Ed Warren
Encyclopedia
Ed and Lorraine Warren are American paranormal
investigators
and authors associated with prominent cases of hauntings.
, author, lecturer, World War II
US Navy veteran
, and former police officer
. Lorraine Warren, née Lorraine Rita Moran (January 31, 1927 – ), his wife, is a professed clairvoyant and a light trance medium
who worked closely with her husband.
The Warrens founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in 1952 and later opened the Occult Museum. They are the authors of numerous books about the paranormal and their own private investigations into various hauntings. They claimed to have investigated over 10,000 hauntings during their career. The Warrens were among the very first investigators in the controversial Amityville haunting
.
The Warrens were responsible for training several current paranormal investigating demonologists including Dave Considine
, Lou Gentile, and their nephew John Zaffis
.
Lorraine Warren told a reporter for The Express-Times newspaper that the Amityville Horror was not a hoax. The reported haunting was the basis for the 1977 book The Amityville Horror and 1979 and 2005 movies of the same name.
reported their home was disturbed by various supernatural phenomena, including sounds, smells and apparitions. The Warrens became involved and claimed that the Smurl home was occupied by three spirits and also a demon that Jack and Janet Smurl alleged they were sexually assaulted by.
Horror author Ray Garton
who wrote an account of the alleged haunting of the Snedeker family in Southington, Connecticut
later repudiated his book, saying, “The family involved, which was going through some serious problems like alcoholism and drug addiction, could not keep their story straight, and I became very frustrated; it’s hard writing a non-fiction book when all the people involved are telling you different stories”.
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
investigators
Ghost hunting
Ghost Hunting is the process of investigating locations that are reported to be haunted by ghosts.Typically, a ghost hunting team will attempt to collect evidence claimed to be supportive of paranormal activity...
and authors associated with prominent cases of hauntings.
Background
Edward Warren Miney (September 7, 1926 – August 23, 2006) was a noted demonologistDemonology
Demonology is the systematic study of demons or beliefs about demons. It is the branch of theology relating to superhuman beings who are not gods. It deals both with benevolent beings that have no circle of worshippers or so limited a circle as to be below the rank of gods, and with malevolent...
, author, lecturer, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
US Navy veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
, and former police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
. Lorraine Warren, née Lorraine Rita Moran (January 31, 1927 – ), his wife, is a professed clairvoyant and a light trance medium
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
who worked closely with her husband.
The Warrens founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in 1952 and later opened the Occult Museum. They are the authors of numerous books about the paranormal and their own private investigations into various hauntings. They claimed to have investigated over 10,000 hauntings during their career. The Warrens were among the very first investigators in the controversial Amityville haunting
The Amityville Horror
The Amityville Horror: A True Story is a book by Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released between 1979 and 2005...
.
The Warrens were responsible for training several current paranormal investigating demonologists including Dave Considine
Dave Considine
Dave Considine is one of a small number of lay religious demonologists and is also a paranormal researcher based in Connecticut.-Early life:At the age of twelve, Considine believes he had a terrifying supernatural experience by seeing a ghost which altered the course of his life...
, Lou Gentile, and their nephew John Zaffis
John Zaffis
John Zaffis is a paranormal researcher born and based in Connecticut, United States. He runs the Paranormal and Demonology Research Society of New England, which he founded in 1998.-Personal life:...
.
Amityville
The Warrens are well known for their involvement in the Amityville Horror case in which New York couple George and Kathy Lutz claimed that their house was haunted by a violent, demonic presence so intense that it eventually drove them out of their home. "The Amityville Horror Conspiracy" authors Stephen and Roxanne Kaplan characterized the case as a "hoax".Lorraine Warren told a reporter for The Express-Times newspaper that the Amityville Horror was not a hoax. The reported haunting was the basis for the 1977 book The Amityville Horror and 1979 and 2005 movies of the same name.
Demon murder
In 1981, Arne Johnson was accused of killing his landlord, Alan Bono. Ed and Lorraine Warren had been called prior to the killing to deal with the alleged demonic possession of Mr. Johnson's fiancee's younger brother. The Warrens subsequently claimed that Mr. Johnson was also possessed. At trial, Mr. Johnson attempted to plead Not Guilty by Reason of Demonic Possession. The case was described in a book, The Devil in Connecticut by Gerald Brittle (ISBN 0-553-23714-4).Werewolf
The Warrens claim to have exorcised a "werewolf demon" in 1983. The subject of the case, Bill Ramsey, had bitten several people, believing himself to be a wolf. The events surrounding this case were later described in a 1991 book written by the Warrens: Werewolf: A True Story of Demonic Possession (ISBN 0-312-92864-5).Smurl family
Pennsylvania residents Jack and Janet SmurlSmurl haunting
The Smurl haunting refers to claims made by Jack and Janet Smurl of West Pittston, Pennsylvania who alleged that a demon inhabited their home between 1974 and 1989...
reported their home was disturbed by various supernatural phenomena, including sounds, smells and apparitions. The Warrens became involved and claimed that the Smurl home was occupied by three spirits and also a demon that Jack and Janet Smurl alleged they were sexually assaulted by.
Criticisms
The Warrens' most famous case, the Amityville Horror, has been refuted by eyewitnesses, investigations and forensic evidence. Lawyer William Weber said that he, Jay Anson and the occupants invented the horror story "over many bottles of wine."Horror author Ray Garton
Ray Garton
Ray Garton is an American author, well known for his work in horror fiction. He has written over sixty books, and in 2006 was presented with the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award.-Novels:...
who wrote an account of the alleged haunting of the Snedeker family in Southington, Connecticut
Southington, Connecticut
Southington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of Connecticut's 1st congressional district. It is situated about 20 miles southwest of Hartford, about 80 miles northeast of New York City, 105 miles southwest of Boston and 77 miles west of Providence...
later repudiated his book, saying, “The family involved, which was going through some serious problems like alcoholism and drug addiction, could not keep their story straight, and I became very frustrated; it’s hard writing a non-fiction book when all the people involved are telling you different stories”.
New England Society for Psychic Research
The New England Society for Psychic Research was founded in 1952. According to the Warrens, the N.E.S.P.R. utilizes a variety of individuals, including medical doctors, researchers, police officers, nurses, college students and members of the clergy.Media appearances
- Lorraine was featured in several episodes of the Discovery series A HauntingA HauntingA Haunting is an American paranormal docudrama anthology television series that originally aired from October 28, 2005 to November 9, 2007 on the Discovery Channel. The program features narrations, interviews, and dramatic re-enactments based on various accounts of paranormal experiences at...
, in which she discusses some of the cases the pair worked on as paranormal investigatorsParanormal InvestigatorsParanormal Investigators could refer to one of several things:* Paranormal Investigators, a television series broadcast by C31 Melbourne, Australia* Paranormal Investigators, a 2010 horror filmSee also:...
. - She has also appeared on "Paranormal State" where she acted as a guest investigator.
- They both appeared on Scariest places on Earth.
- Lorraine was featured on an episode of a show called "MTV's Fear"
Books
Ed and Lorraine Warren wrote or featured in a number of non-fiction books, including:- The Amityville Horror, a True Story by Jay Anson (Prentice Hall, 1977)
- The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren by Gerald Brittle (Berkley Books, 1980)
- The Devil in Connecticut by Gerald Brittle (Bantam Books, 1983) ISBN 0-553-23714-4
- The Haunted: The True Story of One Family's Nightmare by Robert Curran with Jack Smurl and Janet Smurl and Ed and Lorraine Warren (St. Martin's Press, 1988) ISBN 0-312-01440-6
- Ghost Hunters: True Stories From the World's Most Famous Demonologists by Ed Warren (St. Martin's Press, 1989) ISBN 0-312-03353-2
- Satan's Harvest by Michael Lasalandra and Mark Merenda with Maurice and Nancy Theriault and Ed and Lorraine Warren (Dell, 1990) ISBN 0-440-20589-1
- Werewolf: A True Story of Demonic Possession by Ed Warren (St. Martin's Press, 1991) ISBN 0-312-06493-4
- Graveyard: True Hauntings from an Old New England Cemetery by Ed Warren (St Martins Press, 1992) ISBN 0-312-08202-9
- In A Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting by Ray Garton (Villard, 1992) ISBN 0-394-58902-5
External links
- Official Website
- Article Detailing the Recent Danbury Court Case
- Hunting the Ghost Hunters: An Investigation of Ed and Lorraine Warren - Perry DeAngelis and Steven NovellaSteven NovellaSteven P. Novella is an American clinical neurologist, assistant professor and Director of General Neurology at Yale University School of Medicine...
- The Demonologist Page on the Warrens - Contains brief biographical information
- Internet Movie Database - Entry for Ed Warren
- JREF reprint of Ray Garton letter - Ray Garton Letter refuting the Warrens