American film producer and director Lee Daniels recently opened up about his fears surrounding the release of his latest movie, The Deliverance.
The 64-year-old director revealed that he was deeply concerned the movie might be cursed, leading him and his team to pray fervently throughout its production. Daniels even organized prayer circles on set, driven by his anxiety over the horror film, which is based on a true story.
Daniels shared that several unsettling events occurred during filming—cast members were hospitalized, and his own dog tragically died on set. Released on Netflix on Friday, August 30, 2024, The Deliverance is inspired by the real-life story of Latoya Ammons, who experienced bizarre and terrifying occurrences after moving into a rental house in Gary, Indiana, in 2011.
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Aware of the infamous curse associated with the 1973 horror film The Exorcist, Daniels decided to take precautions by holding prayer circles during production to ward off any potential supernatural incidents.
Reflecting on the situation during a SiriusXM panel with The Deliverance cast, Daniels said, “Things happen, and I was not gonna let things happen on my set. And also, I needed it for me.”
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The Exorcist, a film that Daniels drew inspiration from, was notoriously plagued by numerous injuries, accidents, and deaths during its production, leading to widespread speculation that it was cursed.
Fearing that similar misfortunes might befall his own film, Daniels took extra steps to protect his cast and crew.
Some critics, however, believe that horror movies often use the alleged curse of The Exorcist as a tactic to generate buzz. Nonetheless, Daniels’ concerns were rooted in the strange occurrences on his own set.
Daniels recounted one particularly eerie incident involving The Deliverance actor Glenn Close. “My sister is in every movie that I’ve ever done as my good luck charm, and she was in the scene with Glenn in the chemo scene. Two days later, after being in the chemo scene, she was diagnosed with lung cancer, literally. My dog died on the set,” he revealed.
Mo’Nique, who played a social worker in the film, also shared a bizarre experience. “Mr. Daniels had me doing a scene… The demon was supposed to be on top of the building, so they kept blowing this… I mean, at one point I’m like, ‘Lee, do we have this because I can’t breathe,'” Mo’Nique said. She added, “When I got finished, right, my thyroid was… it was just sick. Oh, baby. I was like, ‘What kind of stuff is this?’ There were a lot of things happening with The Deliverance.”
Daniels’ account highlights the eerie and unsettling experiences that often accompany the making of horror films, adding another layer of intrigue to his latest project.
Watch a clip from the interview below.
