How accurately does the Conjuring Universe portray demons?

Demon and exorcist horror movies are not my favorites. Although I did enjoy two out of the three main movies in The Conjuring Universe franchise. (The first two. I found the actual facts of the “Devil Made Me Do It” case much more interesting than Hollywood’s hyped-up offering, which I turned off after about 15 minutes.)

Anyway, the point is, after reading this guest post from demon folklorist Victoria Jaye, I’m now thinking maybe I’d enjoy demon movies more if I watched with someone like her. She questions why anyone would want to do that, but I think her running commentaries and insights would make it more fun. For now, I’ll have to settle for enjoying her thoughts this way.

The Conjuring Universe: Fact or Fiction?
By Victoria Jaye

I don’t know why anyone in their right mind would watch a demon movie with me. I physically cannot keep my mouth shut. I know way too much about what I’m looking at so I’m commenting throughout. “That was stupid”; “Oh yeah, that’s a thing that actually does happen”; “Wow, guys. Do better,” can all be heard when I’m watching one of these movies.

The reason I’m sharing my demon movie thoughts with everyone is because I realized that for the most part, people’s understanding of demons comes from movies like The Conjuring (2013). In that way, they are informing the public about entities but aren’t always factual.

Which I get because it’s entertainment. However, demonic phenomena is often just as scary or even scarier than anything we could imagine. Using the Conjuring Universe movies, I will highlight which ones show real demonic phenomena and which ones should never be used for an understanding of the occult. (Looking at you, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It).

I’ll try not to repeat myself when it comes to phenomena that happens across all three movies because it becomes boring to hear “a door slammed; yes, that’s real” fifteen times, or if the phenomenon is repeated in the same movie, no need to keep saying it.

The Conjuring (2013) 90% Accurate

• The Annabelle doll phenomena that is seen can be done: moving the doll, writing notes, destroyed belongings, throwing it away doesn’t solve it (because of teleportation)
• Conduits in general are real; is Annabelle? No idea, never met her, but dolls can be used as conduits because they are seen as empty vessels, though they aren’t actually “possessed” since it’s plastic/glass, etc. Demons possess the living and dolls are more of a stand-in, really: a symbol of life.
• Animals do tend to sense dark entities faster than we do; in the movie, we see the family dog refuse to go in the house and barking outside, which is common.
• The bruises that show up on Carolyn are something I have personally experienced, though it was not a demon in that instance. It isn’t something that comes up often exactly the way she experienced it in the movie (waking up with them), though bruising does occur because of trauma from entities attacking people.
• Unnatural cold is a way that demons manifest because they’re drawing the warmth/energy from a room.
• Andrea complains of a smell “that smells like something died”; one of the ways that demonic entities announce themselves is to have a terrible smell permeate a space to assault more senses besides sight/sound/feeling. A few minutes later, Christine complains about Nancy’s farting; demonic entities are much, much worse—Christine would have been retching or forced to leave the room if they were being accurate.
• Clocks stopping at specific times is a real part of demonic phenomena.
• From what I understand, demons aren’t usually killing dogs, but it could happen since they have been known to attack beloved animals.
• The knocking is a real phenomenon; it also often does come in threes, called “Trinity Knocks” since it’s thought it is a mockery of the Holy Trinity.
• The bird flying into the house isn’t something I’ve heard about with demons; people hear wings sometimes when demons are present, like there’s a bunch of really big birds around.
• Doors opening/closing by themselves does happen; slamming is. Clapping isn’t common, though that’s more of a plot device for the film; heavy breathing when no one is there comes up a lot in demon narratives.
• Yanking on people’s feet/ankles is something that happens. Other parts of the body can also be grabbed as well.
• Seeing the entity is usually when people finally admit there’s something supernatural happening; it’s a frequent occurrence for kids to witness demonic presences but not all children do.
• Threats from the demonic are typical, usually that they will hurt someone you love.
• Destruction of property (with the picture frames on the staircase)/the sound of a child or children laughing is also factual; sometimes demons will mimic children in general.
• Being knocked down is common; stairs seem to be one of their particularly nasty tricks to get someone to fall.
• Throwing things, burning out lightbulbs is also recurrent (electrical problems of any kind)
• Being unable to escape or having no one be able to hear you while being attacked also happens.
• Entities can appear how they want, such as the witch Bathsheba, as we see in the movie; when demons make an entrance, it’s usually in the form of a shadowy figure that’s very tall and/or frightening in its hybrid appearance.
• Blood pooling out of the eyes as tears does happen in possessions; usually disgusting substances come out of body orifices they shouldn’t.
• The body contorts while possessed and inverted crosses could show up from inside the body as the demon toys with them.
• Technically, there are four stages of demonic activity: Encroachment (where they try to find a foothold in your life), infestation (where they’re here now and starting the phenomena), oppression (where they single out an individual to break down their will), and possession (where they take over the body for short periods). A fifth is said to be Death, but I’m not sure it belongs as a stage since at that point, the demon is neither involved nor controlling anything since a life has ended. It is true that the most psychologically vulnerable is targeted by demons for oppression.
• Rotting meat is a very common smell associated with demonic presences. The smells run the gamut with what they project, but it’s always a horrible scent. Pleasant smells are even used against people, such as the overpowering smell of perfume.
• Electrical issues like recordings not picking up anything or picking up something not heard by our ears is the sort of thing demons do, probably as a scare tactic or to show power. It can be difficult to prove demonic phenomena is happening.
• Exorcisms are done to places as well as people.
• Demons tend to follow people if they leave a space that the demon was occupying; leaving that space doesn’t usually work.
• The Bathsheba Sherman story is exaggerated greatly for effect; see Andrea Perron’s work on the subject. It was rumored she was a witch and though her baby did die, it could not be proven she had anything to do with it; she was acquitted, if I’m remembering correctly.
• Witch folklore in general like the whole “witches believe [killing their babies] elevates them in the eyes of Satan” Lorraine says in the movie sounds a lot like Satanic Panic. That’s not to say that dark magic doesn’t exist, but it can be dangerous to make those kinds of generalizations. Witches were people and labeled as such out of fear; many were cunning folk for the most part who used herbs/healing remedies to help others. Then they were hunted down and murdered.
• Religious provocation is used to piss off demons; they seem to have an allergic reaction to religious items. A great question I got at a conference was, do demons respond to Jewish or Islamic iconography? I didn’t know the answer at the time but since then, I have learned that they do have a reaction to all religious items from Abrahamic religions.
  I happen to love the scene where the sheet hits something solid as it’s blowing away to reveal a figure standing there; conceivably, this could happen. Demons mess with physics and even how solid things are, how gravity behaves, etc.
• Seeing figures in the windows is a common occurrence in infestations.
• Bruises as if someone has been grabbed does happen, as if by magic; usually the person feels being grabbed by an invisible force.
• Demons puking in your mouth is not a thing; that was for sure for dramatic effect. They could apport puke from one place to another, sure but are they depositing it in your mouth from their own? No. They don’t seem to have the ability to create anything, only corrode and corrupt what already exists.
• Demons knock crucifixes down; they also burn and twist them. Depends on the strength of the entity.
• Dragging one by their hair is reported in demonic infestations.
• The possession scenes are pretty accurate; growling, doing things they normally wouldn’t, levitating, inhuman strength, anger at those trying to exorcise them, burns/scratches/injuries will happen to the body, facial contortions (among other contortions). The body seems to break down when a demon is inside, so they flit in and out. A person is never fully possessed all the time. “If we take her out [of the house], the witch will kill her” feels like another Hollywood dramaticism. With possessed people, demonic activity emits from them instead of around them in encroachment/infestation/oppression phenomena; they can make anything they want happen.

The Conjuring 2 (2016) 85% Accurate

• I’m not even going to go into the Amityville commentary; first, it’s a vision of Lorraine’s, which can’t be proven as being real/seems like a plot device and second, I did an entire other post about why I’m not convinced Amityville was a demonic case.
• Ouija boards can call unfriendly entities to oneself but it’s not as common as media would have us believe that a demon is on the other side of every spirit board communication. I don’t personally recommend it, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing or how to protect yourself while communicating that way.
• Demons can attach themselves to human spirits, so the demon speaking through the old man’s spirit through the little girl is potentially possible.
• Toys doing weird things is true, especially as a way for an entity to reveal itself to children or freak out adults.
• Random screaming out loud is also a thing.
• Moving things around is usually the first thing people start to notice. It could be money, could be your car keys, anything you’d actually notice being where you didn’t leave it. This can also lead to arguments in families since one will usually blame others long before deciding it’s supernatural in nature.
• Vibrating/shaking of furniture does tend to happen, sometimes when one is alone and other times when another person is there.
• Bite marks are very common.
• The moving of the dresser to block the door is the sort of thing liable to happen.
• Demons, as far as I know, don’t usually show up as the nun version of Marilyn Manson, but whatever it takes to scare someone, I guess. Demons tend to be taller.
• Music players turn on by themselves, usually blaringly loud.
• The painting effect where the fingers came out from behind the painting, allowing it to manifest using it was cool-looking but inaccurate.
• When coming through, demons do growl in a guttural way.
• Demons can attach themselves to human spirits, which probably makes it easier to manifest.
• It’s possible for a demon to manifest in a familiar shape, like a nightmare come to life such as the Crooked Man. Whatever it takes to scare you the most.
• Demonic entities hop in and out of people, so the scene where it sort of leaves Janet is accurate after smashing the fireplace cover into the light (things get broken fast in demonic infestations).
• All the crosses on the wall would probably come down/become destroyed if a demon inhabits a particular room. They wouldn’t leave those up when they cause almost an allergic reaction in demons.
• Negative energy/emotional distress is what feeds negative entities. The more they can cause, the more they can manifest/do crazy stuff.
• I feel like the trope of a dark entity having you see yourself up on the ceiling happens in movies, but the illusions of a demon are more elaborate.
• It’s a Satanic Panic thing to have the crosses turn upside down. It’s not common; a demon will destroy them or make them misshapen in some way. Not every demonic experience is the result of using the occult.
• Conceivably, being choked with drapes could happen; probably to produce more fear in the oppressed person before letting up.
• Also more of a movie thing with the multiple knives being stabbed through things, but yes, this could happen.
• Metal can get bent into strange shapes around demons; they are known to be inhumanly strong.
• Possessed people can contort themselves into strange places they shouldn’t be able to fit; the body becomes the puppet. Demonic presences also lash out at others nearby, so with Janet being possessed and causing harm/phenomena around her is accurate.
• Demons tend to not be so dramatic (at least as far as I’ve heard) as to cause demonologists to enter the house by using the furniture to barricade but they are capable of it, strength-wise.
• The name thing is accurate; if an exorcist knows the name of the entity, then they can claim power over it.
• I’m not a fan of the sequence where the demon is trying to push Janet out the window to die on the wood spike right below; demons don’t cause suicide. Demons can influence people and their mental health, but the act of taking one’s own life is human. They can’t make you kill yourself, though they can push you there.
• I think that recording at the end is a demon because of the way it makes me feel when I hear it; it’s wrong, guttural, and it sends a shiver up my spine. I have a very physical reaction to the recording. The problem with most demon movies is that they cannot replicate the way those voices sound because they are so unlike us and corroded in the sounds they make.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) 30% Accurate

• Something I will say for the third Conjuring movie: they were incredibly accurate in the first chunk of the movie. I was impressed. The second half came off as Christian propaganda without a shred of real phenomena in sight.
• The deep scratches in the wall are accurate, as is the broken chandelier; light fixtures really take a beating in demonically infested houses.
• The Exorcist shot was fun, but that movie is pretty factually incorrect—we have a few bits of real demonic phenomena in The Exorcist (1973), but for the most part, it was a Hollywood fantasy of what demonic possession looks like. (And why was the demon British?) I digress.
• The illusion of the blood shower has not been reported to my knowledge, but conceivably, it’s something a demon could do as an illusion.
• A person could be influenced to do out-of-character things like stabbing their own father in the leg while possessed. The skin can bubble as if it’s disintegrating and the body can contort. The vortex tornado-like scene is a real part of the phenomena, as is being knocked to the ground. Demons can cause strange illnesses that weren’t present before.
• It takes time to break down the will of a person; from what I understand, no, demons can’t just hop into someone else if they offer themselves. But if they’re completely willing, I suppose there is a possibility of it happening—just perhaps not that quickly.
• Demons do not usually take the form of the conjurer; such a weird moment in the movie. Demons are freaky enough by themselves; why bother to take human form? Not that they can fully; there’s always a big flaw when they do (usually in the eyes).
• Objects turning on by themselves; often dangerous ones happen like stoves.
• I’m not going to pretend demonic influence and demonic possession (which are completely different things) cannot push someone to suicide or to murder another person. It could happen and I’ve seen at least one mugshot of a possessed person, but it is rare and difficult to prove. I don’t think “demonic possession” is ever a good reason in court because of how rare it is.
• Patrick Wilson’s Ed Warren has a point: at that moment in time, Arne wasn’t possessed if he could read the Bible but it doesn’t mean he never was. Reading the Bible out loud is a pretty good test because of the demonic’s aversion to Christian items.
• The waterbed scene is a good example of how a demon could either grab one when they weren’t expecting it or put forth the illusion that it had happened when there was no evidence of the bed bursting. Right after this scene is when nothing accurate happens for the rest of the movie.
• It isn’t inconceivable that dark magic could have been done in a place that could draw a demon (by dark, I mean magic that is designed to take or hurt others, also known as black magic). Curses are real.
• I’m not a fan of the blatant use of Satanic Panic in the movie; yes, there are types of dark magic that use demons, but there’s been no real evidence that ‘Satanists’ were the culprit. Satanic Panic was so widespread that the FBI investigated the ritualistic abuse claims and found nothing. Most Satanists do not believe in the hurting of others.
• The corpse being animated is a good illusion, but not something that happens in reality with demons. There needs to be life to be able to possess it otherwise dolls would be walking around.
• Destroying an altar is not going to get rid of a curse; that sounds like an easy movie solution to the problem at hand. It also won’t get rid of a demon. The “Satanist’s” death was really weird/fictional, too; not to say that promising something to a demon is not something they will collect. They totally will, but probably not quite like that.
• I didn’t get a particularly strong reaction from the recordings at the end of the David Glatzel case so I’m disinclined to call it demonic (this doesn’t mean it isn’t); it could be that it isn’t a particularly powerful one or that the equipment didn’t pick it up very well. The voices of the other people in the room sounded a bit stilted, like they were acting, but I wasn’t there when it happened. Can’t comment.

Check-In

Have you seen all the movies in the Conjuring Universe franchise? (Whether it be the three main ones examined here or the “spin-offs,” such as all the Annabelle movies?)

Guest Contributor Info

Victoria Jaye is a supernatural folklorist who specializes in the demonic. She graduated from USU with a Master’s in folklore; her thesis was a classification system of demonic phenomena organized by the senses. Her interests include demons, folklore/mythology, and horror movies. Visit her at demonfolklorist.com.