Aside from being an exceptionally well-crafted (and therefore effective) haunted-house tale, the fun thing about James Wan’s 2013 horror hit The Conjuring was its connection to the real-life exploits of famed New England ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren. As with The Amityville Horror before it, after the movie ended the real fright freaks could creep themselves out all over again investigating the “true” (whatever that means) story behind the events depicted in the film.
Now the first full trailer for The Conjuring 2 promises an equally juicy backstory for armchair paranormal investigators. Wan’s sequel crosses the Atlantic from Rhode Island to Enfield, England, where in 1977 two preteen sisters appeared to become the conduit for a malevolent presence now known as “The Enfield Poltergeist.” Touted in the trailer as “the most documented case in paranormal history,” the case has been the subject of several British TV documentaries, as well as decades of debate over whether a series of photographs of the girls taken by investigators show an innocent victim being thrown around by a powerful spirit, or an attention-starved teenager jumping out of bed for the cameras.
Expect The Conjuring 2 to advocate for the former when it hits theaters on June 10.