Paranormal investigations by Ed and Lorraine Warren of 'The Conjuring'
Monroe's Ed and Lorraine Warren were two of the most notable paranormal investigators of the past century.
With the release of "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It," the work of the Warrens has once again been cast into the spotlight.
They explored some of the most famous alleged haunts in history, including the "Amityville Horror" and the Enfield Poltergeist. While both of the Warrens have since died, they have left a legacy of paranormal investigations.
Here are the couple's most prolific experiences throughout their almost four decade history of paranormal investigations.
‘The Devil Made Me Do it’
Bettmann/Bettmann Archive
Ed and Lorraine Warren arrives at Danbury Superior Court, March 19, 1981, where a grand jury returned an indictment against Arne Cheyenne Johnson in the slaying of Alan Bono, 40, on February 16, 1981, in Brookfield, Connecticut.
This Brookfield paranormal trial is the basis behind the latest "Conjuring" movie — "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It."
In 1981, Arne Cheyenne Johnson stabbed and killed Alan Bono, claiming that he was possessed by a demon when he committed the murder. This was the first time in the American court system where a defendant claimed "demonic possession."
According to a 1981 article from the New York Times, the Warrens spent time with Johnson and his family and claimed rationale in the "demonic possession" theory. However, a judge ultimately disregarded this theory and sentenced Johnson to prison, where he served five years before being released.
Amityville
Gary Fong / The Chronicle 1982
Ed and Lorraine Warren at the Masions Hotel on Sacramento Street in S.F.
Perhaps the most famous case investigated by the Warrens, the case known as the "Amityville Horror" went on to launch its own multi-million dollar franchise before appearing in the second "Conjuring" movie.
George and Kathy Lutz claimed they were driven out of their Long Island home in 1975 by a violent paranormal entity. A year before the Lutz family moved into the home, it was reported that Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed six family members in the house.
The Warrens investigated the home and claimed that it was "haunted." However, further investigations have revealed that the reported happenings in the home were mostly a hoax.
The Snedeker House
Fairfax Media Archives/Fairfax Media via Getty Images
American ghost hunters Lorraine and Ed Warren on April 30, 1980.
This home in Southington would go on to be the inspiration for the modern horror classic, "A Haunting in Connecticut."
The Warrens came to investigate as the owners of the home claimed that their son was experiencing personality changes that were violent in nature. The homeowners also stated that apparitions would appear throughout the home.
Reports remain conflicted regarding these occurences as it was reported that the son suffered from schizophrenia.
Annabelle
Annabelle was a Raggedy Ann doll that was claimed to be haunted by the spirit of a young girl named Annabelle Higgins. The doll was said to have moved on its own, but once it was claimed by the Warrens in 1970, it was placed in a glass enclosure in their occult museum in Monroe.
The character of Annabelle has since become a staple in "The Conjuring" franchise, with three movies dedicated to the history of the doll.
In 2020, a rumor started that the doll had escaped its enclosure at the museum, however, those rumors were disproven as the doll still remains in Monroe.
'The Conjuring House'
Folklore claims that this 18th century home in Harrisville, R.I. is "haunted" by a woman who killed herself and her child in order to haunt any occupants who dared step foot in the house.
In 1974, the Warrens made multiple trips to the home to investigate claims of levitating beds and the smell of rotting flesh. Their trips to the house would be chronicled in the first "Conjuring" movie.
Forty-five years after the Warren's investigation of the premises, the house was purchased by a new family who has opened the home to paranormal investigations.