Lee Daniels wasn’t taking any chances with the paranormal while filming his new horror film, The Deliverance.
The movie, based on true events, tells the story of a single mother (Andra Day) taking care of her three kids and sick mother (Glenn Close) in a seemingly haunted house. The story is based on the Ammons family from the well-known “Demon House” case from Gary, Indiana.
Daniels spoke with Variety about taking precautions by bringing a preacher on set to pray for the cast and crew each day.
“I had a deliverer on set the whole time, someone who actually did this for a living,” he said. “Listen, I read those books about the making of Poltergeist and the making of The Exorcist. And I’m like, ‘Nope, not today, Satan.’ So we prayed every day.”
Netflix, who distributed the film, weren’t happy about Daniels’ decision. But he explained there was no way he could go through the project without some sort of spiritual protection.
“Interestingly enough, HR from Netflix tapped me the first day we started praying and said, ‘This could be offensive to people and you can’t,'” Daniels shared. “I go, ‘Wait a minute — we’ve got to figure something out, because I can’t go in this jungle without praying every day.’ So we figured out a system where I could say, ‘I don’t mean to be offensive, but for those of us that aren’t into prayer, feel free to leave the set.’ And there were a few people that did, but most people, most of the 200 or so crew knew that they wanted to be protected. They clearly read the same books that I had.”
Speaking with CBS Sunday Mornings, Day also spoke about how she was relieved to have some spiritual protection during filming.
“We were taking seriously the topics we were dealing with—not just the paranormal and the spirit realm, but also the emotional weight of what we’re addressing,” Day explained. “These characters can stay with you and even traumatize you for sure. I think it’s important to take certain things seriously, but I also don’t believe we’re supposed to walk in fear.
“That was part of the reason I agreed to do the movie,” she continued. “I was reminded through prayer that I have authority over these things, that they are underfoot. It was important for me to remember that and to show this woman exemplifying and overcoming it. It was amazing having [Apostle Lewis] on set, praying with the team.”
The Deliverance is now streaming on Netflix.
