The 7 Most Shocking True Facts About 'The Conjuring' Story (Including The House's 2024 Status)

Every horror fan knows the name The Conjuring, the 2013 film that launched a massive cinematic universe and introduced the world to the real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. What many don't realize is that the true story—the haunting of the Perron family in the 1970s—is far more complex, drawn-out, and, according to the family members themselves, much more terrifying than anything Hollywood could invent. The details of the haunting, the true history of the spirit Bathsheba Sherman, and the current status of the infamous Rhode Island farmhouse continue to evolve, with major updates as recent as December 2024.

The original film is based on the events that took place between 1971 and 1980 at the Arnold Estate in Harrisville, Rhode Island. This article delves deep into the documented facts and chilling eyewitness accounts from the Perron family and the Warrens, revealing the shocking truths and the latest developments surrounding the house that became a horror icon.

The True Story's Main Entities: The Perron Family and The Warrens

The foundation of The Conjuring franchise rests on the experiences of a single family and the investigators who came to their aid. Understanding the people involved is key to separating fact from Hollywood fiction.

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• Roger and Carolyn Perron: The parents who purchased the farmhouse in 1971. They lived in the house for a decade, enduring the escalating paranormal activity until they could finally afford to move.
• The Five Perron Daughters: Andrea, Nancy, Christine, Cindy, and April. Andrea Perron, the eldest, has been the most outspoken, documenting their ordeal in her book trilogy, House of Darkness, House of Light.
• Ed Warren (1926–2006): A self-taught demonologist and author, known for his Catholic-based approach to investigations.
• Lorraine Warren (1927–2019): A self-proclaimed clairvoyant and medium who worked alongside her husband, Ed, for decades. The Perron case was one of their most famous and controversial investigations.
• The Arnold Estate (The Conjuring House): The 14-room farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island, built in the 18th century. The family often referred to it as the "Old Arnold Estate."

1. The Haunting Lasted a Decade, Not Weeks

The film condenses the Perron family's ordeal into a few intense weeks, culminating in an exorcism attempt. In reality, the family lived in the house for nearly ten years, from 1971 to 1980. The haunting was a slow, terrifying escalation of events, not a quick burst of terror. The Perrons could not simply leave because they were financially tied to the property, having sunk all their money into the purchase and move.

2. The Activity Was Far More Physical and Personal

While the movie shows some physical attacks, the true accounts from the Perron daughters describe much more intimate and frequent physical interactions. Andrea Perron has stated that the reality was "more jarring" than the film. Incidents included:

• Beds levitating.
• Objects dematerializing and reappearing.
• A cold, foul-smelling presence that would often appear to the children.
• Christine Perron claimed a spirit would often appear and say, "There are seven dead soldiers buried in the wall."

3. Carolyn Perron’s Possession Was The Breaking Point

The most dramatic event, and the one that prompted the Perrons to finally call the Warrens, was the alleged possession of the mother, Carolyn Perron. During one investigation session with the Warrens, Carolyn reportedly began speaking in a strange language, her chair levitated, and she was violently thrown across the room. This event, which the family witnessed, was the traumatic climax that convinced them they needed to leave, regardless of the financial cost.

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The Truth About Bathsheba Sherman: Witch or Folklore?

The central villain of the first film is Bathsheba Sherman, a supposed 19th-century witch who cursed the land. The true story of this entity is a stark contrast between local legend and documented historical fact.

4. Bathsheba Sherman Was a Real Person, But Not a Documented Witch

Bathsheba Thayer Sherman was a real woman who lived on a neighboring farm in the 1800s. She married a man named Judson Sherman and had four children. The legend surrounding her—that she was a Satanist who sacrificed her infant child and then killed herself by hanging from a rafter—has no hard historical evidence to support it.

• The Legend: Local folklore claimed she was a devil-worshipping witch who murdered at least one child.
• The Fact: Historical records show she died an elderly woman in 1885, and no charges or convictions of witchcraft or murder were ever brought against her.
• The Perron View: Andrea Perron believes the entity was an evil spirit that attached itself to her mother, but she does not explicitly refer to it as "Bathsheba the Witch" in the same way the film does.

5. The Warrens’ Involvement Was Controversial

While the Perrons initially welcomed the Warrens, their relationship became strained. The family eventually asked the Warrens to leave, feeling that their presence and attempts at an exorcism only intensified the demonic activity. Andrea Perron has been critical of the Warrens’ methods, suggesting they sensationalized the events and that the family's plight was exploited for fame. Conversely, the Warrens maintained that the case was one of the most intense they ever encountered.

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The Latest Updates: From Tourist Hotspot to Permanent Closure

The house's legacy has continued long after the Perrons left. For years, it was a major destination for paranormal investigators and tourists, but that era has officially ended with recent developments.

6. The Conjuring House is Permanently Closed for Tours (December 2024)

In a major update, the house known as "The Conjuring House" in Burrillville, Rhode Island, is permanently closed to the public for tours and paranormal investigations as of December 2024.

• The Closure: The Burrillville Town Council declined to renew the necessary permits for the property to operate as a commercial entity (ghost tours).
• RI Dept. of Labor Order: This decision followed an order from the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, which cited the business for operating without workers' compensation insurance.
• The Owner: The property was previously purchased for $1.5 million in 2022 by Jacqueline Nuñez, who intended to run it as a paranormal tourism destination. The house was briefly set for a foreclosure auction in late 2024, but this was canceled after a sudden mortgage sale.

7. The Next Film Will Focus on The Smurl Haunting

The cinematic universe continues to draw from the Warrens' case files, moving beyond the Perron family. The final installment of the main series, titled The Conjuring: Last Rites, is reportedly based on the Smurl Haunting.

• The Smurl Haunting: This case involved Jack and Janet Smurl, who claimed a demonic presence terrorized them in their West Pittston, Pennsylvania, home in the mid-1980s.
• The Allegations: The Smurls alleged that they were physically and sexually assaulted by demons, a case that drew massive media attention and was one of the most sensationalized in the Warrens' history.

The true story of the Perron family’s haunting remains a definitive account in paranormal history, a decade-long ordeal of escalating terror that Hollywood only scratched the surface of. With the original house now closed to the public and the film franchise moving on to new, equally terrifying cases, the legend of the Arnold Estate has transitioned from a current site of investigation to a chilling, closed chapter in the history of the paranormal.