When single mother Latoya Ammons moved into a new house with her three young children and her mother, Rosa Campbell, in Gary Indiana in 2011, the first sign that something wasn't quite right came in the form of a vicious swarm of flies that suddenly invaded their home.
What came next was Campbell hearing footsteps in the basement, even when the family were all upstairs, and the odd door creaking when no one was in the room. She then claims to have seen a "shadowy figure of a man pacing in the living room" and on another occasion found a boot print in the same place, which didn't belong to anyone living in the house.
As the weeks went on, the family claimed that more disturbing events started to occur.
Campbell later told police of a day when she was choked by an unknown force, and said that the youngest boy once had his eyes roll into the back of his head before he started growling and then yelling "it's time to die," and "I will kill you".
Ammons' went on to say that they had seen her 12-year-old daughter levitate above her bed unconscious and then wake up with no memory of what had taken place, while the entire family then witnessed her middle son be thrown violently across the room by an unknown force.
In 2012, the Department of Child Services was alerted to what was happening in the Ammons' house as the three children were constantly covered in bruises. When physician Geoffrey Onyeukwu visited the family during one of the alleged hauntings he called the family's behavior "delusional". The children were taken to the hospital, where staff would later say that the older boy was acting rationally, while the younger boy "screamed and thrashed".
It was later reported in the Indianapolis Star that both a case manager and a hospital nurse had witnessed the 9-year-old boy walking backward up a wall as the family watched on, leading Police Captain Charles Austin to tell the newspaper that it was the strangest story he had ever heard of.
Austin also told the publication that he initially thought that Latoya Ammons and her family had created the story as a way to get out of paying their rent (as the family was behind on their monthly payments) but after visiting the home and interviewing the family himself, Austin went on to say "I am a believer."
Following the police investigation, the Ammons family enlisted the help of a priest by the name of Father Michael Maginot, who spent time with the family in their home. After witnessing their behavior he went on to say that he believed they were all being "tormented by demons". Father Maginot performed a series of exorcisms on the family, including Latoya Ammons, and they moved away from the house.
The house was later purchased by American paranormal investigator Zak Bagans who filmed a documentary in it called Demon House, which appeared to show a series of paranormal events taking place within the home.
For more new TV and film recommendations listen to The Spill.
The tale of Latoya Ammons and her family is the basis for Netflix's new horror movie The Deliverance, directed by Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels.
In The Deliverance Andra Day (who starred as Billie Holiday in Lee Daniels' biopic The United States vs. Billie Holiday) plays Ebony Jackson, a struggling alcoholic single mother who is trying to keep her family together.
She and her three children move into a new home along with her mother Alberta (played by Glenn Close) where a series of horrifying events start to unfold and no one is willing to believe Ebony's story.
The Deliverance, which also stars Oscar winner Mo'Nique, takes the idea of the infamous Ammons haunting case and turns it into a full-blown exorcism horror story that leads to a chilling final act.
The Deliverance is now streaming on Netflix.
Feature image: Netflix.
Calling all Australians aged 18+ years! Take our survey now to go in the running to win a $50 gift voucher.