In
1994 I read THE HAUNTED,
a 1986 book by husband and wife ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren, which
told the story of how a family was terrorized by a demon in their Pennsylvania home
between 1974 and 1989. THE HAUNTED was
also made into a TV-movie
in 1991 and starred Jeffrey DeMunn and Sally Kirkland as Jack and Janet Smurl,
respectively.
A
new film by James Wan, the director of SAW (2004), DEAD SILENCE (2007), and
INSIDIOUS (2011), opens on June 19th. THE CONJURING, originally known as THE WARREN
FILES (after the aforementioned ghost duo), is a theatrical treatment of a case
that the Warrens also were involved with.
The film stars Patrick Wilson (HARD CANDY) and Vera Farmiga (BATES
MOTEL) as Ed and Lorraine who this time meet with the Perron family (Ron
Livingston of BAND OF BROTHERS and Lili Taylor of THE HAUNTING), who are
experiencing disturbing events in their farmhouse in Rhode Island.
This
turns out to be the most terrifying case that the Warrens are involved in.
