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5 Real Warren Cases That Could Be The Basis For Upcoming ‘Conjuring 4’

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Real Warren Cases Conjuring Sequel

Now that the writer’s and actor’s strike is over, Hollywood can return to doing what it does best; making horror movies. One of the best is The Conjuring franchise which is overdue for another sequel. Rest assured, another one has been confirmed titled The Conjuring: Last Rites, but details of the plot are, as IMDb says, “under wraps.”

The Conjuring series of movies are based on demonologist Ed and Lorraine Warren’s most famous real-life cases of hauntings and demonic possessions. Spin-offs like Annabelle and The Nun are not directly from their casefiles; they are stand-alone “fictionalized” properties.

Last we left Ed and Lorraine in the cinematic universe “The Devil Made Me Do It”; they were finishing up a court case wherein one of their clients was on trial for murder. He claimed that a demon had overtaken his body and forced him to commit the crime. This scenario was not in the storytelling realm that the Warrens usually investigate. The couple usually help families living in haunted houses.

Therefore, it is up in the air as to what the fourth installment will be about. Apparently, there was a since-removed post-credits scene at the end of the last movie that set up the situation for the next one, but director Michael Chaves and the other filmmakers involved decided to cut it perhaps not wanting to make promises they couldn’t keep for Conjuring 4.

So we did some investigating of our own and found some Warren cases that might make for great stories should filmmakers need any ideas. Or, since part four’s plot is being kept secret, what potential cases the movie could be about.

The Snekeder House

It’s 1986 and Al Snedeker has just rented a house in Southington, Connecticut for his family. After they moved in, they made a grim discovery in the basement which led them to the realization that the house was once a funeral home. The family suffered lots of phenomena such as the ever-present smell of decomposing flesh and they even sexual assault. Their eldest son got most of the attention as he claimed to see the ghosts that never moved on. The Snedekers contacted the Warrens for help and they confirmed that the dead clients of the former business were mad because the funeral director had desecrated their bodies. This was the inspiration for “A Haunting in Connecticut” but might make a great remake under The Conjuring banner.

The Smurl Haunting

While everyone was engrossed in the Amityville haunting in the 70s, other families were suffering at the hands of unknown forces. For instance, Jack and Janet Smurl moved into a duplex on Chase Street West Pittston in Pennsylvania in 1975. Janet was the first to experience the activity. She would hear noises, see shadow figures run across the room, and even get touched inappropriately by invisible hands. The entity would allegedly torment the family dog, and push people down the stairs. The Warrens confirmed that a demon was present and claim it even started focusing on them.

The Amityville Haunting

Probably the most overdone story about a haunted house, but still remains the most famous. This, like “The Haunting in Connecticut,” might make a great Warren interpretation under the production of James Wan. If you need a recap, the Lutzes moved into their Long Island dream home in 1975. The Dutch Colonial-style home was a steal and the family even came to terms with the fact that only a year before it was the scene of a mass family shooting by the previous owner’s son Ron DeFeo Jr. It wasn’t long after the Lutz’s moved in before they encountered possessions, loud banging noises, swarms of flies and “bleeding walls.” The Lutz’s famously only stayed in the house for 28 days, and the Warrens were called in to do a cleansing.

The Donovan family

Lorraine & Ed Warren

The Donovan family haunting played out much like the Amityville one, but this one was allegedly started by their daughter Patty who used a spirit board for an entire year, communicating with what she said was a young boy. The spirit would compliment Patty and foretell her future. But things began to get out of hand as the family’s cars would inexplicably be toyed with, wallpaper would unstick itself, running water would turn into blood, and beastly snarls would emanate from the walls. One year, it rained rocks on the house. Eventually, the Warrens were called in to investigate and they discovered that Patty had not been communicating with a young boy through the Ouija board at all, but a malevolent demon. A priest was eventually called in to cleanse the house, which apparently worked.

The Case of Maurice Theriault

This one is an odd story about Maurice Theriault who is said to have been possessed by a demon. Theriault was a farmer whose nickname was Frenchy. Although there is a reference to Frenchy in The Nun, his real story has yet to be told. In real life people said Frenchy had two sides; a caring and loving side toward adults but very abusive toward children. He developed near super-human strength and had knowledge of people and places that he didn’t know. The people in the New England town in which he lived began to notice Frenchie would sometimes appear bloody. They also say that he would appear in two places at once.

The Warrens themselves claimed that they saw Frenchy bleeding from his eyes and words appearing on his back. The Catholic Church got involved and performed an exorcism on Frenchy which they say was successful.

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Thrills and Chills: Ranking ‘Radio Silence’ Films from Bloody Brilliant to Just Bloody

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Radio Silence Films

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella are all filmmakers under the collective label called Radio Silence. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are the primary directors under that moniker while Villella produces.

They have gained popularity over the past 13 years and their films have become known as having a certain Radio Silence “signature.” They are bloody, usually contain monsters, and have breakneck action sequences. Their recent film Abigail exemplifies that signature and is perhaps their best film yet. They are currently working on a reboot of John Carpenter’s Escape From New York.

We thought we would go through the list of projects they have directed and rank them from high to low. None of the movies and shorts on this list are bad, they all have their merits. These rankings from top to bottom are just ones we felt showcased their talents the best.

We didn’t include movies they produced but didn’t direct.

#1. Abigail

An update to the second film on this list, Abagail is the natural progression of Radio Silence’s love of lockdown horror. It follows in pretty much the same footsteps of Ready or Not, but manages to go one better — make it about vampires.

Abigail

#2. Ready or Not

This film put Radio Silence on the map. While not as successful at the box office as some of their other films, Ready or Not proved that the team could step outside their limited anthology space and create a fun, thrilling, and bloody adventure-length film.

Ready or Not

#3. Scream (2022)

While Scream will always be a polarizing franchise, this prequel, sequel, reboot — however you want to label it showed just how much Radio Silence knew the source material. It wasn’t lazy or cash-grabby, just a good time with legendary characters we love and new ones who grew on us.

Scream (2022)

#4 Southbound (The Way Out)

Radio Silence tosses their found footage modus operandi for this anthology film. Responsible for the bookend stories, they create a terrifying world in their segment titled The Way Out, which involves strange floating beings and some sort of time loop. It’s kind of the first time we see their work without a shaky cam. If we were to rank this entire film, it would remain at this position on the list.

Southbound

#5. V/H/S (10/31/98)

The film that started it all for Radio Silence. Or should we say the segment that started it all. Even though this isn’t feature-length what they managed to do with the time they had was very good. Their chapter was titled 10/31/98, a found-footage short involving a group of friends who crash what they think is a staged exorcism only to learn not to assume things on Halloween night.

V/H/S

#6. Scream VI

Cranking up the action, moving to the big city and letting Ghostface use a shotgun, Scream VI turned the franchise on its head. Like their first one, this film played with canon and managed to win over a lot of fans in its direction, but alienated others for coloring too far outside the lines of Wes Craven’s beloved series. If any sequel was showing how the trope was going stale it was Scream VI, but it managed to squeeze some fresh blood out of this nearly three-decade mainstay.

Scream VI

#7. Devil’s Due

Fairly underrated, this, Radio Silence’s first feature-length film, is a sampler of things they took from V/H/S. It was filmed in an omnipresent found footage style, showcasing a form of possession, and features clueless men. Since this was their first bonafide major studio job it’s a wonderful touchstone to see how far they have come with their storytelling.

Devil’s Due

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film

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Horror Movies Releasing This Month – April 2024 [Trailers]

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April 2024 Horror Movies

With only six months until Halloween, it is surprising how many horror movies will be released in April. People are still scratching their heads as to why Late Night With the Devil wasn’t an October release since it has that theme already built in. But who’s complaining? Certainly not us.

In fact, we are elated because we are getting a vampire movie from Radio Silence, a prequel to an honored franchise, not one, but two monster spider movies, and a film directed by David Cronenberg’s other child.

It’s a lot. So we have provided you with a list of movies with help from the internet, their synopsis from IMDb, and when and where they will drop. The rest is up to your scrolling finger. Enjoy!

The First Omen: In theaters April 5

The First Omen

A young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, but encounters a darkness that causes her to question her faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.

Monkey Man: In theaters April 5

Monkey Man

An anonymous young man unleashes a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless.

Sting: In theaters April 12

Sting

After raising an unnervingly talented spider in secret, 12-year-old Charlotte must face the facts about her pet-and fight for her family’s survival-when the once-charming creature rapidly transforms into a giant, flesh-eating monster.

In Flames: In theaters April 12

In Flames

After the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart. They must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.

Abigail: In Theaters April 19

Abigail

After a group of criminals kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.

The Night of the Harvest: In theaters April 19

The Night of the Harvest

Aubrey and her friends go geocaching in the woods behind an old cornfield where they are trapped and hunted by a masked woman in white.

Humane: In theaters April 26

Humane

In the wake of an environmental collapse that is forcing humanity to shed 20% of its population, a family dinner erupts into chaos when a father’s plan to enlist in the government’s new euthanasia program goes horribly awry.

Civil War: In theaters April 12

Civil War

A journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

Cinderella’s Revenge: In select theaters April 26

Cinderella summons her fairy godmother from an ancient flesh-bound book to get revenge on her evil stepsisters and stepmother who abuse her daily.

Other horror movies on streaming:

Bag of Lies VOD April 2

Bag of Lies

Desperate to save his dying wife, Matt turns to The Bag, an ancient relic with dark magic. The cure demands a chilling ritual and strict rules. As his wife heals, Matt’s sanity unravels, facing terrifying consequences.

Black Out VOD April 12 

Black Out

A Fine Arts painter is convinced that he is a werewolf wreaking havoc on a small American town under the full moon.

Baghead on Shudder and AMC+ on April 5

A young woman inherits a run-down pub and discovers a dark secret within its basement – Baghead – a shape-shifting creature that will let you speak to lost loved ones, but not without consequence.

Baghead

Infested: on Shudder April 26

Residents of a rundown French apartment building battle against an army of deadly, rapidly reproducing spiders.

Infested

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