7 Terrifying True Facts About The Real-Life Haunting That Inspired The Conjuring And Its New Sequel

The Conjuring franchise has cemented its place as one of the most successful horror series of all time, largely due to its bold claim of being "based on a true story." As of late 2024, the terrifying events that inspired the original 2013 film remain a subject of intense curiosity and debate, pitting the claims of the paranormal investigators against the real-life family who lived through the nightmare. The core of the true story is the infamous Perron family haunting, a decade-long ordeal in a secluded Rhode Island farmhouse that launched the careers of demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren into the mainstream.

The latest updates, however, point to a new, equally disturbing case providing the foundation for the next installment, The Conjuring: Last Rites. While the original movie focused on the Perrons’ battle with a malevolent entity, the franchise continues to draw from the Warrens’ extensive and controversial case files, bringing a fresh wave of real-life terror to the screen.

The Perron Family Haunting: The True Story Behind The First Film

The original movie, The Conjuring, is centered on the experiences of the Perron family after they moved into the Old Arnold Estate—a sprawling, 14-room farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island—in 1971.

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Perron Family Biography and Key Entities

• Roger Perron: The patriarch of the family.
• Carolyn Perron: The matriarch, who allegedly became the primary target of the demonic entity.
• The Five Daughters: Andrea, Cindy, Nancy, Christine, and April Perron. Andrea Perron has since become the primary chronicler of the events, writing the book series House of Darkness House of Light.
• Ed Warren (1926–2006): A self-taught demonologist and author.
• Lorraine Warren (1927–2019): A professional clairvoyant and light trance medium.
• The Location: The Old Arnold Estate, a secluded farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island.
• The Main Entity: Bathsheba Sherman.

The Haunting: A Decade of Terror

The Perron family lived in the house for a decade, from 1971 to 1980, experiencing a terrifying escalation of paranormal phenomena.

Initially, the events were minor: doors slamming, the scent of rotting flesh, and objects moving on their own.

However, the activity soon became physically and emotionally damaging. The daughters, particularly Cindy Perron, claimed to see and interact with various spirits. The true terror was focused on Carolyn Perron, who was allegedly the target of the most violent entity.

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The family claims that at one point, Carolyn was physically assaulted, leaving her with bruises. This is what ultimately prompted them to seek the help of Ed and Lorraine Warren.

The Real Bathsheba Sherman: History vs. Hollywood Fiction

The antagonist of the 2013 film is the spirit of a witch named Bathsheba Sherman, who allegedly cursed the land so that anyone who lived there would die. While Bathsheba Sherman was a real person, the cinematic portrayal is a heavily fictionalized version of her life.

The True Facts: Bathsheba Thayer Sherman lived on the property in the 1800s. She was married to Judson Sherman and had four children. She died in 1885 at the age of 73.

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The Legend: The local legend claims that Bathsheba was a Satanist who sacrificed her infant child to the devil and then hanged herself on the property. Historical records, however, show no evidence of her being a witch or a child murderer. The rumor about her being a witch seems to have developed over time, becoming local folklore that the Warrens and the film exaggerated for dramatic effect.

The Warrens’ Involvement and the Perrons’ Current Perspective (2024 Update)

The arrival of Ed and Lorraine Warren at the Rhode Island farmhouse is the central event of the film. Lorraine Warren, a self-proclaimed clairvoyant, reportedly identified the spirit of Bathsheba and claimed the house was infested with a demonic presence.

The Warrens’ methods included an attempted exorcism on Carolyn Perron, which Andrea Perron describes as the most terrifying night of their lives, claiming the event was a chaotic and violent failure that nearly drove her mother to madness.

The Perron Family’s View: Despite the film’s success, the Perron family has maintained a nuanced view of the events and the film's accuracy. In a recent 2024 interview, Andrea Perron stated that while the haunting was very real, the movie is "about 95 percent fiction and about five percent hard truth."

She acknowledges that the film is an excellent piece of horror cinema but emphasizes that the real events were far more complex and psychological than the jump-scares portrayed on screen.

Why Did the Perrons Stay So Long?

A common question from fans and skeptics is why the Perron family remained in the haunted house for a full ten years. The simple, heartbreaking answer is financial. They were a large family who had invested all their money into the property and could not afford to move. They only left in 1980 after Roger Perron finally secured a new job and they were able to sell the house.

The Next True Story: What Inspired The Conjuring: Last Rites

The Conjuring universe is known for drawing on different cases from the Warrens’ files, and the upcoming film, The Conjuring: Last Rites, is set to be based on a new and equally disturbing case: the Smurl Haunting.

The Smurl Haunting: A Case of Alleged Demonic Possession

The Smurl haunting refers to the claims made by Jack and Janet Smurl, who alleged that a demon inhabited their home in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, between 1974 and 1987.

The phenomena reported by the Smurl family were far more intense and physical than the Perron case, including:

• Physical Assaults: Objects flying across the room and family members being thrown.
• Sexual Assault: Janet and Jack Smurl both claimed to be sexually assaulted by an invisible entity.
• Apparitions: Witnesses claimed to see apparitions of a pig and an elderly woman.
• Demonic Possession: The family claimed to hear growling and other non-human noises.

The Warrens were called in and claimed to have identified four spirits, including a demon. This case became a media sensation in the mid-1980s, leading to multiple exorcisms and a great deal of controversy surrounding the Warrens' methods and the validity of the Smurls’ claims.

Topical Authority Entities & LSI Keywords (25+ Entities)

The entire Conjuring universe is built on a foundation of real-world paranormal concepts and cases. To fully understand the true story, one must recognize the web of related entities:

• The Original Case: Roger Perron, Carolyn Perron, Andrea Perron, Cindy Perron, Nancy Perron, Christine Perron, April Perron, Harrisville, Rhode Island, Old Arnold Estate.
• The Investigators: Ed Warren, Lorraine Warren, Demonology, Paranormal Investigation, The Warrens' Occult Museum, Scepticism.
• The Antagonists: Bathsheba Sherman, Demonic Possession, Exorcism, Poltergeist, Apparition.
• Related Cases/Films: Smurl Haunting, Janet Smurl, Jack Smurl, West Pittston, Pennsylvania, The Annabelle Doll, The Enfield Poltergeist, *The Conjuring: Last Rites*, *The Devil Made Me Do It* (Arne Johnson case).
• Key Terms: True facts, real events, Rhode Island farmhouse, demonic haunting, *House of Darkness House of Light*, clairvoyant.

The true story of The Conjuring is not a single, simple narrative but a complex interplay between a family's genuine terror, controversial paranormal investigators, and Hollywood's willingness to turn folklore into fright.