Warner Bros.
The Conjuring unnerved plenty of viewers and kickstarted a horror franchise thanks to the commercial and critical success it was greeted with upon its release in 2013, and the owner of the home that inspired the movie now claims she was contacted by a spirit that haunts it before deciding to fire an employee the ghost accused of stealing.
The home that paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) are dispatched to in The Conjuring is located in North Carolina, but the story the movie is based on unfolded at The Old Arnold Estate, a colonial homestead that was built in Burrillville, Rhode Island in 1736.
If the Warrens are to be believed (which is a big “if” based on the accusations of fraud they found themselves facing during their careers), The Old Arnold Estate was haunted by a number of spirits that led to the Perron family contacting the couple in the early 1970s after moving into the home—including one that supposedly possessed one of their children when Lorraine held a seance.
The location commonly referred to as “The Conjuring House” is currently owned by Jacqueline Nuñez, who purchased it from another pair of paranormal investigators who oversaw the property before selling it to her for $1.525 million in 2022.
Nuñez continues to operate the home as a tourist attraction, and it sounds like it still has a ghost problem based on a recent development that led to her deciding to part ways with an employee she says she was informed was stealing from a former—and deceased—resident of the house.
According to WPRI, Brian Dansereau was working for Nuñez at The Conjuring House until he was let go in July when she accused him of stealing $3,000 after purportedly receiving a message from John Arnold, who lived in the home with his wife Abigail in the 1800s.
Nuñez—who the outlet fashions as a “self-described medium and channel”—didn’t dispute that account and hinted it wasn’t the only tip she’d received from the beyond, saying she’s also been made aware of “other matters that are untoward from previous staff and even mischievous guests” courtesy of the spirits that call The Old Arnold Estate home.
Dansereau has filed a complaint with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training in the hope of getting $9,000 in pay he says he’s still owed, while Nuñez hinted she may pursue legal action while accusing him of making defamatory statements designed to hurt the business she continues to operate.