As a compassionate observer, I can’t help but be moved by the tumultuous journey of Lee Daniels during the production of “The Deliverance.” His life experiences and beliefs seem to have played a significant role in shaping his approach to filmmaking, particularly when it comes to dealing with the dark themes that permeate this horror flick.
In a typical turn of events for horror films, they often acquire a reputation for strange occurrences happening during production, some even being labeled as cursed. The latest addition to this list is “The Deliverance,” directed by Lee Daniels and available on Netflix from August 30th. Starring Andra Day as Ebony Jackson, a single mother who relocates her family to a new home in Indiana, seemingly an ordinary event. However, given that it’s a horror movie, their newly inhabited house harbors a malicious presence, which gradually affects her three children in an unnerving way.
Right from the start of filming, the movie’s production mirrored the creepy fictional universe of “The Deliverance,” a film inspired by true-life ghost stories. From unexpected health issues on set to the tragic loss of cherished animals, the film location was plagued with chilling, inexplicable incidents that left cast and crew rattled. Dive into the full account of “The Deliverance” and its unsettling occurrences for a truly spine-tingling tale.
The true story of The Deliverance
“The movie ‘The Deliverance’ is based on a real-life account of the Ammons family, who claimed to have encountered a string of unsettling supernatural occurrences in their new home in Gary, Indiana, around 2012. Despite efforts to control it through extermination and regardless of weather conditions, they reported persistent infestations of black flies. Matters escalated when the Ammons children seemed to be affected by the house’s eerie presence, with instances of their bodies being levitated, thrown about rooms, and claims of possession that made them speak in unfamiliar voices.”
Despite some people being skeptical about the story of the Ammons family, they faced an investigation by social services due to unverified reports suggesting neglect and abuse. As a result, their children were temporarily taken away from the household. Later in the same year, Latoya Ammons was able to regain custody of her kids, but only after she had undergone three exorcisms and had a priest bless their new residence in Indianapolis following their move there.
Mo’Nique was hospitalized during shooting
As a gamer, I’d rephrase that as: “During the filming of ‘The Deliverance’, director Mr. Daniels had me perform an intense scene on set. At one point, a special effect involved continuous explosions which made it hard for me to breathe. I remember telling Lee, ‘Do we have this prop because I can’t breathe,’ but they kept blowing it anyway. He insisted on one more take. After finishing the scene, I realized my thyroid was badly affected. I wondered, ‘What kind of chaos is this?’ It was a tough experience working on ‘The Deliverance’.”
Regardless of whether her health issue stemmed from otherworldly causes or challenging filming circumstances, it’s clear that caution was warranted due to the film’s heavy themes. And this wasn’t the only challenge the cast of “The Deliverance” encountered during the movie’s production.
Lee Daniels’ family troubles on set
During the production of “The Deliverance,” numerous unusual and heartbreaking events unfolded for Lee Daniels and his crew. Not long after Girly Daniels, who had appeared in every one of Lee Daniels’ films, acting as his lucky charm as he shared in a Sirius XM interview, performed a scene involving Alberta (played by Glenn Close) undergoing chemotherapy treatment, she was diagnosed with lung cancer herself.
During the making of the movie, “The Deliverance”, tragedy struck the Daniels family as Lee’s beloved dog passed away in the midst of production. His mother had initially expressed concern about the film’s content and its potential impact on their project. As Daniels shared with Variety in a recent interview, she had persuaded him to decline the project years ago because she felt he was a conduit for various energies and feared that involvement would bring harm. In her words, “She convinced me not to do it because she truly believed I am an open channel for all kinds of energies, and she strongly felt that if I were to take on this project, something bad would happen to me.”
Lee Daniels’ efforts to counteract the bad vibes
Lee Daniels, understanding the potentially heavy nature of the project’s theme, decided to implement proactive, spiritually-grounded precautions to shield the cast and crew from the film’s potential darkness. This included hiring a spiritual advisor, who in essence served as a sort of reverse exorcist on set. Furthermore, he incorporated prayer into the production process, hoping it would serve as a protective force against any potentially negative or demonic influences.
Each day, he shared, he would pray. Intriguingly, on our initial day, a representative from Netflix approached and expressed concern about the prayers being potentially offensive. He suggested, “Hold on – it’s crucial we find a solution, as I can’t continue without my daily prayers.” It seems they addressed this issue by offering an option for those who didn’t wish to join the prayer circle, but Daniels mentioned that most chose to stay, with many expressing their desire for protection.
The Deliverance was not the first horror movie to be allegedly cursed
Stories of cursed sets, particularly for horror films, are almost as old as the genre. Sometimes developed as a promotional tool to help sell the idea of the film, sometimes born out of genuinely spooky occurrences, it’s almost a trope of the genre at this point. “The Exorcist” is one of the most famous examples of these — in addition to the now-famous MacNeil house set burning down, it has a reported death count of anywhere from four to nine people associated with the production, depending on who you ask. Publicist Joe Hyams was unnerved as the shoot continued, saying (via the New York Post), “These weren’t casualties from stunts or things like that. These were men standing behind the camera and all of a sudden dropping dead.”
The movie “Poltergeist” has a tragic connection due to several young actors who passed away prematurely. Heather O’Rourke, one of the film’s child stars, died at 12 from complications during bowel obstruction surgery while “Poltergeist III” was being made; her on-screen older sister Dominique Dunne was murdered by her partner at the age of 22 shortly after the filming of “Poltergeist”; Julien Beck, who portrayed the evil preacher, took his life in 1983 following a stomach cancer diagnosis; and Will Sampson, the actor who played Taylor the shaman, later passed away during a heart-lung transplant.
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2024-08-31 20:00