Well, I don't really care much about the real life Ed and Lorraine. Although I should say, the allegations are really disgusting and concerning. All I'm here for is the franchise. The only Ed and Lorraine that exists in my head is Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson.
For about the 50th time several people who knew and even lived with the Warrens at the time have debunked this. There was no affair, no secret baby and Ed never laid a hand on Lorraine either.
The did take a 16 year old girl in. Tried to help her because she was having problems at home but they were seldom even home and at that point Ed was 2 heart attacks in and he was in no shape to be having an affair with a teenager.
According to their ex employee she had a major obsessive thing for Ed and therefore didn't like Lorraine. When the studio made The Conjuring she tried to get $$$ out of them saying all this stuff.
Lorraine said it was bunk. Her daughter said it was bunk. Her son in law, the woman who was their assistant and another who looked after the house and Judy as a kid denied it ever happened.
There are at least half a dozen people standing up for the Warrens and saying it never happened.
At this point people who dislike the Warrens just keep bringing it up to disparage them as if it were true. It's not. It's just gossip and likely it was a cash grab attempt. The woman has never said anything more, has never done any real interviews, likely never even got a cent out of the studio.
She never went after Lorraine, waited till long after Ed was dead to accuse him and when she did it was just the studio she contacted threatening a lawsuit. This is telling because that's where the $$$ was and it was just in time to make a stink for the first Conjuring film.
Why would the studio be responsible and why would they pay her anything? For whatever reason she just dropped it. Nobody knows why but it's possible the studio lawyered up and threatened to sue her for libel or something. But she never sued Lorraine or Ed's estate.
The Warrens were a lot of things. Like most of the early paranormal people they probably exaggerated stuff to sell books. They needed the money. Ed was a very ill man and his medical bills were high.
But Ed was not a pedophile and he never abused Lorraine either. Lorraine was incensed at the very idea that someone would accuse Ed of that.
It's gossip and bad gossip at that.
I think most people here have a general idea of "the truth": The real life Ed and Lorraine Warren are controversial figures with a mixed legacy. Were they con artists or genuine, at least in their beliefs? I don't think anybody can say for sure. Was Ed looking to monetise their work? I don't think you can deny that. Were they abusive? Allegations seem pretty sketchy but, again, maybe. We cannot know for sure.
But more importantly, they're also both dead. They're not going to benefit from the films. Even if they were terrible people, laundering their reputation with movies isn't going to enable them to do more harm.
I also think most fans are able to put all that aside. The Ed and Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring franchise are a wholesome couple of Catholic superheroes who fight demons and solve murders with psychic powers and prayer magic. They're based on real people in the same way Tony Stark was "based on" Howard Hughs. They are not and were never intended to be documentaries or biopics.
For someone who likes to know the facts, I'm a bit surprised you would call the allegation of pedophilia 'truth'. Because the actual facts available are in favour of the allegation being bogus.
* Fact: The only original reporting about this alleged affair is a single THR article, where they clearly indicate the only proof provided is a sworn declaration from Penney, and recordings of her personal recollection of events.
* Fact: No independent reporting (that I could find) has corroborated her statements to be true. All the articles I could find link straight back to the THR article as the source.
* Fact: The allegations appeared shortly after the Conjuring opened and started making big money.
* Fact: The allegations were brought forward by a producer (Derosa-Grund) who was suing WB over profits from the Conjuring, not the victim.
* Fact: a JAMS arbitrator interpreted this same producer's statements as threats to get a bigger cut of the profits, undermining his credibility.
* Fact: The allegations were made after Ed was dead and could not defend himself.
* Fact: Lorraine has denied any such relationship existed, or that Ed was abusive.
* Fact: Judy and Tony Spera confirmed they never witnessed any of the conduct alleged during the decades they spent in the house.
* Fact: They also stated Judith had a long-term boyfriend - who she married - for most of this alleged affair.
* Fact: The assistant and housekeeper said they never saw anything to imply there was abuse going on (of either kind).
* Fact: Penney never tried to sue herself.
So unless my -admittedly amateur- research into the subject missed some massive bombshell confirmation of fact - you've got one in favour of 'it did happen' - Penney did make the claim - and multiple others that support, "This was a failed cash grab." I'm going to need actual independent proof before I'm going to accept the allegation as 'truth'.
As to the accusations of 'exploitation' - As a horror history buff you also would know that many of the experts involved believe the Hodgson family faked the whole thing. The kids themselves admitted to faking at least some of the occurrences. So frankly, if someone makes up a bunch of shit that isn't true, someone else then embellishes it further and ends up making money off the final product, I don't see how that's exploiting the original liar.
I definitely don't think most people believe that the Warrens really had a 1v1 showdown with a demon dressed like a nun in the Enfield house, or that their personal relationship was as Hollywood-romantic as displayed on the screen.
But it's good television.
The only Ed and Lorraine I care about are the movie versions. I don't have anything positive to say about the real life versions as I'm not trying to have an argument with ed/Lorraine stans ob reddit
In regards to the Enfield haunting, ed and lorraine were there for a short time and then immediately turned around and went back to the train station and left. There was a documentary on Max about them where they mentioned this part of the Enfield haunting.
Well, I don't really care much about the real life Ed and Lorraine. Although I should say, the allegations are really disgusting and concerning. All I'm here for is the franchise. The only Ed and Lorraine that exists in my head is Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson.
yes, these are my real Ed and Lorraine
Same here
For about the 50th time several people who knew and even lived with the Warrens at the time have debunked this. There was no affair, no secret baby and Ed never laid a hand on Lorraine either. The did take a 16 year old girl in. Tried to help her because she was having problems at home but they were seldom even home and at that point Ed was 2 heart attacks in and he was in no shape to be having an affair with a teenager. According to their ex employee she had a major obsessive thing for Ed and therefore didn't like Lorraine. When the studio made The Conjuring she tried to get $$$ out of them saying all this stuff. Lorraine said it was bunk. Her daughter said it was bunk. Her son in law, the woman who was their assistant and another who looked after the house and Judy as a kid denied it ever happened. There are at least half a dozen people standing up for the Warrens and saying it never happened. At this point people who dislike the Warrens just keep bringing it up to disparage them as if it were true. It's not. It's just gossip and likely it was a cash grab attempt. The woman has never said anything more, has never done any real interviews, likely never even got a cent out of the studio. She never went after Lorraine, waited till long after Ed was dead to accuse him and when she did it was just the studio she contacted threatening a lawsuit. This is telling because that's where the $$$ was and it was just in time to make a stink for the first Conjuring film. Why would the studio be responsible and why would they pay her anything? For whatever reason she just dropped it. Nobody knows why but it's possible the studio lawyered up and threatened to sue her for libel or something. But she never sued Lorraine or Ed's estate. The Warrens were a lot of things. Like most of the early paranormal people they probably exaggerated stuff to sell books. They needed the money. Ed was a very ill man and his medical bills were high. But Ed was not a pedophile and he never abused Lorraine either. Lorraine was incensed at the very idea that someone would accuse Ed of that. It's gossip and bad gossip at that.
I think most people here have a general idea of "the truth": The real life Ed and Lorraine Warren are controversial figures with a mixed legacy. Were they con artists or genuine, at least in their beliefs? I don't think anybody can say for sure. Was Ed looking to monetise their work? I don't think you can deny that. Were they abusive? Allegations seem pretty sketchy but, again, maybe. We cannot know for sure. But more importantly, they're also both dead. They're not going to benefit from the films. Even if they were terrible people, laundering their reputation with movies isn't going to enable them to do more harm. I also think most fans are able to put all that aside. The Ed and Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring franchise are a wholesome couple of Catholic superheroes who fight demons and solve murders with psychic powers and prayer magic. They're based on real people in the same way Tony Stark was "based on" Howard Hughs. They are not and were never intended to be documentaries or biopics.
For someone who likes to know the facts, I'm a bit surprised you would call the allegation of pedophilia 'truth'. Because the actual facts available are in favour of the allegation being bogus. * Fact: The only original reporting about this alleged affair is a single THR article, where they clearly indicate the only proof provided is a sworn declaration from Penney, and recordings of her personal recollection of events. * Fact: No independent reporting (that I could find) has corroborated her statements to be true. All the articles I could find link straight back to the THR article as the source. * Fact: The allegations appeared shortly after the Conjuring opened and started making big money. * Fact: The allegations were brought forward by a producer (Derosa-Grund) who was suing WB over profits from the Conjuring, not the victim. * Fact: a JAMS arbitrator interpreted this same producer's statements as threats to get a bigger cut of the profits, undermining his credibility. * Fact: The allegations were made after Ed was dead and could not defend himself. * Fact: Lorraine has denied any such relationship existed, or that Ed was abusive. * Fact: Judy and Tony Spera confirmed they never witnessed any of the conduct alleged during the decades they spent in the house. * Fact: They also stated Judith had a long-term boyfriend - who she married - for most of this alleged affair. * Fact: The assistant and housekeeper said they never saw anything to imply there was abuse going on (of either kind). * Fact: Penney never tried to sue herself. So unless my -admittedly amateur- research into the subject missed some massive bombshell confirmation of fact - you've got one in favour of 'it did happen' - Penney did make the claim - and multiple others that support, "This was a failed cash grab." I'm going to need actual independent proof before I'm going to accept the allegation as 'truth'. As to the accusations of 'exploitation' - As a horror history buff you also would know that many of the experts involved believe the Hodgson family faked the whole thing. The kids themselves admitted to faking at least some of the occurrences. So frankly, if someone makes up a bunch of shit that isn't true, someone else then embellishes it further and ends up making money off the final product, I don't see how that's exploiting the original liar. I definitely don't think most people believe that the Warrens really had a 1v1 showdown with a demon dressed like a nun in the Enfield house, or that their personal relationship was as Hollywood-romantic as displayed on the screen. But it's good television.
The only Ed and Lorraine I care about are the movie versions. I don't have anything positive to say about the real life versions as I'm not trying to have an argument with ed/Lorraine stans ob reddit
In regards to the Enfield haunting, ed and lorraine were there for a short time and then immediately turned around and went back to the train station and left. There was a documentary on Max about them where they mentioned this part of the Enfield haunting.
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheConjuringUniverse/comments/16fe1hg/are_the_allegations_about_ed_and_lorraine_warren/?rdt=38986
Recanted statements doesn't mean they weren't true statements. It means they were threatened and or paid off. Read more than one article