Lists

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

Published

5 months ago

December 18, 2023

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

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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Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week: 5/6 to 5/10

Published

3 days ago

May 11, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks. This is for the week of May 5 through May 10.

Yay:

In a Violent Nature made someone puke at the Chicago Critics Film Fest screening. It’s the first time this year that a critic got sick at a movie that wasn’t a Blumhouse film.

Nay:

Radio Silence pulls out of remake of Escape From New York. Darn, we wanted to see Snake try to escape a remote locked-down mansion full of distopean New York City “crazies.”

Yay:

A new Twisters trailer dropped, focusing on the powerful forces of nature that tear through rural towns. It’s a great alternative to watching candidates do the same thing on local news during this year’s presidential press cycle.

Nay:

Producer Bryan Fuller walks away from A24’s Friday the 13th series Camp Crystal Lake saying the studio wanted to go a “different way.” After two years of development for a horror series it seems that way doesn’t include ideas from people who actually know what their talking about: fans in a subreddit.

Yay:

Finally, The Tall Man from Phantasm is getting his own Funko Pop! Too bad the toy company is failing. This gives new meaning to Angus Scrimm’s famous line from the movie: “You play a good game…but the game is finished. Now you die!”

Nay:

Football king Travis Kelce joins new Ryan Murphy horror project as a supporting actor. He got more press than the announcement of Dahmer’s Emmy winner Niecy Nash-Betts actually getting the lead.

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Lists

Indie Horror Spotlight: Uncover Your Next Favorite Fright [List]

Published

4 days ago

May 10, 2024

Anthony Pernicka

Discovering hidden gems in the world of cinema can be thrilling, especially when it comes to indie films, where creativity often flourishes without the constraints of massive budgets. To help movie buffs find these lesser-known masterpieces, we’ve curated a special list of indie horror films. Perfect for those who appreciate the underdog and love to support emerging talent, this list is your gateway to potentially uncovering your next favorite director, actor, or horror franchise. Each entry includes a brief synopsis and, when available, a trailer to give you a taste of the spine-chilling excitement that awaits.

Insane Like Me?

Insane Like Me? Official Trailer

Directed by Chip Joslin, this intense narrative centers on a combat veteran who, upon returning from overseas duty, becomes the prime suspect in his girlfriend’s enigmatic disappearance. Wrongfully convicted and incarcerated in a mental asylum for nine years, he is eventually released and seeks to unravel the truth and seek justice. The cast boasts notable talents including Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts, along with Samantha Reddy, Jack Maxwell, Paul Kolker, and Meg Hobgood.

“Insane Like Me?”debuts on Cable and Digital VOD on June 4, 2024.

Silent Hill: The Room – Short Film

Silent Hill: The Room Short Film

Henry Townshend wakes up in his apartment, finding it chained shut from the inside… A fan film based on the game Silent Hill 4: The Room by Konami.

Key Crew & Cast:

Writer, Director, Producer, Editor, VFX: Nick Merola
Starring: Brian Dole as Henry Townshend, Thea Henry
Director of Photography: Eric Teti
Production Design: Alexandra Winsby
Sound: Thomas Wynn
Music: Akira Yamaoka
Assistant Camera: Hailey Port
Gaffer: Prannoy Jacob
SFX Makeup: Kayla Vancil
Art PA: Haddie Webster
Color Correction: Matthew Greenberg
VFX Collaboration: Kyle Jurgia
Production Assistants: Brandom Weavil, Lauren Smith, Steve Visbeck

Alien Hunt

Alien Hunt Official Trailer

On a hunting trip in the wilderness, a group of siblings discovers an abandoned military outpost on their land, but is it what it seems? Their trip takes a sinister turn when they find themselves facing off against a relentless army of extra-terrestrial beings. Suddenly, the hunters become the hunted. The formidable squad of alien soldiers will stop at nothing to wipe out the enemy and in an all-out, brutal battle for survival, it’s kill or be killed in Alien Hunt.

This brand-new sci-fi horror from director Aaron Mirtes (Robot Riot, The OctoGames, The Bigfoot Trap, Painted in Blood) is set for its US Premiere on May 14, 2024.

The Hangman

The Hangman Official Trailer

To mend their troubled relationship, a middle-aged door-to-door salesman, Leon, takes his teenage son on a camping trip into deep rural Appalachia. Little do they know of the mountainous region’s sinister secrets. A local cult has summoned an evil demon born of hate and pain, known to them as The Hangman, and now the bodies have begun to pile up. Leon wakes up in the morning to discover that his son is missing. To find him, Leon must face the murderous cult and the bloodthirsty monster that is The Hangman.

The Hangman will have a limited theatrical run beginning May 31. The film will be available to rent or purchase on video-on-demand (VOD) starting June 4th.

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Lists

Unbelievably Cool ‘Scream’ Trailer But Re-Imagined As A 50s Horror Flick

Published

7 days ago

May 7, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Ever wonder what your favorite horror movies would look like if they had been made in the 50s? Thanks to We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway and their use of modern technology now you can!

The YouTube channel reimagines modern movie trailers as mid-century pulp flicks using AI software.

What is really neat about these bite-sized offerings is that some of them, mostly the slashers go against what cinemas had to offer over 70 years ago. Horror movies back then involved atomic monsters, scary aliens, or some sort of physical science gone awry. This was the era of the B-movie where actresses would put their hands against their faces and let out over-dramatic screams reacting to their monstrous pursuer.

With the advent of new color systems such as DeLuxe and Technicolor, movies were vibrant and saturated in the 50s enhancing primary colors that electrified the action happening on screen, bringing a whole new dimension to films using a process called Panavision.

^{“Scream” reimagined as a 50s horror movie.}

Arguably, Alfred Hitchcock upended the creature feature trope by making his monster a human in Psycho (1960). He used black and white film to create shadows and contrast which added suspense and drama to every setting. The final reveal in the basement would probably not have been if he had used color.

Jump to the 80s and beyond, actresses were less histrionic, and the only emphasized primary color was blood red.

What is also unique about these trailers is the narration. The We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway team has captured the monotone narration of 50s movie trailer voiceovers; those over-dramatic faux news anchor cadences that emphasized buzz words with a sense of urgency.

That mechanic died out long ago, but luckily, you can see what some of your favorite modern horror movies would look like when Eisenhower was in office, developing suburbs were replacing farmland and cars were made with steel and glass.

Here are some other noteworthy trailers brought to you by We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway: