When The Conjuring hit theaters in July 2013, the current owners of the actual Rhode Island home depicted in the film (different from the one in the photo above) complained about fans trespassing on their property. Two years later, the couple is still experiencing unwanted guests and have decided to file a lawsuit against Warner Bros.
Though fences were built around the property and “No Trespassing” signs were put up, they haven’t been able to deter nosy visitors. “Ever since the movie came out, we’ve been harassed, trespassed, stalked, and besieged,” homeowner Norma Sutcliffe told the Boston Globe (via Uproxx). “Last Saturday, I called police at 3:30 a.m. because there was a whole group of them outside the house. It’s horrendous.” Sutcliffe and her partner, Gerry Helfrich, are seeking monetary compensation for damages along with the installation of a security system and a security plan.
The film was inspired by the story of the Perron family who was allegedly tormented by ghosts after moving into a colonial farmhouse in the early ‘70s. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga portrayed Ed and Lorraine Warren, a real-life, paranormal investigating, married couple who took on the family’s case. Sutcliffe had not been made aware of the film until it was already in production.
Though Sutcliffe now claims the house is not haunted, there is past evidence of her having more than a few strange experiences that warranted visits from outside experts. In 2005, both Sutcliffe and the farmhouse had appeared on an episode of Syfy’s “Ghost Hunters.” Several months before The Conjuring was released, she spoke with Andrea Perron, one of the members of the Perron family who lived through the hauntings. In a video, she described strange things she saw happen in the home.
A publicist for Warner Bros. told CBS News the studio has not yet seen the lawsuit.
Contact the author at marie.lodi@jezebel.com.
Image via Warner Bros.