Since the spine-chilling release of 2013’s The Conjuring, a successful franchise of sequels and spinoffs has ruled the horror genre. The interconnected universe is inspired by the lifelong work of Lorraine and Ed Warren (portrayed by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson in the Conjuring films), who have investigated high-profile hauntings and chronicled supernatural phenomena. At 92, Lorraine passed away in her sleep on Thursday night.
The Warren’s own New England Society of Psychic Research announced the news Friday morning (via Fox 61). Lorraine was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1927 and was a self-proclaimed clairvoyant and light trance medium. She and her husband founded the society in 1952 and conducted investigations into reports of paranormal activity, such as the Lindley Street poltergeist, West Point ghost and Amityville Horrors (which spawned 17 films).
The couple wrote 10 books together and traveled across the world lecturing on their findings. Ed Warren passed away in 2009 at 79 years old. One of their early cases was for Annabelle in 1968, a Raggedy Ann doll that was reportedly possessed by the spirit of a child named Annabelle Higgins. It inspired the Annabelle movies, which will continue with Annabelle Comes Home this summer. The upcoming film will see the first appearance of the Warren’s in the spinoff series, thus making it a homecoming for the Conjuring universe.
The Conjuring is based on their assistance to the Perron family in 1971, who experience frightening paranormal sighting in their farm home in Rhode Island. Lorraine Warren served as a consultant for the first movie and even had a cameo in it. She seemed to have bonded with the actress who has portrayed her for the past six years, as Vera Farmiga took to Twitter this morning to honor her following the news of her passing. Take a look:
The couple looked to be the gritty real-life Ghostbusters who certainly made a mark on the subject matter for many belovedly scary horror movies and various supernatural and psychic phenomena. The Warren’s also inspired the The Nun spinoff which became the highest-earning Conjuring film in 2018 when it racked up over $365 million worldwide. A sequel for The Nun is on the way, along with The Conjuring 3 and The Crooked Man.
Lorraine Warren’s death also comes on the same day of the release of The Curse of La Llorona, the first Conjuring spinoff film that does not tie to the couple’s paranormal investigations, though it finds itself in the universe’s timeline between the two Conjuring films.
Although Lorraine Warren was not a filmmaker herself, she will have a lasting impact on Hollywood as her experiences continue to capture the interest of audiences and be immortalized through the dramatic portrayal of her by Vera Farmiga, who will play Warren again in Annabelle Comes Home, coming to theaters on June 28.
