The Conjuring, a 2013 horror film, was a huge financial and critical success and was hailed as a return to form for the genre too often beleaguered by cheap gore-fests. The movie told the story of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, a married Catholic couple whose ghost-hunting exploits would later become famous.
The Conjuring is one of several film adaptations of the couple’s paranormal adventures, another well-known one being The Amityville Horror (which is hinted at near the end of the recent film). The 2013 movie spawned a spin-off title, Annabelle, which did not feature the Warrens. However, a sequel is now in the works which will see the married ghost-hunters returning to do what they do best.
Recent information indicates that The Conjuring 2 will focus on the story of the Enfield Poltergeist, a haunting which took place in England in the 1970s. There, four children reported being terrorized by unknown forces. The police were incredulous, initially believing it to be a prank or a hoax.
Desperate, the children’s mother turned to independent investigators – including the Warren duo – to look into the paranormal occurrences. Some of these incidents included demonic voices and furniture moving by itself, which was confirmed by one police constable who claims she saw a chair slide across the floor.
Producers will most likely want director James Wan to return to direct The Conjuring 2 after heading up the highly successful first film. Aside from The Conjuring, Wan is no stranger to horror flicks. The Australian-born Malaysian Chinese filmmaker is perhaps most famous for directing the cult classic 2004 film Saw. Wan also designed the iconic and creepy “Billy the Puppet” character seen in those movies.
We also know that actors Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga will reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren from the first film. The duo’s performance was lauded by critics who greatly enjoyed the chemistry between the two, as well as the oddly romantic setting of a husband and wife investigating haunting together. The real-life Warrens remained married until Ed passed away in 2006, survived by Lorraine.
The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist is slated to release in October of 2015, just in time for next year’s Halloween season.