The real Conjuring house in Rhode Island and its 300-year history

Now that the Rhode Island house that inspired 'The Conjuring' movie has new owners to haunt, we take a closer look at its dark, spine-chilling history.

Ioana Neamt
11 Min Read
Photo credit: Blueflash Photography/Mott & Chace/Sotheby’s International Realty

While million-dollar homes throughout the country add never-ending lists of amenities to attract buyers, a modest farmhouse in Rhode Island is banking big on its terrifying history.

The house that inspired the Conjuring movie franchise has traded hands in 2022 — commanding an impressive $1.525 million sale price.

Located in a remote part of Harrisville, a town about 40 miles northwest of Providence, Rhode Island, the Conjuring house was listed for sale back in October 2021 for $1.2 million.

But despite its bone-chilling history of hauntings, remote location, and outdated interiors, it attracted 10 offers from interested buyers, shooting the price up to $1,525,000 (27% over the asking price).

aerial view of the real conjuring house
Aerial view of the house that inspired The Conjuring. Photo credit: Photo credit: Blueflash Photography/Mott & Chace/Sotheby’s International Realty

The buyer is a Boston real estate developer, Jacqueline Nuñez, who bought the roughly 3,000-square-foot home from couple Jenn and Cory Heinzen.

The Heinzen family made quite a profit from the sale; they only paid $439,000 for the property back in 2019. But things were far from ‘normal’ during their stay here.

The previous owners bought the house in 2019 and opened it to the public, despite their own accounts of hauntings taking place here

When Cory and Jennifer Heinzen bought the notorious Rhode Island house that inspired the horror movie ‘The Conjuring,’ they knew exactly what they were getting into.

They’d always been fascinated with the supernatural, and they knew the sordid history of their new home when they moved in during the summer of 2019.

So the couple wasn’t exactly surprised when strange things started happening around the house.

The couple purchased the 1736-built Rhode Island home in June 2019, around the same time that ‘The Conjuring 3’ entered production. Coincidence? We think not.

For a short while, the couple got to enjoy the three bedrooms and four fireplaces by themselves — well, that’s if you don’t count all the ghosts.

fireplace inside The Conjuring house
Inside the real Conjuring house. Photo credit: Blueflash Photography/Mott & Chace/Sotheby’s International Realty
living room inside the real conjuring house.
Inside the real Conjuring house in Rhode Island. Photo credit: Blueflash Photography/Mott & Chace/Sotheby’s International Realty

But their enjoyment was short-lived. The couple reported strange occurrences, like doors opening and closing on their own, weird voices, random knocking, and electronic voice phenomena.

In their generousness, the Heinzens thought they’d share the strange happenings with fans of The Conjuring movies and opened the house to the public.

For horror movie buffs like ourselves, the chance to set foot in a reportedly haunted house that inspired one of the best-known series in the horror genre can be quite the experience.

But even thrill seekers might find it to be a bit too much to bear.

Boston Globe reporter Amanda Milkovits had a sleepover with her sister at the house in October 2020, and she summed up the experience in one straightforward sentence: “I’m glad it was just one night.”

study inside the real conjuring house
Inside the real Conjuring house. Photo credit: Blueflash Photography/Mott & Chace/Sotheby’s International Realty

The Discovery Channel hosted a two-hour Halloween special in 2019 as part of Travel Channel’s ‘Ghostober’ event. The lead paranormal investigator, Zak Bagans, told People Magazine that the house made him sick, and he only recovered from the experience three weeks later.

Clearly, this house is not for the faint of heart.

So if you’d like to avoid any ghostly encounters but still dive into the terrifying history of the real Conjuring house, you should check out the 2020 documentary, Devil’s Road: The True Story of Ed and Lorraine Warren.

It features interviews and archive footage of the real-life investigators The Conjuring was based on. That might keep you occupied for a bit until another movie comes out.

The bone-chilling 300-year history of the real Conjuring house

Those of you who’ve watched movies from The Conjuring series may already know that the house in the movies is not the actual house in Harrisville.

But it does owe its story to the Rhode Island farmhouse.

The house at 1677 Round Top Rd, in Burrillville, Rhode Island served as the inspiration for the movies, which were based on events that took place here during the 1970s.

Sitting on an eight-and-a-half-acre property, the farmhouse was built in 1736 and has had many names over the years, including the Dexter Richardson House, the Old Arnold Estate, and Old Brook Farm.

Nowadays, we just call it the Conjuring house.

Back in the 1970s, the creepy-looking house was owned by Carolyn and Roger Perron, who lived there until 1981 with their five daughters.

exterior of the Conjuring house in Rhode Island.
Exterior of The Conjuring house in Rhode Island. Photo credit: Blueflash Photography/Mott & Chace/Sotheby’s International Realty

The family experienced all kinds of weird, inexplicable things while they lived in the house, and they eventually moved out in the early 1980s.

While living in the house, Carolyn allegedly became possessed by a supernatural spirit, which prompted the involvement of Ed and Lorraine Warren, renowned paranormal investigators at the time.

The filmmakers of the first Conjuring movie actually consulted with Lorraine Warren several times during production, to ensure that they had all the details down to a tee.

The Conjuring movie universe

The first movie premiered in 2013 and was widely acclaimed for its top-notch acting by Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, and Lili Taylor, and for its eerie atmosphere.

The movie did not, however, get a good review from the house’s owners at the time, Norma Sutcliffe and Gerald Helfrich.

They actually sued the filmmakers because the movie prompted fans to constantly vandalize their property.

movie poster for the original The Conjuring, in 2013
The Conjuring (2013) Movie Poster – via Warner Brothers

Despite the backlash from the former house owners, The Conjuring became a fan favorite – we might go as far as to say it’s become a cult classic.

The success of the movie led to a sequel; The Conjuring 2 was released in 2016, with Farmiga and Wilson making a comeback.

movie poster for The Conjuring 2
The Conjuring 2 (2016) Movie Poster- via Warner Brothers

But that wasn’t the end of the Conjuring journey.

There have been several spin-offs inspired by characters and villains in the Conjuring universe, including The Nun and the Annabelle series.

But more importantly, a third Conjuring movie came out in June 2021.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It saw Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles as paranormal investigators in a new storyline based on the 1981 trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson — the first court case in the U.S. where the defense sought innocence based on the claim of demonic possession.

The case became known as the ‘devil made me do it’ case, which inspired the title of the movie.

Soon enough, we’re going to see our favorite ghost-hunting couple in action again soon, as a 4th Conjuring movie is officially in the works.

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick will pen the script with James Wan and Peter Safran, rounding up the filmmaking team behind every film in the ‘Conjuring’ Universe to produce the latest horror thriller in the series.

Hopefully, the Conjuring house in Rhode Island will never again provide source material for the filmmakers.

More horror movie & TV homes

Is it Real? The Mansion in ‘American Horror Story: Murder House’
The Creepy Mansion in ‘The Haunting of Hill House’
The Exorcist House, Fact vs Fiction
Behind the Evil Eyes: The (Real) Story of the Amityville House

Frequently asked questions

Where is the real Conjuring house?

The Conjuring is located at 1677 Round Top Rd, in Burrillville, Rhode Island. Burrillville is a town in Providence County, RI with a population of fewer than 20,000 residents.

Who owns it now?

The Rhode Island home is owned by Jacqueline Nuñez, a Boston real estate developer who bought it in 2022 from couple Jenn and Cory Heinzen. She paid $1,525,000 for the modest farmhouse built in 1736.

Can you visit the Conjuring house?

Yes, the famous haunted house is open to the public, offering day tours, planned experiences, and private events. There’s even a dedicated website where you can book events and visits to experience paranormal activity on-site.

Was The Conjuring filmed at the real house?

No, none of the movies in The Conjuring franchise have been filmed in the Rhode Island house that spawned the series. The first movie was filmed in a replica built in North Carolina that suffered flood damage during Hurricane Matthew (2016) and on a sound stage.

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Experienced writer with a background in real estate and a fondness for soaring skyscrapers and Victorian-style mansions. With past bylines in several industry publications, including CPExecutive, MHN.com, and CommercialCafe, Ioana has now transitioned into a digital marketing role, leading the content efforts for SRD Media and real estate marketing firm #Markethink.