Netflix Acquires Rights to Real-Life 'Demon House' Story
Something scary is coming to Netflix! The streaming giant has acquired the rights to a horror film based on the real-life Demon House possession, which haunted a family in Gary, Indiana for years before they broke their story in 2014. Deadline confirmed in late January that Netflix purchased the rights to the untitled star-studded film in a heated auction battle that saw the streamer shelling out upwards of $65 million.
To be directed by Lee Daniels, the film is being described as a "fictional thriller" based on the well-known case of Latoya Ammons, similar to popular horror films like The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist, and The Conjuring, which are purported to be based on or inspired by actual events. Andra Day, who starred as Billie Holiday in Daniels' biopic The United States vs. Billie Holiday, is set to star as Ammons, "the mother of an Indiana family whose children purportedly became demonically possessed in a thriller inspired by an actual case." The star-studded cast also reportedly includes Octavia Spencer, Glenn Close, Rob Morgan, Caleb McLaughlin and Aunjanue Ellis, though their roles have yet to be announced.
The case at the center of the story involved Ammons and her three children, who began to experience supernatural events beginning in 2011 after they moved into a rental home. The first events began in December of that year, when black flies swarmed their screened-in porch. They soon began to hear footsteps, and things steadily progressed, with the children levitating, walking backward up walls, becoming violent with one another, and speaking in unnatural voices. Some of these events were witnessed by officials, including the Gary Police Department, Department of Child Services and the local church and hospital, who all filed reports "that took the supernatural occurrences seriously."
As the supernatural occurrences continued, Ammons began to seek help. Eventually, a series of exorcisms were performed. Following a minor exorcism, Rev. Michael Maginot performed three major exorcisms on Ammons. Following the events, Ammons sold the rights to her story in 2014. Those rights were later acquired by producer Tucker Tooley.
Production on the Netflix film is reportedly set to begin by the middle of this year. A premiere date has not yet been announced. The film will mark the second such title brought to the screen about the haunting following the 2018 documentary Demon House, which saw paranormal investigator Zak Bagans lead a team of paranormal investigators to investigate the house at the center of the alleged haunting. The house was demolished in 2016.