The Conjuring 3 brings Ed and Lorraine Warren into the 1980s era of their paranormal investigation with no end in sight for the franchise, so here are all the real-life Warrens cases future Conjuring sequels can adapt. Ed and Lorraine Warren are two of the most prolific real-life paranormal investigators whose cases like the Amityville haunting were previously adapted into horror films before James Wan’s Warren-focused Conjuring franchise. While the concept of bringing real-life haunting cases to the big screen wasn’t novel in 2013, Wan changed the mapping of supernatural horror movies by equally investing emotional attachment into the family being haunted and the couple investigating.
The first Conjuring film takes place in 1971 Rhode Island where a family with five young daughters move into a country house with a sinister history. When an angry spirit becomes too much for the family to bear, they seek the help of famed married couple demonologist Ed (Patrick Wilson) and clairvoyant Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga). A few years after ridding the Perron family from the Bathsheba spirit, The Conjuring 2 takes the Warrens to the infamous Enfield poltergeist case in London where a young girl is possessed by a vengeful demon. In between and after the first two Conjuring films, the franchise produced less successful spin-offs about the Warrens’ Annabelle doll case and the recurring Valak demon terrorizing Lorraine.
With the recent release of the highly anticipated Conjuring 3 on HBO Max, audiences are eager to see a recurrence of the scream king and queen duo Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga take on another Warren case in Conjuring 4. While there will eventually be an end to the Warren investigations once the franchise reaches the 2006 death of Ed and the 2019 death of Lorraine, the franchise still has the cases of their demon-hunter nephew John Zaffis and a plethora of haunted artifacts in their occult museum as bases. When considering how Ed and Lorraine can reappear in future adaptations, here are all the major post-Devil Made Me Do It Warren cases the Conjuring universe can use.
Snedeker House
Since the Warrens left off on the Arne Johnson case of 1981, the easiest segway would be their next famous case involving the 1986 Snedeker house haunting. Considering The Conjuring 2 occurred in 1977 and the next film took place 4 years later, a similar 5-year difference between The Conjuring 3 and 4 seems to be the logical progression. The Conjuring 3 suffered from a lack of a home base for the possession that was crucial to the first two films, so The Conjuring 4 using the Snedeker house would return the Warrens to their haunted house roots.
As one of their most famous cases, the Snedeker house still takes a new direction for the Warrens as they deal with a haunted funeral home infested with an abundance of demons. In 1986 a couple with their three children and niece moved into a Connecticut home that they only later realized used to function as a funeral home. According to Atlas Obscura, the Snedeker’s discovered mortuary objects such as toe tags, blood drainers, and coffin tools. Ed and Lorraine Warren were called in to investigate when the Snedeker adults both claimed to be raped by demons, noticed spirit apparatuses, mopped water that turned into odorous blood, and their eldest son experienced visions and abrupt personality changes. The Warrens investigated the home, deemed it to be possessed, and performed a full-scale exorcism.
Smurl Family
Also taking place in 1986, the Conjuring producers could choose to use an alternate family’s haunted house story instead. While the Snedeker case has already been grabbed by Hollywood as 2009’s The Haunting in Connecticut film, the Smurl family haunting has only been adapted into a book and a television movie. As a relatively unknown yet brutal case, the Smurl haunting offers very similar house possession details to the Snedeker case, though with a novel film portrayal.
Jack and Janet Smurl moved into a duplex with their children in West Pittston, Pennsylvania in 1973, claiming in 1986 that unresting demons had haunted their home for 13 years. Certain demonic occurrences include their dog being thrown into a wall, physical and sexual assault, shaking their mattress, and throwing their daughter down the stairs. The Warrens investigate demonic powers in 1986, discovering that the demon was extremely powerful and would shake furniture and objects when the Warrens tried to pray it away. Ed and Lorraine eventually got approval from the Catholic Church to commission a priest to perform three exorcisms on the house.
The Southend Werewolf
Possibly as a fifth Conjuring film, Wilson and Farmiga could portray the Warrens as they return to England and tackle The Southend Werewolf in 1989. Fans had previously speculated the Southend Werewolf would be the subject of The Conjuring 3 when Patrick Wilson hinted the Warrens were taking on a “new beast,” so it’s still likely the pair will portray the case in a future installation. A werewolf demonic possession would continue to take the franchise and the Warrens into a new direction as they confront not simply spirits and demons, but the classic werewolf monster, as almost delivered by Wes Craven.
The Southend Werewolf first took hold of the United Kingdom in 1952 when 9-year-old Essex resident Bill Ramsey felt another force physically changing his body and enacted unprecedented rage while tearing out fence posts and gnawing on wire meshing. According to Paranorms, much later on in 1983, Ramsey began having incidents of abrupt physical changes that included biting multiple people and attacking victims with inhuman strength. On a stay in London, the Warrens saw his story on the news and decided to investigate. In 1989, the Warrens had Ramsey and his wife fly to Connecticut to perform an exorcism, which was intense and completely recorded on film.
“White Lady” Union Cemetery Ghost
Continuing with the Warrens inching into the 21st century with new paranormal technology and support to their claims, the Conjuring franchise could use their 1990 investigation of Connecticut’s Union Cemetery for an eventual film. The Warrens have reported the cemetery as one of the most haunted locations in America, so its notoriety would easily attract audiences for an on-screen investigation. While there are many ghosts in the area to choose from, the Conjuring universe would likely choose the “White Lady” that is often cited in the cemetery and which Ed Warren claims to have caught on film.
According to legend, the “White Lady” of Union Cemetery appears in a white nightgown or wedding dress and has been walking in front of drivers on the nearby road since her death in the 1940s. White Lady ghost stories are some of the most commonly rumored spirit encounters and typically involve a woman who died before an impending marriage, so the Warrens could deep dive into the woman’s tragic backstory and why she can’t let go.
