The Conjuring 3 True Story: Every Change Confirmed So Far

The trailer for the upcoming The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, based on the real-life Arne Cheyenne Johnson murder case, reveals key differences between the actual case’s events and those portrayed in the movie. The Conjuring 3 will be the eighth installment in the extended Conjuring franchise, beginning in 2013 with The Conjuring. The first two cases explored by Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) involved haunted houses and exorcisms, but now they’re in uncharted waters with a demon possessing multiple people and using its host to commit murder.

The Conjuring 3 follows demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren’s involvement in the first United States court case in which the defense claimed innocence due to the defendant’s demonic possession. The movie features two of the Warrens’ connected cases that involve demonic possession of the same family within a few months of one another. The earlier portion of the case involves David Glatzel, an 11-year-old boy who was supposedly possessed by a demonic spirit in Brookfield, Connecticut in 1981. According to The Washington Post, after several strange incidents involving David that indicated paranormal activity, the Glatzels called in Ed and Lorraine and Catholic church priests. Eventually, the Warrens and a few priests performed some minor informal exorcisms on David, with his sister Debbie Glatzel and her boyfriend Arne Johnson in the room.

The larger portion of the case involves 19-year-old Arne Johnson who in 1981 was charged with murdering his landlord, though he claimed the killing was an act of demonic possession. According to The New York Times, Johnson reportedly stabbed his landlord multiple times during an altercation over his fiancé, and Johnson was later found about two miles from the crime scene. The family claimed that during David’s exorcism the demon jumped from his body to Arne’s, eventually using Arne as a conduit to commit murder. The Warrens then became an integral part of supporting Arne’s defense of innocence. From what can be seen in the trailer, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It closely follows the real-life case but with various creative liberties taken.

Ed Warren’s “The Existence of the Devil” Quote

One confirmed change is who speaks the line about the court recognizing the existence of God and thus having to recognize the existence of the Devil. In real life, the line was spoken by Johnson’s attorney Martin Minella. In the trailer, Ed Warren is seen (possibly on the stand) saying, “The court accepts the existence of God every time a witness swears to tell the truth. I think it’s about time they accept the existence of the Devil.” The real quote by Minella said, “The courts have dealt with the existence of God. Now they’re going to have to deal with the existence of the Devil.” The Conjuring 3 seems to be taking liberties with the Warrens as a larger part of the defense than Johnson’s lawyer, but it makes the line more powerful and engaging when spoken by Ed, a beloved figure in the franchise.

The Witches Totem

The biggest change to the true story is the Warrens insisting the Glatzel family is cursed after discovering a witch’s totem in their home. In real life, there was no such totem or supposed “curse,” especially considering Johnson was only the fiancé of Debbie Glatzel – not actually in the family. The true case details that the family believes the demonic spirit possessed Johnson following the exorcism of David because Johnson had continually egged on and taunted the demon. During David’s exorcism, Johnson was documented to have told the demon to “take him on” and “take him instead of David.” The Conjuring 3‘s new witch totem artifact and curse give an added layer of mystery and paranormal history to the original case – but no such discoveries were reported by the Warrens. The witch totem may have been added so the Warrens will have a new possessed token to add to the room in their home at the end of the movie, per Conjuring tradition.

David Glatzel’s Possession

In The Conjuring 3’s trailer, it also seems like young David Glatzel’s physical altercations with the strange old-man demon that possesses him may be exaggerated too. For theatrical effect, the trailer features David looking into a waterbed with the demon looking back at him. Seconds later, a rotting arm breaks through and grabs onto David. The incident doesn’t seem to be historically accurate to David’s reported possession and was most likely added to include a classic jump scare that audiences expect of the Conjuring Universe’s horror films. The real Glatzels described David’s demon possession as involving visions, random scratches, convulsions, strange behavior and body contortions – but no reports of a demon-popped waterbed.

The Murder Victim’s Name

One big historical accuracy question to be had from The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It‘s trailer comes from the voice-over news report discussing how Brookfield was “shocked by the broad daylight murder of Bruno Sauls.” The real-life victim in the Arne Johnson case was his landlord and his girlfriend’s boss Alan Bono. Bono managed a kennel that employed Debbie Glatzel, and the three became friends after Debbie and Arne moved to be closer to her job. Bono, Glatzel, and Johnson had just returned from a luncheon when an argument broke out between the men, causing Johnson to begin “growling” and fatally stab Bono. It’s possible director Michael Chaves decided to change the victim’s name to Bruno out of respect for Bono’s family.

Satanism Ties To The Case

A plot point of Satanism in connection to the Glatzel family also seems to be newly fabricated for the sequel. The Conjuring 3 trailer features several snippets of Satanist imagery and a man warning the Warrens that “a master Satanist is not an adversary to be taken lightly.” There are a few shots of Ed and Lorraine separately standing at a desk with candles that get blown out, an open book, and a drawn inverted pentagram that indicate a tie-in to Satanism. There was no Satanist-related activity or involvement reported in the Warrens’ Arne Johnson or Glatzel cases, so this may have been added for dramatic effect. The imagery could also indicate The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It will feature the Warrens investigating a separate, similar case.

About The Author

Jordan Williams
(812 Articles Published)

Jordan Williams is a Movie/TV Feature Senior Staff Writer for Screen Rant. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Media Studies.

Jordan is based in Seattle, Washington and enjoys exploring the natural beauty the PNW has to offer. She runs on coffee and classic movies, taking pride in having watched every film on AFI’s 100 Greatest Films list and every Best Picture Oscar winner.

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