The Ending Of The Conjuring 2 Explained

In 2013, James Wan, the director of Saw and Insidious, directed a new horror film called The Conjuring. Set in 1971 and based on the stories of paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren, the film follows the couple as they assess a possible haunting at a farmhouse in Rhode Island. Starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, the movie did extremely well with critics and audiences, making over $319 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). With such success, the producers quickly started moving on a second film and a spinoff, starting what is now called The Conjuring Universe.

In the sequel, The Conjuring 2, Lorraine and Ed are working on a new case in 1976, investigating whether a demonic entity was behind Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdering his entire family, a case most people know as the Amityville murders. While holding a seance in the house, Lorraine has a vision of the murders, encountering a demonic nun figure, followed by a premonition of Ed meeting a violent death. Three years later, the Warrens visit the Hodgson family in the London suburb of Enfield; they believe that their daughter Janet (Madison Wolfe) is possessed by the ghost of an old tenant. While investigating, Lorraine continues to have visions of the nun demon and Ed's death. During one such experience, Lorraine manages to get the demon's name — Valak. Just in time, she realizes that the ghost who the family believes is haunting their daughter is really just a tool for Valak, and the vicious demon is behind it all.

But what really happens when the Warrens try to exorcise Valak? And what's next for The Conjuring franchise?

When the Warrens make it to Enfield, Janet is alone in the house, with her family locked outside. As Lorraine watches Ed go in, lightning strikes a tree in the front yard, creating a sharp stump that looks just like the object that impales Ed in her vision. Ed manages to reach Janet, who is about to jump out of the window onto the sharp tree stump. Thankfully he catches her, but the only reason Ed hasn't fallen out himself is because he is hanging onto the curtains, which are slowly tearing away. Lorraine runs into the room to save them, but she's attacked and held back by the demon nun.

Lorraine knows that the only way to banish the demon is by using its name, and she realizes that she scribbled the word Valak frantically during one of her visions. Armed with the demon's true name, Lorraine takes on Valak and successfully banishes it back to Hell. She then saves Ed and Janet before they can fall to their deaths. During their encounter with Valak, the family and the Warrens also encounter a demonic figure called the Crooked Man, based on an old English nursery rhyme. The creepy creature has long legs and sharp teeth, wears a suit with a hat and umbrella, and is altogether horrifying. While it's unclear whether the Crooked Man is an independent demon or connected to the nun, he fortunately disappears along with Valak. Thanks to Ed and Lorraine, the day is saved.

At the end of The Conjuring 2, the Warrens return home with a souvenir from the adventure — the zoetrope toy that the Hodgson family had, which serves as the anchoring item for the Crooked Man. They place it in their collection across from the Annabelle doll. While it seems like the Warrens are successful in banishing Valak, the rest of the franchise proves that it's very difficult to get rid of a demon. Annabelle has appeared in three of her own films along with The Conjuring, and she just won't leave. As for Valak, the origin of the demon is revealed in The Nun, the prequel film that came out shortly after The Conjuring 2. Throughout that film, many people believe they've successfully trapped Valak, but the demon continues to break free. It's highly likely fans of The Conjuring franchise will see the demon nun again soon.

As for the Crooked Man, the creature was a crowd-pleaser in The Conjuring 2 and it would definitely be a shame to waste him. Considering that the zoetrope and other haunted objects work as gateways and amplifiers for demons, there are many different ways that the Crooked Man and other past demons could reappear. Next up for the franchise is The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, in which the Warrens will take on the case of Arne Cheyenne Jackson. The current release date for the film is June 4, 2021, with the film coming out in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously.

It's well known that The Conjuring franchise, though entirely fiction, is based on the tales of the real Lorraine and Ed Warren, who traveled around investigating reports of hauntings. As for the specific haunting that inspired The Conjuring 2, that would be the famous Enfield Poltergeist. In the 1970s, a girl named Janet claimed to be possessed, and the whole family supposedly heard strange noises, saw furniture moving on its own, and watched the children levitating. The real Janet Hodgson shared that at one point, "the curtain that wrapped itself around my neck, which was quite life-threatening for me." After The Conjuring 2's release, the BBC did a podcast called The Reunion, during which they spoke with many witnesses of the Enfield Poltergeist, including Graham Morris, who worked for the Daily Mail at the time, and Maurice Grosse, one of the psychic investigators who visited the house. Morris said that during his visit, when Janet was brought into the room, "suddenly things just took off, and just started flying around the room... I got hit by a Lego brick over my right eye."

Like you see in the film, Janet also spoke in a raspy voice, claiming to be a man named Bill Wilkins. For those brave enough, the original recordings can be found on Unexplained Videos on YouTube and various other sources. According to Grosse, who spoke with Wilkins' son Terry, the man did actually live there and died in the living room of a hemorrhage. While these events led a lot of people to believe in hauntings, fans should make their own deductions. Or you can just sit back and enjoy The Conjuring 2 for what it simply is — an incredibly scary horror film.