movie seems to get the basic details right. Both the film and the real-life story see an Indiana mother (played by Andra Day in the film) moving into a new house with her elderly mother and three children, only for alleged moments of demonic possession to take hold of the family (via Today).
This - along with allegations of alcoholism and abuse of her children by Ammons (and Day's character in the movie) - draws the eye of Child Protective Services/the Department of Child Services (DCS).
Both on-screen and off, the involvement of the DCS increases the frequency of these hauntings. Reports from the real-world Ammons haunting case of the Ammons children levitating, being thrown against walls, and being possessed by demonic animals all play out on-screen just as they were described in the Ammons case file.
While some of the DCS personnel remained skeptical of the haunted web Ammons wove regarding the possessions, the film version of the story accurately portrays the fact that some DCS agents believed in Ammons' story and claimed to have witnessed some of these demonic episodes.
In the movie, this is represented by Mo'Nique's Cynthia Henry, a Child Services agent who, after bearing witness to some of the film's more grizzly moments, comes to the aid of the film's central mother to tell her story hopefully accurately.
The film also accurately represents what happened to Ammons and her children in their fight with the DCS.
In both the film and the actual case file, Ammons and her three children were separated by the state, as she was deemed incapable of safely caring for them.
The movie leaves the family where they stand today, with the children still in government care and their mother doing everything she can to regain full custody of her kids.
The Differences
While the main beats are accurately portrayed on-screen in The Deliverance, there are some differences from Latoya Ammons' real-life story.
The most significant identifiable difference comes in the Ammons family itself. Seeing as the movie is inspired by the events of the Amons haunting case, all names have been changed, and not a single character bears the Ammons family name.
Instead, Andra Day's on-screen character is known as Ebony Jackson, and she leads the fictional Jackson family through these horrific and traumatic events.
Another key change in the movie's core familial unit comes with Ebony's mother, Alberta Jackson. While, yes, Latoya Ammons moved with her elderly mother before these demonic episodes began to take hold, the actual portrayal of Ammons' mother has changed significantly.
In the film, Glenn Close brings to life the grandmother of this haunted family. She fills a similar role to Ammons' real-life mother, and this is an entirely original character (read more about Close's performance).
She is an entirely different race from her real-life counterpart and has been stricken with cancer in the movie, something that was not a part of the original story (at least publicly).
Also, the movie's events have been adjusted slightly from the source material for cinematic reasons. The characters give the movie version of this demonic presence a name. Named Tre, this was likely done to give the audience a direct antagonist to cheer against.
The film's ending as well has been heightened when Day's character ultimately quote-on-quote defeats Tre by putting her faith in the Christian religion and shutting out the supernatural presence by way of a Deliverance (aka an exorcism where one uses the power of Jesus Christ to sequester the spirit of the devil).
Religion plays a part in the real-life story, with Ammons having found some support in a local reverend (someone who makes his way into the film version). Still, the demonic presence was taken down in some grand last stand as depicted in the film.
The Deliverance is streaming on Netflix.
