Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren — two of the most renowned paranormal investigators in American history. While they are now known to a larger audience due to their characterizations in the phenomenally successful franchise that spun-off from The Conjuring films, the Connecticut natives accrued an almost four decade history of investigations into the paranormal, long before the current slew of reality based "ghost hunting" television shows.

Updated October 21st, 2022: If you're a fan of the paranormal and the Warrens, you'll be happy to know this article has been updated with additional chilling content.

Whether the Warrens profited off a con in those investigations and exploited the mentally ill, or were actually genuine in their pursuit of the supernatural, those investigations inspired some great movies in The Conjuring universe. So without further hesitation, let's take a look at eight of the most notorious investigations conducted by Ed and Lorraine Warren.

"The Smurl Haunting"

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson in The Conjuring
Warner Bros. 

The Smurl Haunting is named after Jack and Janet Smurl. They claimed that a demon was haunting their home in West Pittston, Pennsylvania between the years of 1974 and 1989. The demon was alleged to have thrown the family dog into a wall and pushed their daughter down the stairs.

The Warrens arrived at the Smurl household in 1986 to conduct their own investigation. Ed Warren described the demonic presence as "very powerful" and claimed that the entity was able to shake mirrors and move furniture. Warren claimed to have recorded audio footage of knocking and rapping sounds caused by the demon.

"The Enfield Poltergeist"

Crooked Man in The Conjuring 2
Warner Bros. Pictures

This well known case formed the subject matter for the excellent sequel The Conjuring 2. This case saw the Warrens flying overseas to London, England in order to investigate alleged poltergeist activity in the north London Borough of Enfield. Peggy Hodgson, a single parent, had initially called the police after two of her four children had reported knocking sounds on the walls. Peggy herself claimed to have witnessed furniture moving around with no explanation. This was apparently also corroborated by a police officer visiting the house.

Ed and Lorraine Warren were convinced that the events were of supernatural origin and appeared to be predominantly focused around two of Peggy Hodgson's teenage daughters, with the girls seeming at times to apparently levitate off the ground. It should be noted however that the two daughters, Margaret and Janet Hodgson, later admitted to pranking investigators. This haunting also formed the plot for a three-part miniseries on Sky in 2015, The Enfield Haunting.

"Conjuring House"

The Conjuring House
Warner Bros. Pictures

The house in question, located in Harrisville, Rhode Island, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a woman alleged to be a witch. The commonly accepted story states that the woman killed her son and herself in order to haunt any future occupants of the house. The Perron family had moved into the farmhouse in December 1970, and reportedly experienced terrifying and disturbing occurrences that only escalated the longer they remained on the property; the stayed there for nearly a decade.

The sprawling 10-bedroom home was built in 1736 and was nestled on over two hundred acres of land and seemed like a peaceful paradise for the family, but ultimately proved to be a never-ending nightmare. Roger and Carolyn Perron and their five daughters contacted the Warrens to investigate the place in 1974, and the couple made repeated visits to the property in order to examine reports of a malevolent entity capable of lifting beds, whilst also filling the air with the reek of rotting flesh.

Related: Every Movie in The Conjuring Universe, Ranked

This particular investigation was of course the basis of the titular first film in the series, The Conjuring. While Ed Warren had already passed away during the production of the movie, Lorraine Warren served as a consultant on the project. Of that long ago investigation, she admitted: "The things that went on there were just so incredibly frightening. It still affects me to talk about it today."

"Annabelle"

Annabelle in her case from The Conjuring movies
Warner Bros. Pictures

A case that needs absolutely no introduction, as it began a line of spin-offs set within The Conjuring universe. Not quite the creepy doll depicted in the movies, the real life Annabelle was a fairly regular looking Raggedy Ann doll. However, this doll was said to be haunted.

Initially given to a student nurse in 1970 as a gift, the doll apparently began behaving strangely. A psychic medium informed the student nurse that the doll was haunted by the spirit of a girl named Annabelle. Despite the best efforts of the student and her roommate to accept and even care for the allegedly haunted doll, Annabelle would repeatedly exhibit displays of malicious and frightening behavior.

The Warrens were called in to investigate the doll. After their investigation had concluded, the Warrens declared the doll to be demonically possessed — and moved it to secure a place at their own museum in Monroe, Connecticut. A brief rumor surfaced in 2020, claiming that Annabelle had somehow escaped from its enclosure at the Warren museum, although it must be noted that the rumors were quickly quashed. Annabelle remains safely secured inside her enclosure.

"The Snedeker House"

Snedeker House - The Conjuring 4: Which Supernatural Ed and Lorraine Case Will the Franchise Use Next?

The Warrens arrived at a former funeral home in 1986 to conduct their investigation. The owners of the home had claimed that their son was suffering from violent personality changes as a result of a demonic presence in the house. The veracity of these claims must however be called into question, when taking into consideration the reported possibility that the son was suffering from schizophrenia.

Furthermore, other investigators found the case to be a particularly taxing one. Horror writer Ray Garton wrote his own account of the alleged haunting, In a Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting (1992). In this non-fiction novel, co-written with Ed Warren, Lorraine Warren, Al Snedeker, and Carmen Snedeker, Garton spoke of his frustration in trying to piece the true story together. Said Garton: "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."

Of Lorraine Warren, Garton was quoted as saying: "If she told me the sun would come up tomorrow morning, I'd get a second opinion." The phenomena at the house has been documented across a series of media, including the 2009 feature film, The Haunting in Connecticut.

"The Borley Church"

Bonnie Aarons
Warner Bros. Pictures

Partially serving for the inspiration of The Nun was the chilling tale of the Borley Church, an allegedly haunted place of worship that was built in the 12th century and is located in Essex, and is the home to some seriously spooky activity. Crafted during the Norman Conquest in 1066, Borley Church is just steps away from fellow paranormal hotspot Borley Rectory and has been the subject of numerous reports including eerie footsteps, unsettling smells and spine-tingling apparitions, most notably a solemn nun aimlessly wandering the courtyard.

Related: The Nun 2: How the Franchise Plays to the Universal Appeal of Religious Horror

Other reported apparitions included a veiled, young lady who walks the churchyard grounds before suddenly disappearing as well as a monk hiding within the church. The organ is said to play by itself and paranormal investigators claim to have heard ominous, mournful cries and groans coming from the building. Ed Warren himself declared that he had caught an image of the spirit of the monk looking through a book in the church on camera, though it was only the mystery and lore of the nun that was used in the creepy installment.

"Amityville"

Amityville Horror
Dimension Film

Another case that requires absolutely no introduction at all. The Amityville Horror, as it became known, became such a multi-million dollar franchise in its own right, you could be forgiven for thinking that the films were their own brand of fiction. However, this is also probably the most high-profile of the cases investigated by the Warrens.

Paranormal events in the home of George and Kathy Lutz apparently culminated with their fleeing their Long Island home in 1975. A year prior to the arrival of George and Kath to the house, it had been reported that Ronald DeFeo Jr. had murdered all six of his family members with a firearm. The Warrens investigated the house at length and were confident enough with their findings to declare the house haunted. Further investigations have since however concluded that the alleged paranormal activity in the house was in all likelihood a hoax.

The case was widely publicized enough in 1977 to warrant a book, The Amityville Horror, adapted into films of the same name in both 1979 and 2005, along with several sequels. Interestingly, lawyer William Weber stated that along with the occupants of the house and author of The Amityville Horror, Jay Anson, they invented the horror story surrounding the house "over many bottles of wine." The Conjuring 2 would be a retelling of Ed and Lorraine's account of goings-on during the Amityville Horror.

"The Devil Made Me Do It"

Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It - Ed and Lorraine Warren
Warner Bros. Pictures

It is perhaps fitting to close out our list with the most recent entry into The Conjuring series. The trial of one Arne Cheyenne Johnson in 1981 would become better known as "The Devil Made Me Do It" case. For the American court system, this would mark the very first time that a defendant had claimed "demonic possession" as the central aspect of the defense. Johnson had been accused of killing his landlord, Alan Bono. Prior to this, the Warrens had been called in to investigate a demonic entity apparently possessing the younger brother of Johnson's fiancée.

The Glatzel family had claimed that 11-year-old David Glatzel was possessed by a demon. Lorraine claimed that David would levitate, cease breathing for inexplicable periods of time, speak in foreign tongues and even share precognitive visions — including the future manslaughter committed by Johnson. The demon, upon being exorcised from David's body, allegedly took up residence inside Arne Johnson, directly contributing to the manslaughter of landlord Alan Bono. Judge Robert Callahan would go on to reject defense lawyer Martin Minnella's plea of not guilty by virtue of possession defense, declaring it "irrelative and unscientific."

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It was released in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2021, and in the United States on June 4, 2021. People are already wondering which Warren case will be used in the next Conjuring film.