How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Conjuring's Version of the Warrens

"There have been more egregious Hollywood glow-ups than that of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring movies, but how many of those have also been so insidiously appealing? I'm not talking about appearances, though it's true that Ed and Lorraine, who died in 2006 and 2019 respectively, resembled a car-dealership owner and a school secretary a lot more than they did golden boy Patrick Wilson and doelike Vera Farmiga, the stars who play them."

"What the Conjurings have done is more perverse than the standard prettying up. They've transformed self-promotional grifters into the horror genre's most wholesome heroes, engaging in spiritual warfare on behalf of the supernaturally tormented, often at great risk to themselves. More importantly, they've made the strength of the Warrens' marriage, from the characters' obvious love for one another to all the unspoken ways they affirm the depth of their connection, as core to the films as any demonic forces."

"While the actual Warrens were alleged to have moved a teenage girl named Judith Penney into their home to maintain a sexual relationship with Ed, with Lorraine's knowledge, their movie equivalents are poster children for traditional (monogamous) domestic bliss, mutually supportive, trusting, and tender. They're everyone's ghostbusting mom and dad, and I've hated how much I've liked them - until now."

The Conjuring franchise reimagines Ed and Lorraine Warren as wholesome, devoted paranormal investigators and marital exemplars, despite historical allegations against them. The films beautify and moralize the Warrens, turning self-promotional figures into heroic spiritual warriors who risk their safety to help the supernaturally tormented. The cinematic portrayal emphasizes the Warrens' loving, mutually supportive marriage as central to the narrative. Real-life allegations of misconduct, including claims involving a teenage girl, contrast sharply with the films' depiction of monogamous domestic bliss. The latest installment, The Conjuring: Last Rites, pushes the rebranding toward camp while reinforcing the franchise's sanitized mythology.

Read at Vulture