Odd timing to see this thread as tonight I watched a documentary about the most famous couple (Ed & Lorraine Warren) in America related to the paranormal. It is the second time I watched it and recommend it to all. I have attached their story below. What puzzles me above all is why poltergeist events consists of often nothing more than moving things. Granted, there are other things that happen but many episode are similar. I am amazed how many people here have experienced the paranormal
Annabelle[edit]
Main article:
Annabelle (doll)
According to the Warrens, in the year 1968, two roommates claimed their
Raggedy Ann doll was possessed by the spirit of a young girl named Annabelle Higgins. The Warrens took the doll, telling the roommates it was "being manipulated by an inhuman presence", and put it on display at the family's "Occult Museum". The legend of the doll inspired several films in
the Conjuring Universe and is a recurring
leitmotif in many others.
[14]
Amityville[
edit]
The Warrens are probably best known for their involvement in the 1975
Amityville Horror in which New York couple George and Kathy Lutz claimed that their house was haunted by a violent, demonic presence so intense that it eventually drove them out of their home.
The Amityville Horror Conspiracy authors Stephen and Roxanne Kaplan characterized the case as a "hoax".
[15] Lorraine Warren told a reporter for
The Express-Times newspaper that the Amityville Horror was not a hoax. The reported haunting was the basis for the 1977 book
The Amityville Horror and adapted into the
1979 and
2005 films of the same name, while also serving as inspiration for the
film series that followed. The Warrens' version of events is partially adapted and portrayed in the opening sequence of
The Conjuring 2 (2016). According to
Benjamin Radford, the story was "refuted by eyewitnesses, investigations and forensic evidence".
[12] In 1979, lawyer William Weber stated that he,
Jay Anson, and the occupants "invented" the horror story "over many bottles of wine".
[16][13]
Enfield poltergeist[edit]
Main article:
Enfield poltergeist
In 1977, the Warrens investigated claims that a family in the North
London suburb of Enfield was haunted by
poltergeist activity. While a number of independent observers dismissed the incident as a hoax carried out by "attention-hungry" children, the Warrens were convinced that it was a case of "demonic possession". The story was the inspiration for
The Conjuring 2, although critics say the Warrens were involved "to a far lesser degree than portrayed in the movie" and in fact had shown up to the scene uninvited and been refused admittance to the home.
[17][18][19]
Cheyenne Johnson[edit]
Main article:
Trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson
In 1981, Arne Cheyenne Johnson was accused of killing his landlord, Alan Bono. Ed and Lorraine Warren had been called prior to the killing to deal with the alleged demonic possession of the younger brother of Johnson's fiancée. The Warrens subsequently claimed that Johnson was also possessed. At trial, Johnson attempted to plead Not Guilty by Reason of Demonic Possession, but was unsuccessful with his plea. This story serves as the inspiration for
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021).
[20] The case was described in the 1983 book
The Devil in Connecticut by Gerald Brittle.
Snedeker house[edit]
In 1986, Ed and Lorraine Warren arrived and proclaimed the Snedeker house, a former funeral home, to be infested with demons. The case was featured in the 1993 book
In a Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting. A TV film that later became part of the
Discovery Channel series
A Haunting was produced in 2002.
The Haunting in Connecticut, a film very loosely based on the Warrens' version of events and directed by
Peter Cornwell, was released in 2009. Horror author
Ray Garton, who wrote an account of the alleged haunting of the Snedeker family in
Southington, Connecticut, later called into question the veracity of the accounts contained in his book, saying: "The family involved, which was going through some serious problems like alcoholism and drug addiction, could not keep their story straight, and I became very frustrated; it's hard writing a non-fiction book when all the people involved are telling you different stories".
[11] To paranormal investigator Benjamin Radford, Garton said of Lorraine "'if she told me the sun would come up tomorrow morning, I'd get a second opinion'".
[21]
Smurl family[edit]
Main article:
Smurl haunting
Pennsylvania residents Jack and Janet Smurl reported their home was disturbed by numerous supernatural phenomena, including sounds, smells and apparitions. The Warrens became involved and claimed that the Smurl home was occupied by four spirits and also a demon that allegedly sexually assaulted Jack and Janet. The Smurls' version of their story was the subject of a 1986 paperback titled
The Haunted and
television film of the same name directed by
Robert Mandel.
Union Cemetery[edit]
Main article:
Union Cemetery (Easton, Connecticut)
Ed Warren's book
Graveyard: True Hauntings from an Old New England Cemetery (St Martins Press, 1992) features a "White Lady" ghost which haunts Union Cemetery. He claimed to have “captured her essence” on film.
Other activities[edit]
The Warrens were responsible for training several self-described demonologists, including
Dave Considine[22] and their nephew
John Zaffis.
[23]
Personal life[edit]
Ed and Lorraine Warren were members of the
Roman Catholic Church.
[24] The Warrens held that demonic forces are likely to
possess those who lack faith.
[24] Ed and Lorraine married together in 1945.
[25] In 1950, Lorraine gave birth to their daughter named Judy Warren.
[26][27]
