What Is The True Story Behind The Conjuring?

James Wan, the director who brought you horror flicks such as Saw, Dead Silence, and The Nun, brought horror fans another type of evil with The Conjuring, which is based on a true story. This was one of the most successful horror movies from 2013 because of the terrifying backstory, the demons that were involved, and the real-life basis. Most horror fans crave a movie that is "based on a true story," and allegedly, the terrifying haunting in The Conjuring is almost spot-on.

Wan based the storyline on the real-life paranormal experts who made this haunting known and the family that lived in the Rhode Island home with a dark history. So where exactly do reality and imagination meet in this movie? Who are the famous demonologists behind this happening, and where did it actually happen? Read on — if you dare — and relive the horrifying experience that is The Conjuring.

The Conjuring is set in 1971 and is based on the Perrons, a family of seven who want a fresh start in a new home. Unfortunately, the home is already occupied by a very evil spirit — Bathsheba — who clearly doesn't want the innocent family in her home. She latches herself onto Carolyn Perron (Lili Taylor), the mother, which leads the poor family down a spiral of mayhem and a lot of lost sleep.

In real life, the Perron home, also referred to as the Old Arnold Estate, is still standing and is located in Harrisville, Rhode Island. Roger and Carolyn Perron purchased the house in 1970 and lived there (why!?) until June 1980. Apparently, eight generations of one extended family lived and died in the house, and as we know, some of them never left. It wasn't required in Rhode Island to disclose what happened in the house to new owners, so the unsuspecting Perron family went in blind.

Ed and Lorraine Warren were real demonologists, up until Ed passed away in 2006. According to Cosmopolitan, Lorraine had a major say in how the story was told in the first Conjuring installment, which is probably why the movie stayed extremely close to the real accounts. Prior to the Old Arnold Estate, the Warrens are known to have been involved with the Amityville House haunting and other high-profile cases viewers have seen at the beginnings of The Conjuring, Annabelle, and The Conjuring 2. The real Lorraine has always been known to be a clairvoyant and a medium, which is explored in-depth in the movie. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who play Ed and Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring, seem like the perfect actors to play the couple, and they continue to reprise the roles in the James Wan universe.

As for the Perron family, they remained in the house for almost ten years because they couldn't afford to relocate and continued experiencing hauntings the entire time.