Taking place in Harrisville, Rhode Island, in 1971,The Conjuringcenters on the Perron family as they move into a new home in the country and face unimaginable terrors by the movie’s ending. As the children and their mother, Carolyn (Lili Taylor), begin to experience signs of demonic disturbances, she calls upon paranormal investigatorsEd and Lorraine Warren(played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) for help.Eventually, Carolyn is completely overtaken by an evil spirit known as Bathsheba, who was once a devil-worshipping witch who cursed anyone trying to take her land.
Directed by James Wan and written by Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes, the movie is well-known for launching one of cinema’s biggest modern horror franchises,The Conjuring Universe.The end of the horror film revolves around a scary and suspenseful exorcismas a possessed Carolyn attempts to murder her two youngest kids. Ed and Lorraine, with some assistance, manage to help the matriarch rid herself of Bathsheba and save the family from certain doom. As the Warrens return home to their daughter Judy, it’s clear this is only the beginning of the family’s story.
The Conjuring Universe Movies In Order
The Conjuring Universe includes offshoots like the Annabelle series, The Nun, and The Curse of La Llorona - but what is the best viewing order?
Why Did Annabelle Appear To Judy In The Conjuring Ending?
Annabelle the doll has a long history connected to demonic possession
At the beginning of the film, the Warrens meet with a trio of young adults needing assistance with a possesseddoll named Annabelle. The paranormal investigators explain, however, that Annabelle was never possessed;the doll was a conduit for a demonic entity. This moment is called back on when young Judy Warren finds herself locked in a dark room with Annabelle sitting on a woman’s lap in a rocking chair. The demon terrorizing the Perrons has now latched onto the Warrens and is targeting their daughter. Annabelle being used by another demon suggests how touched by evil the doll is.
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Annabelle Comes Home
Fans ofThe Conjuring Universehave learned from multiple films that Annabelle is not an ordinary object being manipulated by spirits and demons. The Warrens had an entire room housing allegedly haunted items, yet the evil spiritBathsheba inThe Conjuringchooses Annabelle to scare Judy. The story of Annabelle all started with a young dead girl and a demon tricking her grieving parents. Dark spirits have been attracted to the doll as a conduit before, and death usually follows it. Besides being a good way to scare the audience, Annabelle is a tainted vessel able to channel these entities.
Why Christine And April Were Chosen As The Sacrifice At The End Of The Conjuring
The dark spirit possessing Carolyn follows a similar plan for every mother she possesses
Christine and April are the youngest of the Perron family. April is seemingly more sensitive to the spirits of the house than the rest of the family, as she is able to see and befriend the ghost of Rory, a boy who was murdered by his mother years prior. Despite the daughters all experiencing the demon’s presence in the house at one point or another, Christine and April seem to be targeted heavily during the movie. When a fully possessed Carolyn takes the two girls back to the Perron home to kill them, itharkens back to Bathsheba’s M.O.
The movie establishes the evil spirit’s pattern of possessing mothers and forcing them to kill their young children. This all stems from when the witch cursed anyone attempting to take her land before she took her own life. The murdered kids have all been very young, implying the witch’s demonic spirit prefers younger sacrifices (considering she killed her baby at only a few days old). With this being Bathsheba’s preference for punishing those who dared move onto what was once her land,it makes sense that Carolyn selected Christine and April to be sacrificed.
How Carolyn Was Able To Defeat The Demon In The Conjuring
The Warrens' attempted exorcism is not what finally frees Carolyn of the possession
Ed screams at Bathsheba that he condemns her back to Hell. Still, it’s not until Lorraine encourages Carolyn to fight the entity from the inside, reminding her of the family day at the beach and her love, that the mother is able to rid herself of the possession.The presence of faith is a core theme ofThe Conjuringmovies, especially because of the Warrens' strong belief system. However, the movie takes the time to explore family bonds and relationships built on love in between the horror-filled moments, setting up the way the ending plays out.
Those feelings, in addition to how hard she was willing to fight back to prevent herself from killing April, were all rooted in her love for her children.
One example is the conversation between Lorraine and Carolyn about the photothe Perron family took at the beach. It was a perfect day for the loving family and the specific moment Lorraine brings up to Carolyn when she’s trying to help her break free from Bathsheba. What made the day so special was not only how happy they all were, but a memory of love and joy Carolyn cherishes. Those feelings, in addition to how hard she was willing to fight back to prevent herself from killing April, were all rooted in her love for her children.
The Conjuring Ending Launched The Franchise’s Expansive Universe
The Warrens' museum promised there were more stories to tell
The Conjuringwas a smash hit at the box office, earning more than $300 million worldwide from a budget of $20 million (viaThe Numbers). Wan, who had already helped launch two massively successful horror films and budding franchises —SawandInsidious— was ostensibly eager to turnThe Conjuringinto its own world of terrifying storytelling. To date,The Conjuring UniverseincludesThe Conjuring 2,The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,Annabelle,Annabelle: Creation,Annabelle Comes Home,The Nun,The Nun 2, andThe Curse of La Llorona.
The movie not only introduced the fan-favorite Annabelle doll, but the end also teased the vast, frightening world that would be possible to explore in future installments. The final sequence is set in the Warrens' occult museum of cursed items that were all allegedly linked to various hauntings and possessions. By the time the credits roll, there is a feeling thatthe story of the Warrens is nowhere near over, and there will be more trinkets to add to the haunted gallery.
The Real Meaning Of The Conjuring Ending
Facing your demons as a team always yields better results
Beyond the scares,the true meaning ofThe Conjuringending is about sticking together and not facing your demons alone. An ongoing storyline throughout the movie is about Lorraine getting her footing back after experiencing a terrifying premonition during a previous exorcism and Ed protectively trying to remove her from the danger. Lorraine rejects his wishes, determined to face Bathsheba and save Carolyn as partners. When the Warrens team up and work together, they are at their strongest and able to defeat the worst of the worst.
Themes of love and faith stand out strongly inThe Conjuringand the franchise. In each installment, however,the deeper meaning is framed around a sense of community. The protagonists never go up against the evil alone. At the end ofThe Conjuring, the Warrens are able to take down Bathsheba with the help of members of the Perron family, along with their friends Drew and Brad — they each play a part, whether assisting with the exorcism or taking care of the kids. This theme carries on in the rest ofThe Conjuring Universe.
The Conjuring
Cast
Based on the real-life case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring chronicles the haunting of the Perron family after moving into a Rhode Island farmhouse. The film went on to kickstart the Conjuring franchise, a series of supernatural horror films.
