The Conjuring: 10 Real-Life Facts About The Warrens

Ed and Lorraine Warren were famed paranormal investigators who served as the major inspiration for The Conjuring franchise. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga currently play the couple as they solve some of their most popular cases, including the investigation of the ‘Raggedy Ann Doll’ and the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson (aka ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ case).

The Warrens have been the subject of much discussion and debate with some widely regarding them as pioneers of sciences like demonology while others view them as fraudsters. And given how The Conjuring universe dwells on so many supernatural horrors, one can only wonder how true these cases were.

10 They Had A Strong Belief In God

The Warrens were strict believers of supernatural entities like demons and spirits. The couple even claimed that there were higher chances for demonic forces to possess those who lack faith. Despite subscribing to Roman Catholicism, they held the belief that gods of all religions can help people fight such threats.

As Lorraine Warren told The Irish Independent, ‘When there’s no religion, it is absolutely terrifying. That is your protection. God is your protection. It doesn’t matter what your religion is.’

9 They Trained Other Demonologists

The Warrens were responsible for training future religious demonologists, the most prominent of which would be Dave Considine. Apart from working as a chief investigator under the Warrens, Considine has also found mainstream popularity with television appearances on paranormal reality shows like History Channel’s Mystery Quest.

Similarly, the Warrens’ nephew John Zaffis also spent his initial training years under them before embarking on a full-time career in demonology.

8 They Founded A Psychic Research Society

As the Warrens began their research on the paranormal, they also founded a research-based collective called the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR) in 1952. As the demonologists are no more, the NESPR is currently run by their son-in-law Tony Spera and is headquartered at Monroe, Connecticut. Tony’s wife and the Warrens’ daughter Judy Spera also serves as co-director.

Additionally, the NESPR also recruits investigators, religious advisors, and ‘spiritual warfare counselors’. The organization’s committment at fighting other-worldly forces definitely makes it one of its kind.

7 They Were Involved In Amityville

In a house situatated in New York’s Amityville, 23-year-old Ronald DeFeo Jr. brutally shot and killed his entire family. A year later, in 1975, George and Kathreen Lutz moved in the house only to leave it within a month after facing what they claimed a demonic presence. This is what prompted the Warrens along with other media publications and paranormal investigators to step in the scene. The former even clicked a photo of a demonic boy standing at the bottom of a staircase.

Even though the DeFeo murders did happen, there’s little to no evidence to prove that the Lutz family’s claims were true. While NESPR’s website claims that the Warrens’ image is authentic, debates continue on its origin.

6 They Had A Teenage Romance

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It revealed that Ed Warren first saw Lorraine while working as an usher for a theatre. This is indeed true and they both ended up dating in their teenage years. They were both 16 years old when they met for the first time in 1944. A year later, Ed left to serve in the Second World War.

Having enlisted in the Navy, Ed returned to America after his ship was sunk in the North Atlantic. Back home, he and Lorraine married during the former’s 30-day ‘Survivor’s Leave’. Sometime later before Ed returned to his duties, the couple had a daughter named Judy.

5 They Faced The Real-Life Annabelle

In the Annabelle films, the titular doll is shown to be made of porcelain with a haunting expression on her face. The real-life Annabelle however was a simple-looking rag doll. These ‘Raggedy Ann Dolls’ were first introduced in the 1910s and were popular for their physical features like red hair and a triangular nose.

The infamous doll that the Warrens encountered was gifted to a nursing student whose roommates became convinced that the doll was evil and possessed by a girl named Annabelle. The Warrens eventually removed the possessed doll and placed it in a glass box in their Occult Museum.

4 They Had An Occult Museum

Along with NESPR’s headquarters, Monroe is also home to the famous Warren’s Occult Museum. In their vast career of supernatural investigation, the Warrens collected several haunted relics like the Annabelle doll and a coffin that allegedly belonged to a vampire. The aforementioned Tony Spera also served as the museum’s head curator.

However, in 2019, the museum closed its doors for all visitors over zoning issues. Because it was housed in a residential building, the museum generated a lot of traffic that caused inconvenience to neighbors.

3 Lorraine’s Appeared In/Consulted For The Conjuring

Lorraine Warren wasn’t just a demonologist but also a trance medium with clairvoyant powers. Furthermore, after having served as a consultant for the first Conjuring, she also had a cameo in the film.

When the ‘Stages of Possession’ are being explained by the Warrens in the film, she appears amongst the seated audience in a blink-and-miss moment. She had similarly appeared in the 1991 film The Haunted, a horror drama based on a book authored by the Warrens.

2 Ed Warren Was An Aspiring Painter

Ed Warren once harbored dreams to make a living as an artist. After the Second World War, Warren enrolled in Perry Art School, a subsidary of Yale University. His subjects were mostly haunted houses through his native state of Connecticut.

In 1952, he left school to sell his art. Both Ed and Lorraine used to set up stands at places like Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In the same year, the couple also founded the NESPR and the rest is history.

1 They Had Childhood Encounters With The Paranormal

Lorraine Warren also admitted to have discovered her clairvoyant abilities at the age of twelve, as she recalled in Gerald Brittle’s non-fiction book The Demonologist. According to a passage from the book, she saw the vision of a tree right when a sapling was planted implying her powers to look into the future.

About The Author

Shaurya Thapa
(724 Articles Published)

Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes lists on a wide array of subjects ranging from international films to mainstream Netflix series and comic book trivia. He also hosts a podcast called ‘BhindiWire’, an Indian parody of IndieWire.

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