Real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren explored countless cases of hauntings, demonic possessions, and more unusual phenomena — some of which would later inspire The Conjuring franchise.
Ever since the first movie in The Conjuring film series premiered in 2013, the franchise has released many box office horror successes. Based on the accounts of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, the films have chronicled some of their most high-profile cases — with many creative liberties taken by the screenwriters and directors at Warner Bros.
The films portray the Warrens as righteous do-gooders combatting the forces of evil and helping families impacted by paranormal phenomena. The Warrens, in the movies, seem like a devout and happy couple driven by a divine purpose, but the truth about the real Ed and Lorraine Warren is said to be much different, with many troubling allegations about their investigative work and their personal lives emerging over the years. Many of their cases, too, were different from their silver screen counterparts.
Dive into the true stories behind The Conjuring movies below.
The True Story Of The Perron Family And The Events In The Conjuring Movie
FacebookThe Perron family resided in “The Conjuring House” for nearly a decade.
In January 1971, Roger and Carolyn Perron, along with their five daughters, moved into a 14-room farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island.
Almost immediately, strange occurrences began. Carolyn noticed odd things: the broom disappearing or shifting locations, mysterious scraping sounds near an empty kettle, and piles of dirt appearing on freshly cleaned kitchen floors. Meanwhile, her daughters reported seeing spirits — most of whom were harmless, though a few of them seemed to be overtly angry.
Carolyn said she researched the house and learned that it had belonged to one family for eight generations. She also found that tragic, mysterious, and violent deaths littered the home’s history. Several children allegedly drowned in a nearby creek, at least one person was murdered, and others hanged themselves in the home’s attic. One name in particular stood out to her: Bathsheba Sherman. She lived on the property in the mid-1800s, and, disturbingly, she may have been involved in the death of a neighbor’s child.
Because of this, Carolyn came to believe that Bathsheba Sherman was one of the malevolent spirits haunting her family, even though much about the real Bathsheba Sherman’s story remains unconfirmed.
The Perrons’ oldest daughter, Andrea, later stated that she believed her family was actually being haunted by a woman named Abigail Arnold, but even that version of events is murky at best. The evil spirit, whoever it was, seemed to target Andrea’s mother the most, though, and Andrea later said, “Whoever the spirit was, she perceived herself to be mistress of the house and she resented the competition my mother posed for that position.”
Warner Bros. PicturesA dramatic scene from The Conjuring movie, which was inspired by the true story of the Perron family.
Eventually, the haunting purportedly intensified. Some spirits emitted the odor of rotting flesh and caused beds to rise off the home’s floor. In the basement, Roger sensed a “cold, stinking presence” behind him. He tried to avoid the cellar as much as he could, yet its heating equipment often failed, forcing him to go down to the basement and check it regardless.
Over the decade the Perrons lived on the farm, the Warrens visited multiple times. During one seance conducted by Lorraine, Carolyn was said to have become possessed, speaking in tongues and levitating from her chair. Andrea claimed to have watched this unfold, while keeping herself hidden, later writing, “My mother began to speak a language not of this world in a voice not her own. Her chair levitated and she was thrown across the room.”
Roger, concerned about Carolyn’s mental health, asked the Warrens to leave. Financial difficulties anchored the family to the home until around 1980, but once they were able to move, the hauntings reportedly ended.
Today, the old Perron home is billed as “The Conjuring House,” largely operating as a tourist attraction for ghost hunters, paranormal enthusiasts, and devoted fans of the famous horror movie.
Some parts of The Conjuring differed from the real investigation conducted by the Warrens, especially since the film depicted them performing an exorcism, which Lorraine said that she and her husband would “never” do, as an exorcism is supposed to be performed only by a Catholic priest.
But Lorraine, who served as a consultant on the movie, also claimed that most of the events portrayed on-screen really happened.
