In the Conjuring Universe, Ed and Lorraine Warren are noble, righteous people. They are driven by Lorraine’s psychic gifts, Ed’s faith, and their combined desire to help families suffering from supernatural torment. The reality of the Warrens is very different.  Where many investigators, both paranormal and otherwise, saw families struggling with mental illness and addiction issues, the Warrens often saw opportunity. 

Based on a “True Story“

Mining people’s pain for profit is not an uncommon theme in fiction and in life. It’s the reason I side-eye a lot of true crime podcasters. I’ve written about other movies that have handled real life tragedies poorly.  Exhume, in particular, put a bit of a tasteless spin on some recent real-world horrors.  Any time someone looks to exploit or blame victims for their own tragedies, I get a bit cranky.  

The Conjuring universe take a different approach with its exploitation. The families and individuals suffering from their supernatural troubles are all well presented. They are shown to be loving families, or misunderstood individuals. These are people definitely worthy of help from the “noble” Warrens.  

Did The Warrens Help Anyone?

The problem with this is in the treatment of the Warrens. Recasting their motives as entirely pure and altruistic diminishes some of the real pain and suffering some of these families endured.  As with anything supernatural, there will always be debate as to how real anything they claimed to experience was. 

What is true is that for many of their “cases”, there are contradictory reports, including forensic evidence and eyewitness testimony.  Their claims of involvement in cases are overblown at best, and outright fraudulent in the worst cases. 

Not In Enfield

Take for example the Enfield haunting, the source material for The Conjuring 2.  While the movie depicts a lengthy investigation, the Warrens only visited for a single day. The family did not know who they were. 

A Legal Mess

The Warrens’ motivations for assisting on further cases get murkier the further you dig into them. Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It  further complicates things, as a young man’s future hinged on their guidance and wisdom.  

After murdering his landlord, Arnie Johnson claimed, with Lorraine Warren’s support, that he was possessed at the time of the murder.  The Warrens fed into the media whirlwind that followed the trial, using it to gain more notoriety. Although Lorraine Warren claimed that six priests would validate the claim of possession, none of these priests ever appeared to do so.  The judge for the trial refused to allow the defense, stating that it would be impossible to prove or disprove.  Arnie Johnson ended up serving five years of a ten- to twenty-year manslaughter sentence. 

Had Arnie Johnson gotten proper legal guidance and remained free of the Warren’s influence, would he have fared better at trial? Impossible to say; after all, he did commit the crime for which he was convicted.  

Too Much Drama No Real Proof.

But his connection to the Warrens predates his case. His first introduction to them was when 11-year-old Daniel Glatzel was possessed, and the Warrens came to help with that exorcism. It was during this exorcism that the demon jumped into Johnson.  At this point, I’d like to remind you that I’m talking about the real-life events.

Let’s just say that Daniel Glatzel maybe wasn’t possessed, but instead in need of some medical intervention. Had that happened instead of the Warren’s involvement, maybe every person here would have ended up differently. Or maybe not. Reports have shown that when arrested, Johnson’s first claim was not possession, but a drinking problem. 

The Warrens have a history of overstating their involvement in solving paranormal problems. Their involvement may have distracted people from seeking more appropriate forms of help, such as medical treatments. They certainly had no issue trying to profit off their involvement, selling the rights to stories that were barely theirs. 

So Where is the Harm Today? 

I have some concerns about legitimizing the Warrens in any form. As much as I want to believe in the supernatural, this isn’t the way. There are hundreds of movies about shady paranormal investigators who come up against the very thing they have been faking. Not that I would expect any movie approved by the Warren estate to take that approach, however. It’s a good one though, in terms of acknowledging the number of shady personalities in this particular profession.  

All claims must be met with skepticism, proven, and validated.  The Warrens may have provided comfort to suffering families. Or, they might have exploited them. In every case, they start with the conclusion of possession and work to find evidence to support it. So, at the bare minimum, they’re poor investigators.  Positioning them as heroes reinforces their actions and could encourage others to follow their not-so-stellar example. 

You Said This was Complicated Though?

I like the first two Conjuring films. I wish there were people like the fictional version of the Warrens, a couple dedicated to protecting others from unfathomable evil at great cost to themselves. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have a quiet dignity and empathy that make these characters compelling to watch. If only they would stop calling it “real”.

I haven’t seen the newest Conjuring yet. Since I’ve seen most of the other movies in the franchise, I’m sure when it comes to streaming, I’ll watch it. Or, maybe I’ll catch it at the theater soon. Once I’ve watched it, I’ll be sure to read about what really happened. If I do it first, there’s no way I’ll enjoy any of the movie.