5 Bone-Chilling Facts About The Real 'Conjuring' Story The Movie Hid From You

The 2013 horror masterpiece, The Conjuring, captivated millions with its depiction of the terrifying haunting of the Perron family in Rhode Island. While the film's success hinged on its claim to be "based on a true story," the reality is a decade-long ordeal filled with details far more complex, personal, and, according to the family, significantly more terrifying than the short, condensed cinematic version. As of December 11, 2025, new details, perspectives from the surviving family members, and updates on the notorious house continue to emerge, proving that the legend of the Old Arnold Estate is far from over.

The film, which launched a multi-billion dollar horror franchise, borrowed loosely from the case files of self-proclaimed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren and the experiences of the Perron family between 1971 and 1980. However, the Perrons themselves—specifically daughter Andrea Perron, who has written a trilogy of books on the subject—have stated that the movie is approximately 95 percent fiction and only about five percent hard truth. The true story involves a multitude of spirits, a decade of torment, and a crucial detail about the Warrens' involvement that the movie completely fabricated.

The Perron Family and The Old Arnold Estate: A Biography of the Haunting

The Perron family moved into the 18th-century farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island, in 1971, expecting a peaceful, rural life. Instead, they found themselves living with a multitude of active, and often malevolent, spirits for nearly a decade.

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• The Family: Roger Perron (Father), Carolyn Perron (Mother), and their five daughters: Andrea Perron, Nancy Perron, Christine Perron, Cindy Perron, and April Perron.
• The Location: The Old Arnold Estate, a 14-room farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island.
• Duration of Haunting: 1971 to 1980 (The family lived there for 10 years, not a few weeks as depicted in the movie).
• Key Entity: Bathsheba Sherman, a suspected witch who lived on the property in the 19th century and allegedly cursed the land.
• The Investigators: Ed Warren (Demonologist) and Lorraine Warren (Clairvoyant), who investigated the case in the early 1970s.
• The Real Events: The haunting involved objects moving, beds levitating, doors slamming, and physical assaults, primarily targeting Carolyn Perron.
• Source Material: Andrea Perron's book trilogy, House of Darkness House of Light, is the definitive account from the family's perspective.

The 95% Fiction: Major Differences Between the Film and Reality

The cinematic version of the Perron haunting was a tightly paced, high-stakes thriller, but the real events were a slow, grinding psychological and physical torment that lasted for years. Understanding the key differences is crucial to appreciating the true horror of the Perron family's experience.

1. The Haunting Lasted a Decade, Not a Few Weeks

The most significant difference is the timeline. The movie suggests the haunting was a short, intense event that culminated in a dramatic exorcism. In reality, the Perron family lived in the house from 1971 until 1980, unable to afford to move out. The paranormal activity was not a sudden, overwhelming siege but a slow, continuous escalation of minor and major occurrences. The spirits were a constant, terrifying presence, which is a far more psychologically damaging scenario than a brief, intense encounter.

2. Ed Warren Never Performed an Exorcism

The film's climax features Ed Warren performing a dramatic, desperate exorcism to save Carolyn Perron. This never happened. According to Andrea Perron, the real-life climax occurred when Lorraine Warren conducted a séance in the house, which resulted in Carolyn Perron becoming briefly possessed. This event was so traumatic and concerning for Roger Perron that he immediately kicked the Warrens out of the house, fearing for his wife's mental stability and the safety of his children. The family then lived with the remaining activity for several more years until they could finally afford to leave in 1980.

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3. Bathsheba Was One of Many Spirits

While the movie focuses heavily on the malevolent spirit of Bathsheba Sherman, the Perron family claimed to have encountered numerous spirits in the house, both benign and terrifying. Bathsheba was the most dangerous and actively targeted Carolyn Perron, but the daughters also had interactions with other entities, including a friendly spirit and a girl who would sometimes appear. The house was not haunted by a single entity, but was, as Andrea Perron described it, a "portal" or a place where spirits from another dimension resided.

The Modern Legacy: The House and The Franchise Today

The story of the Perron family and the Warrens continues to evolve, not just through the ongoing film franchise but also through the fate of the infamous farmhouse itself and the new cases the films are exploring.

The Conjuring House: Off the Market Update (December 2025)

The real-life farmhouse, often referred to as "The Conjuring House," remains a site of intense interest for paranormal enthusiasts. In a unique twist, the property was recently subject to a planned auction on Halloween, which was subsequently canceled. As of late 2025, there were reports that the house was no longer for sale, despite earlier articles suggesting otherwise. The house has changed hands multiple times since the Perrons left, with subsequent owners often reporting their own paranormal experiences. The current owners have often offered tours and overnight stays, capitalizing on its dark history, though the latest status on its sale is a fresh development.

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The Conjuring Universe Expands: The Smurl Family Case

For fans looking for the next "true story" in the cinematic universe, the upcoming film, The Conjuring: Last Rites, will delve into a different, equally terrifying case investigated by the Warrens: the haunting of the Smurl family. This case, allegedly involving a vicious demonic presence that sexually and physically attacked the family, is a fresh piece of topical authority and shows the franchise moving beyond the Perron case to explore other documented events from the Warrens' extensive case files. This shift confirms that the Perron haunting, while iconic, is just one chapter in the long and controversial history of Ed and Lorraine Warren's work.

The enduring fascination with The Conjuring and its source material proves that the line between fact and fiction is often blurred, especially when dealing with the supernatural. While the movie is a fictionalized account, the Perron family's decade-long ordeal remains a chilling, documented piece of American paranormal history, a testament to a haunting that was—by their own admission—far scarier than anything Hollywood could invent.