Is The Conjuring Based on a True Story?

The short answer: partly

Partly. The Conjuring (2013) is based on a real family's account, not on verified events. In 1971, Roger and Carolyn Perron moved into an old farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island, with their family, and afterward reported what they claimed were hauntings and mysterious activity. The paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were brought in, and Lorraine Warren later served as a consultant on the film ^[1].

So the people were real and the claims were real claims, but the haunting itself rests on the family's and the Warrens' accounts. TheWrap puts it this way: the first film is mostly an actual, reported event, if you believe in that sort of thing ^[2].

The film was directed by James Wan and released in July 2013 ^[8]. Its end credits include photos of the real Perron family, and TheWrap reports that both Lorraine Warren and the Perrons signed off on the movie; Ed Warren had died in 2006 ^[2].

What did the Perron family say happened?

According to the accounts summarized by Time and TheWrap, the Perrons reported being attacked by some kind of entity after moving into the farmhouse ^{[1] [2]}. Andrea Perron, one of the daughters, who was 11 at the time, has said she saw her mother possessed during a seance, describing her speaking in a different voice before being thrown across the room ^[2].

These are personal accounts. We report them as what the family said, not as established fact, and we do not take a position on whether the paranormal events happened.

What did the movie change from the real story?

Several key scenes were invented or changed for the film, according to TheWrap's comparison ^[2]:

• The exorcism (spoiler for the ending). The film's climactic possession and exorcism by Ed Warren did not happen. Lorraine Warren said her husband would never have tried to perform an exorcism, since he was not a priest.
• The Annabelle doll. The real case the film references involved a large Raggedy Ann doll with red yarn hair, not the porcelain-style doll seen on screen.
• The Annabelle origin story. The events of the first Annabelle spin-off were created for the movie; none of them have any documentation in reality.

The emotional core of the film comes from the family's account, but the climactic exorcism, the film's biggest set piece, was invented.

What is the real story of the Annabelle doll?

The film's opening scenes involve Annabelle, a doll said to be possessed. TheWrap reports that the story of two nurses who ended up with a doll they believed was haunted is a real case the Warrens handled, and that the Warrens took the doll back to their museum and kept it in a glass case ^[2].

According to TheWrap, the Warrens opened their museum in the early 1980s as their collection of objects from their cases grew ^[2]. Stories about the doll, such as a visitor who supposedly mocked it and then had a motorcycle accident, come from the Warrens' own accounts, so they carry the same caveat as the rest of their claims ^[2].

Who were Ed and Lorraine Warren?

The Warrens were paranormal investigators who began their research in 1952 and later opened an occult museum in the basement of their home in Monroe, Connecticut ^[2]. Their cases became the basis for the main Conjuring films, where they are played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga ^[3].

They are also controversial. History.com notes that the Warrens were involved with and helped promote the Amityville story ^[3], and TheWrap reports that the Amityville haunting has been widely debunked, with the defense lawyer involved admitting it was a hoax ^[2]. Benjamin Radford, deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer, told History.com that part of the Warrens' approach was to solicit help in publicizing their stories ^[3]. NPR's coverage of the final film also describes the series as a controversial franchise and notes scrutiny of the Warrens' commercial interests ^[4].

Are the other Conjuring movies based on true stories?

Each main film draws on a different Warren case, and each rests on contested or unverified accounts.

• The Conjuring 2 (2016) draws on the Enfield case in England, one of the most famous reported hauntings. TheWrap notes that the family involved was caught faking some evidence, and that at least one investigator said the Warrens' role was much smaller than the film shows ^[2].
• The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) was inspired by the 1981 Connecticut murder trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, whose defense argued demonic possession. TheWrap reports he was found guilty ^[5], and NPR notes the film supports the Warrens' version of events ^[4].
• The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) follows the Smurl family, who said in media interviews in the 1980s that a demon was harming their family ^[4].

The spin-offs are mostly invented. TheWrap reports that the Annabelle origin story has no documentation in reality ^[2], and TheWrap's guide describes The Curse of La Llorona as drawn from the legend of the Weeping Woman from Mexico ^[7].

Why do horror movies say "based on a true story"?

Because it works as marketing, and because the phrase can cover a lot of ground. A film can be "based on a true story" if real people made claims, even when those claims were never proven. History.com recounts how the horror novelist Ray Garton, hired to write a book about another Warren case, came to believe the story did not hold up, and later warned that just about anything beginning with a variation of that phrase is trying too hard to convince you of something that probably is not true ^[3].

That does not mean every detail of The Conjuring is made up. It means the phrase tells you where the story started, not whether the supernatural parts happened. The safest way to read it is "inspired by people who said this happened."

What happened to the real Conjuring house?

The farmhouse is in Harrisville, Rhode Island. In 2015, the couple who owned it at the time sued Warner Bros. and others, saying that within days of the film's July 2013 release the property was inundated by curiosity seekers and trespassers, because the movie was marketed as a true story and named the location ^[6].

We have not confirmed the house's current status, so check before planning any visit. Whoever lives there or runs it, respect the property and its rules.

How do you watch the Conjuring movies in order?

In release order, the series runs from The Conjuring (2013) to The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025). Wikidata lists ten films including The Curse of La Llorona ^[8]; some outlets, including NPR, count nine films in the series ^[4]. TheWrap's chronological guide, written before Last Rites came out, reorders the earlier nine by when each story is set, starting with The Nun ^[7]. Last Rites draws on 1980s claims ^[4], so it would follow The Devil Made Me Do It.

For a first viewing, we suggest the four main Conjuring films in release order, then the spin-offs if you want more. All of the films with a recorded rating are rated R ^[8]. If you want more classic horror, our list of the best horror movies is a good next step, and the Alien watch order covers another long-running horror series. Last Rites draws on a 1980s case; our list of the best movies of the 80s covers more from that decade.