The Real Story Behind The Conjuring — Perron Family Haunting Explained
The Perron family haunting that inspired The Conjuring — Ed and Lorraine Warren's real case files, and how much the film exaggerates.
Published June 15, 2026
The Perron family in Harrisville
In 1971 the Perron family moved into a farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island. Andrea Perron later wrote a three-volume memoir, 'House of Darkness House of Light', describing decades of experiences the family attributed to the property. The film adapts roughly the first six months.
Ed and Lorraine Warren
The Warrens were real self-described demonologists who investigated the property and kept case files that the Conjuring Universe now dramatises. Sceptics — including researcher Joe Nickell — have publicly disputed the Warrens' methodology, and the family who bought the house after the Perrons reported no paranormal experiences.
What the film invented
The Bathsheba Sherman witch storyline is largely cinematic. The historical Bathsheba Sherman existed and lived nearby, but there is no primary-source evidence linking her to witchcraft or child sacrifice — that framing is the film's.
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