The 7 Shocking Truths Behind 'The Conjuring' Movie: 95% Fiction, 5% Terrifying Reality, And The Warrens' Final Case

The Conjuring, released in 2013, cemented its place as one of the most successful and genuinely terrifying horror films of the 21st century. As of December 10, 2025, the film's enduring legacy is its claim to be "based on a true story," a phrase that has fueled countless sleepless nights and an entire cinematic universe.

The original movie centers on the harrowing experiences of the Perron family and the intervention of renowned—and controversial—paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. While Hollywood certainly amped up the scares, the foundation of the story is rooted in real-life events that allegedly took place in a secluded Rhode Island farmhouse in the early 1970s. However, the family at the center of the terror has since clarified that the cinematic version is "about 95 percent fiction and about five percent hard truth."

The Real-Life Biography of Ed and Lorraine Warren

The entire *Conjuring* Universe is built upon the case files and careers of the two most famous paranormal investigators in American history, Ed and Lorraine Warren. Their legacy is complex, spanning decades of investigations into some of the most notorious alleged hauntings.

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• Full Names: Edward "Ed" Warren Miney and Lorraine Rita Warren (née Moran).
• Ed Warren (1926–2006): A self-taught demonologist, author, and lecturer. He was a former United States Navy veteran and police officer.
• Lorraine Warren (1927–2019): A self-proclaimed clairvoyant and professional medium who worked closely with her husband.
• Founding: They founded the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR) in 1952, one of the oldest paranormal investigative groups in New England.
• Claimed Cases: They claimed to have investigated well over 10,000 cases during their career.
• Notable Cases (Basis for Films): The Perron Family Haunting (The Conjuring), The Enfield Poltergeist (The Conjuring 2), The trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It), The Smurl Haunting (The upcoming The Conjuring: Last Rites).
• Other Famous Cases: They were among the first investigators in the widely publicized Amityville haunting. They also investigated the case of the Annabelle doll.

The Perron Family Haunting: Fact vs. Hollywood Fiction

The core of *The Conjuring* (2013) is the Perron family's decade-long ordeal in the 14-room Rhode Island farmhouse, which they moved into in 1971. The family consisted of Roger and Carolyn Perron and their five daughters: Andrea, Nancy, Christine, Cindy, and April.

While the movie compresses the terror into a short, intense period, the real haunting allegedly took place over ten years. The real-life encounters were reportedly subtle at first, involving strange smells, objects moving, and beds levitating.

The Real 'Bathsheba Sherman' Entity

The film’s central villain is the vengeful witch, Bathsheba Sherman, who supposedly haunts the property. This character is based on a real Rhode Islander named Bathsheba Sherman, who lived on the property in the mid-19th century.

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In the movie, she is a Satanist who curses the land and possesses Carolyn Perron. In reality, the Perron family’s daughter, Andrea Perron, who has written books about the experience, stated that the actual entity was far more complex and that Bathsheba was "not the real baddie" as depicted. The haunting involved numerous spirits, not just one demonic presence.

The Warrens' True Involvement

Ed and Lorraine Warren did, in fact, visit the Perron home, known as the Old Arnold Estate. However, their involvement was not as extensive or successful as the film portrays. The movie depicts the Warrens performing a climactic exorcism to save Carolyn Perron.

Andrea Perron confirms that the Warrens did attempt a séance, which was a traumatic event for the family, but the haunting did not end with their intervention. The family eventually moved out in 1980 after years of torment, having to save up money to afford the move.

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The Expanding Conjuring Universe: More Real-Life Case Files

The success of the first film led to the creation of *The Conjuring Universe*, a franchise of spin-offs and sequels, each drawing from the Warrens' extensive case files. This commitment to "real-life" cases is what gives the franchise its unique topical authority and continuous appeal.

• The Conjuring 2 (2016): The Enfield Poltergeist. This film focuses on the alleged haunting of the Hodgson family in a council house in North London. While the Warrens did investigate the case, their involvement was far more limited than the movie suggests. The demon Valak, later given its own spin-off series (*The Nun*), was an entirely fictional addition to the Enfield case for dramatic effect.
• The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021): The Arne Johnson Trial. This entry is based on the real-life trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who claimed demonic possession as a defense for committing murder in 1981. It was the first known court case in the U.S. where a defendant used this defense. The Warrens were deeply involved in this case, believing Johnson was possessed.
• The Annabelle Series: The terrifying doll is based on a real Raggedy Ann doll that the Warrens kept in their Occult Museum after claiming it was possessed. The film version drastically changes the doll's appearance and the nature of the haunting.

The Latest Update: The Warrens' Final Case in 'The Conjuring: Last Rites'

The *Conjuring* franchise continues to draw on the Warrens' history, with the upcoming film, *The Conjuring: Last Rites*, set to explore their final major investigation. This update confirms the franchise's ongoing commitment to fresh, real-world source material.

The film is based on the Smurl Haunting, a case that allegedly occurred in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, starting in 1986. Janet and Jack Smurl, the couple at the center of the case, claimed that a demonic presence had terrorized their home for over ten years.

The Smurl family's claims included strange noises, levitating objects, and even physical assaults—a level of alleged demonic torment that was widely publicized at the time. The Warrens were called in and declared the property to be afflicted by a powerful demonic entity. The case, much like the Perron haunting, involved a long, drawn-out battle that the Warrens considered one of their most challenging. This final chapter promises to bring a new, dark, and historically documented case to the forefront of the horror genre, further solidifying the topical authority of the *Conjuring* brand.