In the 1970’s, married couple Ed and Lorraine Warren spent increasingly large portions of their free time doing what people around the world have done for ages: searching for signs of the occult. These demonologists explored stories of hauntings and possessions that came to their attention.

As usual, many of these reports turned out to have normal, simple explanations. In some cases poor construction caused doors to open unexpectedly, or drafts to randomly remove light objects from tables. In others, a trickster was trying to fool them, and they found the evidence through careful exploration and reasoning.

But sometimes a particular house and its history of reports merited further attention. One such house is in Harrisonville, Rhode Island.

A tale of demonic possession

When Roger and Carolyn move into a large old house, the warning signs start right away. The dog growls unexpectedly at something the couple can’t see and refuses to enter the house. The first morning, Carolyn wakes up with bruises on her body, and the couple finds their dog mangled and dead. They later find that every clock had stopped at 3:07 a.m.

The action quickly escalates and the family calls in a demonologist to find out what happened. This is where the real life experience of the Warrens intersects with this historical home. A demon is indeed present. It is the mother who killed her infant daughter, and her madness drives her from beyond the grave.

This house has been populated for years by people who committed suicide or infanticide in gruesome form. Roger and Carolyn are determined to win the battle and call in the foremost experts on possession: demonologists, and then of course the Catholic Church.

The family looks to spend a peaceful night at a hotel. In the night, Carolyn wakes, takes two of their daughters, and returns to the house intent on stabbing them as commanded by the spirit Bathsheba.

The battle is joined on all sides, and finally comes down to mother vs mother, living vs dead, in a war to determine if compassion and love can triumph over anger and bloodshed.

The Conjuring is an award-winning horror film, full of the storylines and moments that are designed to keep you and your friends on the edge of your seats this Halloween season!