Conjuring 3: Did David’s Waterbed Incident Really Happen? True Story Explained

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It depicts David Glatzel’s initial demonic run-in and subsequent exorcism, but here’s an explanation for whether or not the waterbed incident happened in the true story. The sequel mainly focuses on Arne Johnson’s (Ruairi O’Connor) 1981 murder trial for killing his landlord, his use of possession as a legal defense, and Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren’s battle to save his life and soul from Occultist (Eugenie Bondurant) and the demon she’s made a dark deal with.

The movie’s timeline begins a little before David Glatzel’s (Julian Hilliard) exorcism by the Warrens, which is shown in The Conjuring 3‘s disturbing opening sequence. This is when Arne Johnson – the boyfriend of Glatzel’s older sister – becomes enraged with the demon during the event, taunting it into leaving the boy and taking him instead, and the eerie plot this set’s in motion.

David’s troubles begin prior to that when the Glatzels are moving into their new home and David discovers a room with a waterbed. Being a typical kid he climbs onto it, gingerly walking on its surface and letting himself flop backward. It’s then that both David and viewers become aware he’s not alone in the room, which is followed by a demon finally attacking him through the bed. It’s a well-executed scare that quickly shifts from capturing a simple childhood moment of curiosity to one of utter horror. But, interestingly, the true story differs from The Conjuring 3‘s waterbed sequence.

Director Michael Chaves told Insider about the real-life inspiration behind the scene, “The Glatzel family moved into this house and the previous owner had left a bed there. There was this really strange stain on the bed, and it’s believed that was the origin of the possession.” The sequence in the sequel is undeniably different than that, but The Conjuring 3 still follows the real story’s details pretty closely. After all, David still seems to become possessed on a bed. Not only that, but the movie also uses the concept of a mysterious stain later on in the film, one that’s on the floor underneath the bed. Upon seeing it, the Warrens quickly clarify it’s a much more insidious sign than a mere water stain, as the Glatzels had assumed.

In reference to how The Conjuring 3‘s screenwriter, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, modified the scene for the movie, Chaves also said, “I thought it was a stroke of genius. Waterbeds are from such a specific time, so I felt the discovery of that and playfulness, there could be something great there.” With any movie adaptation of real-life events, there’s always bound to be at least minor story tweaking and artistic liberties taken. In the case of The Conjuring 3‘s waterbed scene, the sequel still manages to keep what happens somewhat similar to the true story, even making it extra emblematic of the era it’s set in.

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Lindsey DeRoche
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Lindsey DeRoche is a TV and movie features writer for Screen Rant. She received a BA in English, with a concentration in writing, from Plymouth State University in 2018. She’s had a passion for reading, writing, TV, and movies since her early years.

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