Zak Bagans' 'Demon House' the real story: 10 things to know about the Gary, Indiana, case

Editor's note: This story was initially published in 2018. We are resurfacing it as part of our fall coverage.

Sometimes real life is even stranger than the Hollywood story.

When Zak Bagans, the host and executive producer of "Ghost Adventures" on the Travel Channel, read an IndyStar story about Latoya Ammons' allegations of demon possession inside a "Demon House" in Gary, Indiana, he was hooked.

Ammons claimed she and her three young children had been possessed by spirits inside the rental home from 2011 to 2012. The Gary Police Department and the Indiana Department of Child Services investigated, a priest performed exorcisms and even some of the biggest skeptics were made into believers.

The Netflix movie: Film based on famed Indiana 'Demon House' exorcism has cast, title

Bagans made the 2018 documentary horror film "Demon House" about Ammons' strange tale.

Here are the answers to 10 frequently asked questions about the documentary and the real-life case that inspired the chilling tale.

Who is Zak Bagans?

In addition to hosting and executive-producing the "Ghost Adventures" series on the Travel Channel, Bagans is also an author, actor and paranormal investigator. He bought and later demolished the "Demon House" on Carolina Street in Gary, Indiana in 2014 after reading an IndyStar story about Ammons' claims of demon possession inside the home.

He released a two-hour documentary horror film, "Demon House," in March 2018 based on the experiences of Ammons and her family.

Is 'Ghost Adventures' real?

The Travel Channel investigations are real, but as for the ghosts? That one's up to you.

Real-Life Horror: The exorcisms of Latoya Ammons

What happened in the 'Demon House' in Gary, Indiana?

Ammons claims she and her three children were possessed by demons inside the northwest Indiana home when they began renting it in November 2011. Immediately after they arrived, Ammons told the IndyStar that, despite cold December temperatures, large black flies swarmed their screened-in porch. And they kept coming back, even when the family "killed them and killed them," Ammons' mother, Rosa Campbell, told IndyStar reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski.

From there, things got really strange.

Campbell and Ammons heard footsteps on the basement stairs late at night. The basement and kitchen doors creaked open unassisted.

And then they claim the demons got to the three children.

They told IndyStar that the kids' eyes bulged, their voices deepened and they sported evil smiles while possessed. The 9-year-old boy described what it felt like to be killed, and walked up the wall in the presence of a family case manager and hospital nurse.

The 7-year-old clenched his hands around his older brother's throat and wouldn't let go until an adult pried him off. The 12-year-old girl floated above the bed while unconscious, the family said.

The police investigated and the Indiana Department of Child Services intervened, and the DCS found Ammons guilty of neglect for not sending her children to school regularly. They told Ammons to find a job and appropriate housing, and cared for her three children while she did.

She regained custody of her children six months later, and the family moved into a new home, with no reports of demons. The case was closed in February 2013.

What does demon possession feel like?

Ammons told IndyStar that she felt "weak, lightheaded and warm" while possessed. Her body shook.

The 12-year-old girl told mental health professionals that she was paralyzed and felt like she was being choked.

"You can tell it's different, something supernatural," Ammons told IndyStar.

What happens during an exorcism?

A priest told IndyStar that the exorcisms the Rev. Michael Maginot performed on Ammons and her family were the first authorized by the bishop of the Catholic Church's Diocese of Gary in his 21 years of service.

Casting out Demons: The Exorcism of Evil

Before the major exorcism Maginot performed on Ammons, he prayed over her and made appeals to cast out demons. He named the demons tormenting Ammons during the ritual after she looked their identities up online (while the computer kept shutting down) because he claimed names had power.

Then, with the Catholic Church's backing, he cast out the demons while holding a crucifix against Ammons' forehead. She convulsed violently, and told IndyStar the pain was as intense as giving birth.

Maginot performed three major exorcisms on Ammons, two in English and the last one in Latin, in June 2012.

Was there really a demon in the Demon House?

Bagans has no other explanation.

"Something was inside that house that had the ability to do things that I have never seen before " he told IndyStar via email in 2016. "There was something there that was very dark yet highly intelligent and powerful."

Gary police Capt. Charles Austin told IndyStar in 2014 that he initially thought Ammons and her family were liars out to get rich, but then he visited the home, interviewed witnesses and came out "a believer."

Maginot, the priest who performed the exorcism, told IndyStar he was also convinced.

What happened to the Demon House?

After buying the home in 2014, Bagans bulldozed it in February 2016. He filmed the demolition for the "Demon House" documentary.

Where is Latoya Ammons now?

Ammons, her mother and her children live in Indianapolis without fear, she told IndyStar in 2014.

Both Ammons and Maginot signed movie deals separate from the Bagans film with Evergreen Media Holdings in 2014, with Lee Daniels set to direct, but the current status of the project is unclear.

When and where can I watch the Bagans documentary?

It's available to stream via Amazon Video, or rent or buy via iTunes, YouTube, Google Play Movies or Amazon Video.

Is 'Demon House' any good?

The film was originally released on March 16, 2018, and currently has a 33 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. One critic called it "patent balderdash," but another praised its "crawling sense of escalating paranoia."

Email IndyStar reporter Sarah Bahr at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @smbahr14. 

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Zak Bagans and the Gary 'Demon House' real story: 10 things to know