The infamous “Conjuring House” in Rhode Island is well-known for its dark history of harboring demons and ghosts, some of which possessed the family that used to live there, the Perrons. Since 2019, thousands have visited this haunted house to determine if all the stories are true – including paranormal investigators Sam and Colby – and I’ve decided to take it upon myself to see if it is what they claim.
Located in Harrisville, Rhode Island, the hauntings of the Perron’s home were made famous when the 2013 movie The Conjuring hit theaters, depicting the events that happened in the 70s. Dating back to the 1700s, the spirits of native tribes are trapped on this 8.5-acre property, alongside unknown soldiers, Abigail Arnold, and claimed “demons”.
The Perrons experienced misplaced items, horrid smells and filth, and shaking beds; which eventually led to the possessions of the mom, Carolyn, and the youngest daughter Christine.
Before visiting the house in early April, I had to watch multiple videos on the subject. Youtubers and paranormal investigators Sam and Colby have visited the house three times in separate years, and have created a series out of it. The first times at the home they experienced being locked in the basement, hearing thuds, and capturing a child’s apparition on a thermal camera.
Their most recent visit premiered in theaters around the U.S. and grabbed the attention of more than 59 million views from a week’s stay at the house. This time they experienced clear communication with spirits at the home with the help of Cody and Satori Hawes (two workers of the house), mimics of each other’s voices, and doors opening as well as objects falling.
After my visit, I can say I’m not convinced. The extended tour was 1.5 hours (the regular one is only an hour) of which our tour guides gave us some unheard history of the house and the families before it, debunking some of the ideas presented in the films, as well as what events took place in each room.
At the end of the tour, we gathered in the “seance room’ where Carolynn Perron was lifted off the ground and thrown into the wall by the fireplace in the next room. In the dark, the guides then planted REM Pods around our group, in the reading room next to us, and by the basement door. The devices went off once in the beginning like something was grabbing them, and it beeped throughout our investigation, indicating a temperature change of more than 10 degrees. We switched on a spirit box that looked like a small radio that we listened to as we asked questions, attempting to hear answers, some could make out certain names and yes or no.
Finally, we held dowsing rods that spirits can manipulate based on the magnetic energy: pointing them in a certain direction, crossing them for yes, uncrossing for no. To conclude, we were given roughly 20-30 minutes to explore the property, visit the giftshop, and try to “communicate” with the spirits.
Overall nothing crazy happened. Besides the REM Pods and the dowsing rods (which I was skeptical about but there’s no way to fake it), there was a slight knock that most of the group heard. I believe that one would capture more after spending an extended amount of time there, which you can book overnight (7 pm to 8 am).
