The Conjuring (franchise)

The Conjuring is a series of American horror films created by Chad Hayes and Carey Hayes, as screenwriters, and distributed by the New Line Cinema division of Warner Bros. Pictures. The franchise surrounds the real life cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent yet controversial cases of haunting. The main series follows their attempts to assist people who find themselves possessed by demonic spirits, while the spin-off films focus on the origins of some of the entities the Warrens have come across.

The franchise currently consists of two films in the main series, The Conjuring (2013) and The Conjuring 2 (2016), both directed by James Wan, produced by Peter Safran and co-written by Chad and Carey Hayes. The installments revolve around two of the many famous paranormal cases the Warrens have been a part of, with the first film depicting the case of the Perron family, who are experiencing disturbing events in their newly acquired house in Rhode Island, and the second entry focusing on the controversial case of the Enfield Poltergeist while briefly referencing the events that inspired The Amityville Horror.

The franchise also consists of one spin-off film, Annabelle (2014), directed by The Conjuring cinematographer John R. Leonetti and produced by Safran and Wan, which developed the origins of the doll of the same name before the Warrens came into contact with it at the start of the first film. A sequel, Annabelle 2, is set for release on May 19, 2017. A further spin-off film, The Nun, is currently in development, based on a character introduced in The Conjuring 2, and a third film in the main series has been discussed as a possibility.^[1][2]

The two Conjuring films were met with generally positive reviews by both critics and horror fans, earning praise for Wan's directing and main cast performances, particularly Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga's on-screen chemistry as Ed and Lorraine. Critics also acknowledged the impact the films have had on popular culture as well as in the production of modern horror films. The first entry in the Annabelle film series received more mixed to negative reviews, being considered by many, mainly fans of the first picture, as an inferior film to its forerunner. The two main films and its spin-off have proven themselves to be successful at the box office, having combined earnings near the amount of $900 million worldwide, against a combined budget of $66.5 million,^[3] making it the third highest-grossing horror franchise in history,^[4][5] and one of the most critically acclaimed.

Development

Development began over 20 years prior to the first film's debut, when Ed Warren played a tape of Lorraine's original interview with Carolyn Perron for producer Tony DeRosa-Grund.^[6] DeRosa-Grund made a recording of Warren playing back the tape and of their subsequent discussion. At the end of the tape, Warren said to DeRosa-Grund, "If we can't make this into a film I don't know what we can." DeRosa-Grund then described his vision of the film for Ed.^[7]

DeRosa-Grund wrote the original treatment and titled the project The Conjuring.^[8] For nearly 14 years, he tried to get the film made without any success. He originally landed a deal to make the film at Gold Circle Films, the production company behind The Haunting in Connecticut, but a contract could not be finalized and the deal was dropped.^[9]

DeRosa-Grund allied with producer Peter Safran, and sibling writers Chad and Carey Hayes were brought on board to refine the script.^[8] Using DeRosa-Grund's treatment and the Ed Warren tape, the Hayes brothers changed the story's point of view from the Perron family to that of the Warrens. The brothers interviewed Lorraine Warren many times over the phone to clarify details.^[10] By mid-2009, the property became the subject of a six-studio bidding war that landed the film at Summit Entertainment.^[11] However, DeRosa-Grund and Summit could not conclude the transaction and the film went into turnaround. DeRosa-Grund reconnected with New Line Cinema, who had lost in the original bidding war, and the studio ultimately picked up the film. On November 11, 2009, a deal was made between New Line and DeRosa-Grund's Evergreen Media Group.^[12]

The Conjuring series

The Conjuring (2013)

Theatrical release poster for The Conjuring

The horror film news website Bloody Disgusting confirmed Wan's directorial involvement with a film entitled The Warren Files. The film, later retitled The Conjuring, centred on the real life exploits of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a married couple that investigated paranormal events.^[13] The film focused on the couple's case in which they investigated a witch's curse on a farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island on 1971. In his second collaboration with Wan, Patrick Wilson starred alongside Vera Farmiga as married paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.^[14] Filming commenced in North Carolina in late February 2012.^[14] New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures had initially slated the film for release on January 25, 2013,^[15] but after a test screening at the IGN Theater in October 2012 received overwhelmingly positive feedback, the film was held for a summer bow. The Conjuring was released on July 19, 2013, to positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. The film was a box office success, earning $318 million worldwide over a bugdet of $20 million, becoming one of the most profitable horror films in recorded history.

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

Theatrical release poster for The Conjuring 2

In June 2013, it was reported that New Line Cinema was already developing a sequel,^[16] with both Farmiga and Wilson signed on to reprise their roles.^[17] The Conjuring 2 was originally scheduled to be released on October 23, 2015,^[18] but Warner Bros. moved the film's release date back to an unspecified 2016 release date.^[19] On October 21, it was announced that James Wan would return to direct the sequel and would make his first contribution as a writer in the franchise.^[20] On November 11, 2014, the film was set for a June 10, 2016 release.^[21] Principal photography began in September 2015 in Los Angeles, and concluded in December 2015 in London.^[22] The film focused on the Enfield Poltergeist case in London in 1977,^[23] while briefly referencing the events that inspired The Amityville Horror, and was released to positive reviews from both critics and audiences; some agreed that the film was vastly superior to other horror sequels, while others debated whether the film had surpassed its predecessor in quality. Proving to be similarly successful to the first entry in the series, the film became another profitable addition to the franchise, having earned $319.5 million worldwide from a budget of $40 million, and becoming the second highest-grossing horror film of all time, following The Exorcist.

Potential third film

Regarding a potential third installment in The Conjuring series, Wan stated, "There could be many more [Conjuring] movies because the Warrens have so many stories." Screenwriters Chad and Carey Hayes have also expressed interest in working on a story for another sequel.^[24] However, Wan stated that he may be unable to direct the film due to his commitments to other projects.^[25] He told Collider.com, "Assuming we are lucky enough to have a third chapter, there are other filmmakers that I would love to sort of continue on the Conjuring world, if we are lucky enough."^[26] Wan has also stated that, if a third film was to be made, it would ideally take place in the 1980s.^[27] Wan later stated that the sequel could include lycanthropy: "Maybe we can go and do it like a classic American Werewolf in London style. That would be awesome! The Warrens set against the backdrop of The Hound of Baskerville. That would be awesome."^[28]

Spin-off films

Annabelle series

Annabelle (2014)

Theatrical release poster for Annabelle

A spin-off film, focusing on the origins of the Annabelle doll that was introduced in The Conjuring, was shortly announced after the release of its forerunner, mainly due to the film's worldwide box office success, and positive reception towards the character. Production began in January 2014 in Los Angeles, California. The plot revolves around John and Mia Form, a married couple who's expecting a child, and, pleasing his wife's obsession with vintage dolls, encounters the doll of Annabelle and, one day, after a cult group breaks inside the house and gets murdered on the spot, leaving behind a vengeful spirit that possesses the then innocent Annabelle doll, summoning dreadful events that would later become the origin story of the infamous doll. The film was directed by The Conjuring cinematographer John R. Leonetti and produced by Safran and Wan, with Gary Dauberman behind the script.^[29] The film was released worldwide on October 3, 2014 to major commercial success, becoming the 14th most profitable horror film in North America, despite receiving mixed to negative reviews from critics and fans alike.^[18] Many critics found Annabelle to be an inferior film compared to The Conjuring.^[30]

Annabelle 2 (2017)

In October 2015, it was confirmed that an Annabelle sequel was in development.^[1] A release date was later set for May 19, 2017.^[31] David F. Sandberg replaced Leonetti as director in March 2016.^[32] Dauberman returned to write the script, with Safran and Wan returning to produce. Stephanie Sigman, Miranda Otto, Talitha Bateman, and Anthony LaPaglia will star in the film.^[33][34] The plot of the film centers on a dollmaker and his wife, whose daughter tragically died twenty years earlier, as they decide to open their home to a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage; the dollmaker's possessed creation Annabelle sets her sights on the children and turns their shelter into a storm of horror.^[35] Filming began in June 2016 in Los Angeles, California.^[36]

Other spin-offs

The Nun (TBA)

On June 15, 2016, it was reported that a spin-off film titled The Nun, featuring the "Demon Nun" character Valak from The Conjuring 2, was in development with The Conjuring 2 co-scribe David Leslie Johnson writing the script, and Wan and Safran set to produce the project.^[2]

Reception

Box office performance

Critical and public response

Lawsuit

Norma Sutcliffe and Gerald Helfrich, the current owners of the house on which The Conjuring was based, have sued Wan, Warner Bros. and other producers, on the grounds that their property was being constantly vandalized as a consequence of the film. Entertainment Weekly obtained documents in which the owners affirm various invasions and ratify that they have found numerous objects affiliated with satanic cults. The lawsuit also reveals that the current owners bought the house in 1987 and lived "in peace" until 2013. Both owners had been seeking for unspecified damages. When questioned, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. declined to comment on the issue.^[48]

References

External links

• The Conjuring at the Internet Movie Database
• The Conjuring 2 at the Internet Movie Database
• Annabelle at the Internet Movie Database
• Annabelle 2 at the Internet Movie Database
• The Nun at the Internet Movie Database