The Conjuringfilms have become themost successful horror franchise in box office history, bringing all things ghostly and demonic to the big screens. The life and careers of paranormal investigatorsEd and Lorraine Warren, played by now-horror iconsPatrick WilsonandVera Farmiga, inspired many of the shocking tales in the conjuring universe and heavily influenced the horror genre in the 2010s.
The success behind the series comes from its eerie, unsettling atmosphere and effective jumpscares, backed by the claim that the stories are based on the Warrens' real-life experiences. From clairvoyant encounters to horrifically violent entities,each film in The Conjuring franchise draws on true stories and eventsfrom those unfortunate enough to have experienced malevolent spirits and demons.
The Perron Family Haunting
‘The Conjuring’ (2013)
The first film of the franchise was inspired by one of Ed and Lorraine Warren’s most famous paranormal investigations. In the 1970s,the Perron familywas subject to a terrifying haunting by multiple nefarious spirits that made life at their Rhode Island farmhouse a living hell. The Perrons' experiences launched the Warrens to notoriety, and their subsequent experiences inspired other films, most notablyThe Amityville Horror.
Fans would be shocked to know that the horrific exorcism scene inThe Conjuringwasbased on a real-life séanceconducted by Lorraine Warren in the house to contact the spirits that were terrorizing the Perron family. The eldest of the Perron children, Andrea, claimed to have seen her mother, Carolyn, become possessed, speaking in tongues and even floating above the ground in her chair.
The Conjuring
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.
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Bathsheba Sherman
The violent and terrifying spirit known as Bathsheba Sherman that tormented the Perron family inThe Conjuringwas inspired by a real-life woman who lived on the land centuries ago. Born in Rhode Island in 1812,Bathsheba Sherman was feared by the locals, who claimed she was a Satan-worshipping witch, rumored to have been related to a woman hung during the Salem Witch Trials.
Legend states that Bathsheba put a curse on the land and anyone who occupied her property before she died. The home is especially unwelcome to women, said to make this vengeful spirit even more agitated. Daring fans can nowspend the night at this cursed house— but be sure to pack some holy water just in case.
The Enfield Poltergeist
‘The Conjuring 2’ (2016)
11-year-old Janet Hodgson was subject to a ghastly haunting that lasted nearly two years while living in Enfield. Many British publications caught wind of the eerie events taking hold, which reached a shocking climax when Janet supposedly became possessed.
Many chilling moments fromThe Conjuring 2arepulled from real-life incidents reported by the Hodgson family. Audiotapes recorded a deep, scratchy voice coming from Janet Hodgson claiming to be a man calledBill Wilkens — a real man later proven to have died in the house. More than 30 witnesses recalled supernatural events, from strange knocking, furniture moving, and fires spontaneously igniting in the house.
The Conjuring 2
The Amityville Horror
In the opening ofThe Conjuring 2, fans get a glimpse of one of Ed and Lorraine Warren’s most high-profile cases. In 1975, the pair were sent to investigate the Amityville house after George and Kathy Lutz moved in. The supernatural activity they experienced was so frightening that they were driven out of their home in just 28 days.
Only a year earlier, a cold-blooded killing had taken place in the Amityville house. One of the previous tenants,Ronald DeFeo Jr., committed a shocking crimewhen he killed both of his parents and four of his siblings in their home. The case shocked the nation and made believers out of millions of skeptics, who keep the case alive in the annals of conspiracy and paranoia.
Newlyweds and their three children move into a large house where a mass murder was committed. They start to experience strange, inexplicable manifestations which have strong effects on everyone living in or visiting the house.
Arne Cheyenne Johnson
‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ (2021)
The latest addition to the franchise,The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, draws inspiration fromthe case of Arne Cheyenne Jackson, the first murder suspect to plead not guilty by claiming demonic possession. Ed and Lorraine Warren helped bring this mysterious case to national attention. In 1981, landlord Alan Bono was stabbed to death by a supposedly possessed Arne Johnson after he had participated in the exorcism of his girlfriend’s younger brother, David Glatzel.
According to the Glatzel family,11-year-old David had been hauntedby a man with charred skin and a thin face with animal features and jagged teeth, pointed ears, horns, and hoofs. After the exorcism, where Arne taunted the demon to leave David, he began to see the same presence. The possessed Johnson killed Bono and claimed demonic possession during his infamous trial; however, the claim did not stick, andJohnson was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, but he only served five.
Conjuring 3 / The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
The Demon Valak
‘The Nun’ (2018)
While the haunted monastery depicted inThe Nunthankfully has no basis in true events, the evil entity Valak that terrorized the monastery is not entirely fictional. Horrifically,Valak has been written about in several ancient texts for centuries.
Lesser Key of Solomon, a 17th-century text, described Valak as “the great president of hell,” considered to be anextremely powerful and dangerous demonwith an army of 30 underlings ready to do his evil bidding. The Conjuring franchise has Valak adopt the form of a demon nun, but it remains vague enough about Valak’s origin to fit the 17-century text. Let’s hope this scary entity stays inside the pages of these ancient texts!
The Haunted Borley Church
The creepy Romanian monastery where the terrifying events ofThe Nuntake place was inspired by the real-life Borley Church in Essex. The church has been the site of endless strange occurrences for centuries and has gained the title of “the most haunted house in Britain.”
According to folklore, the hauntings began in the 14th century following the execution of a nun after being accused of having an affair with a monk. A range of supernatural activities in the church has been reported, such as the sound of heavy footsteps in the empty hallways and the appearance of ghostly figures. Seems likeThe Nundid the site justice with its creepy portrayal!
Lorraine Warren’s Ghostly Encounter
The menacing nun character in the conjuring universe was inspired bytwo mysterious experiences Lorraine Warrenhad in the 1970s. Warren’s son-in-law spoke of Lorraine’s chilling encounter with a dark presence in her room one night, which she described as being “a swirling tornado vortex with this hooded figure.”
Additionally, when the Warrens visited the haunted Borley,Lorraine claimed to feel the presence of a nun at the altar. Images captured by the accompanying photographers show swirling mists of smoke that can be seen next to Lorraine. This supernatural experience, combined with the description of a chilling dark presence,inspired directorJames Wanto create The Nun.
The Possessed Raggedy Ann Doll
‘Annabelle’ (2014)
Fans would be horrified to know thatthe terrifying Annabelle dollseen inAnnabelle,Annabelle: Creation, andAnnabelle Comes Homeisbased on a real-life possessed doll. While the films definitely amp up the creepy looks of Annabelle, the mysterious circumstances that surround the real-life doll are beyond terrifying.
The seemingly benevolent Raggedy Ann doll was the supposed cause of a range of demonic attacks and near-death experiences. The Warrens believed that the doll was possessed by a demonic force that attempted to disguise itself as the spirit of an innocent girl named Annabelle to infiltrate the homes — and souls — of sympathetic victims. Shockingly, the doll has been deemed so dangerous that the Warrens keep it locked in a specially made case that Ed Warren would periodically bless with a binding prayer for protection.
La Llorona
‘The Curse of La Llorona’ (2019)
The sinister entity inThe Curse of La Lloronais based on a terrifying ghost from Mexican folklore. Generations of children were told the creepy legend ofLa Llorona, AKA The Weeping Woman, a wailing spirit doomed to wander the Earth after committing heinous acts against her sons.
The legend tells ofa woman named Maria who drowned her two children in a fit of rageafter she caught her husband with another woman. Overcome by grief,she committed suicide and now wanders the Earth, wailing in search of her children. She is known to attack or kidnap any children who cross her path; if you hear her cries nearby, relax, for she is far away. However, if you hear them in the distance, chances are she is right next to you.
