Ed and Lorraine Warren

Ed Warren
Born Edward Warren Miney
September 7, 1926
Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
Died August 23, 2006 (aged 79)
Monroe, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation Paranormal investigator, painter, author
Organization New England Society for Psychic Research
Religion Roman Catholicism
Website
http://www.warrens.net/
Lorraine Warren

Warren speaking at the 2013 WonderCon
Born Lorraine Rita Moran
January 31, 1927
Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation Paranormal investigator, author
Organization New England Society for Psychic Research
Religion Roman Catholicism
Website
http://www.warrens.net/

Edward "Ed" Warren Miney (September 7, 1926 – August 23, 2006) and Lorraine Rita Warren (née Moran, born January 31, 1927) were American paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent cases of haunting. Edward was a World War II United States Navy veteran and former police officer who became a self-taught demonologist, author, and lecturer. His wife Lorraine is a professed clairvoyant and a light trance medium who worked closely with her husband.

In 1952, the Warrens founded the New England Society for Psychic Research, the oldest ghost hunting group in New England.[1] They are the authors of numerous books about the paranormal and about their private investigations into various reports of paranormal activity. They claimed to have investigated over 10,000 cases during their career. The Warrens were among the very first investigators in the controversial Amityville haunting. According to the Warrens, the N.E.S.P.R. utilizes a variety of individuals, including medical doctors, researchers, police officers, nurses, college students and members of the clergy in its investigations.[2]

The Warrens were responsible for training several demonologists including Dave Considine, Lou Gentile, and their nephew John Zaffis. In addition to investigations, Lorraine runs The Warren's Occult Museum in the back of her house in Monroe, Connecticut with the help of her son-in-law, Tony Spera.[3]

Notable investigations

Amityville

Main article: The Amityville Horror

The Warrens are best known for their involvement in 1976, in the Amityville Horror case 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".[4] 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 1979 and 2005 movies of the same name.

Demon murder

In 1981, Arne 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.[5] The case was described in the 1983 book The Devil in Connecticut by Gerald Brittle.

Werewolf

In 1991, the Warrens book Werewolf: A True Story of Demonic Possession was published in which they claim to have exorcised a "werewolf demon" in 1983.

Annabelle

Main article: Annabelle (doll)

According to the Warrens, in 1970, 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 2014 film Annabelle directed by John R. Leonetti is loosely based on the story.[6]

Smurl family

Main article: Smurl haunting

Pennsylvania residents Jack and Janet Smurl reported their home was disturbed by various supernatural phenomena, including sounds, smells and apparitions. The Warrens became involved and claimed that the Smurl home was occupied by three spirits and also a demon that allegedly sexually assaulted Jack and Janet Smurl. The Smurls' version of their story was the subject of a 1986 paperback titled The Haunted and a 1991 made-for-TV movie of the same name directed by Robert Mandel.

The Perrons

In 1971, the Warrens claimed the Perrons' Harrisville, Rhode Island home was haunted by a witch, named Bathsheba Sherman, who lived there in the early 19th century. Bathsheba Sherman cursed the land so that whoever moved there somehow died. It is the subject of the 2013 film, The Conjuring.[3][7] Lorraine Warren was a consultant to the production and appeared in a cameo role in the film.

Stepney Cemetery

Main article: Stepney Cemetery

The Warrens believed that the cemetery was haunted by a "white lady" ghost. Ed is buried in the cemetery.[8]

The Haunting in Connecticut

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 1992 book In a Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting. A TV movie that later became part of the Discovery Channel series A Haunting was produced in 2002 and a film based on the events, directed by Peter Cornwell, was released in 2009.

Criticisms

The Warrens' most famous case, the Amityville Horror, has been questioned by critics. According to Benjamin Radford, the story was "refuted by eyewitnesses, investigations and forensic evidence".[9] In 1979, lawyer William Weber reportedly stated that he, Jay Anson and the occupants "invented" the horror story "over many bottles of wine".[10]

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]

Bibliography

Cover art.
The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren by Gerald Brittle was released as an ebook for the opening of The Conjuring based on the Warrens' life story.

Ed and Lorraine Warren have written and are featured in a number of non-fiction books, including:

Written by

Featured in

Media appearances

Film adaptations

In 1991, a two-hour made for TV movie based on the Smurl haunting, entitled The Haunted, was released by 20th Century Fox. Written by Robert Curran, Jack Smurl, Janet Smurl, Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren, the film starred Jeffrey DeMunn as Jack Smurl and Sally Kirkland as Janet Smurl.[14]

The 2009 film The Haunting in Connecticut was loosely based on the 1986 Snedeker haunting investigated by the Warrens.[15]

The 2013 film The Conjuring was directed by James Wan. Based on a Warren case, it stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren.[16]

The 2014 film Annabelle is a supernatural psychological horror film directed by John R. Leonetti. It is both a prequel to and spin-off of The Conjuring and was inspired by a story of a possessed doll named Annabelle. It stars Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, and Alfre Woodard.

References

  1. ↑ Brown, Alan (September 30, 2008). Ghost Hunters of New England. Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England. p. 3.
  2. ↑ http://www.warrens.net/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Elsworth, Peter (July 17, 2013). "'The Conjuring' depicts family's reported haunting in Burrillville farmhouse in '70s". The Providence Journal. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  4. ↑ Downes, Lawrence (April 14, 2005). "Editorial Observer; The Devil We Know on the Island We Love". New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  5. ↑ Lynne Baranski (October 26, 1981). "In a Connecticut Murder Trial, Will (demonic) Possession Prove Nine-Tenths of the Law?". People Magazine. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
  6. ↑ McLoughlin, Pam (October 5, 2014). "Real 'Annabelle' story shared by Lorraine Warren at Milford's Lauralton Hall". New Haven Register. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Alexander, Bryan (July 22, 2013). "The 'true' story behind 'The Conjuring'". USA Today. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  8. ↑ Susan Campbell; Ray Bendici; Bill Heald (November 9, 2010), Connecticut Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbe, Rowman & Littlefield, pp. 155–, ISBN 978-0-7627-7492-0
  9. ↑ Radford, Benjamin. "The Amityville Horror". Urban Legends Reference Pages. Snopes.com. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  10. ↑ Associated Press (July 27, 1979). "'Amityville Horror 'amplified over bottles of wine, - lawyer". Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  11. ↑ Nickell, Joe. "Demons in Connecticut". Skeptical Inquirer. CSI. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  12. ↑ A Haunting at the Internet Movie Database
  13. ↑ Paranormal State at the Internet Movie Database
  14. ↑ Belanger, Jeff. "50 Years of Ghost Hunting and Research With the Warrens" (PDF). TheOneMatrix.com. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  15. ↑ Radford, Benjamin (March 26, 2009). "The Real Story Behind 'The Haunting in Connecticut'". LiveScience. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  16. ↑ Puchko, Kristy (October 15, 2012). "The Conjuring Reveals Spooky Trailer and Scene, And James Wan Talks Horror As Therapy". Cinema Blend. Retrieved June 5, 2013.

External links