Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Couple Who Lives In 'The Conjuring' House Is Suing Warner Brothers
A Rhode Island couple is suing Warner Brothers, claiming that the portrayal of their home in The Conjuring has caused them a lot of grief.
Norma Sutcliffe and her husband, Gerald Helfrich, live in a farmhouse in Burrillville, Rhode Island. They say their lives have been disrupted ever since their home was featured in Warner Brothers' 2013 horror flick, The Conjuring,according to WHDH. Trespassers are constantly coming to check out the house, and nothing the couple does—including signs and motion-activated alarms—will stop them.
"[The trespassers] somehow feel that they have a right to be on this property by any means that they choose," Sutcliffe told WHDH. "It's the worry of that one or two that could be more serious than just trespassing. And that's what we live with every day."
Sutcliffe wants Warner Brothers to pay unspecified damages, as well the funds for a security system and plan to keep horror buffs and curious ghost seekers away.
Support for LAist comes from
The Conjuring tells the tale of Roger and Carolyn Perron (Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor) who, in 1971, move into an old fixer-upper in Rhode Island with their five daughters. They notice that their dog won't go inside, and one of the girls finds that the entrance to the basement has been boarded up. Cue the spooky, unexplained activity, and soon the family gets two paranormal investigators—Ed and Lorraine Warren—involved.
Ed and Lorraine, though portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Bates Motel's Vera Farmiga in the film, are two real-life paranormal investigators who have been involved in a number of cases later turned into films—like the story that inspired The Amityville Horror. Ed has since passed away, but Lorraine served as a consultant on the film, and has always insisted that many of the paranormal occurrences depicted in the film really happened, according to USA Today.
Sutcliffe and her husband moved into the house in the '80s and were, at one point in time, friends with the Perrons' oldest daughter, Andrea. Andrea has written three books, all self-published, about her ghostly experiences. She also claims that while the film is fictionalized in many ways, her family really was haunted by ghosts during the nine years they lived in the home.
A reporter for NBC 10 said that Sutcliffe had talked about the occasional spooky occurrence—a door banging, for instance—in 2012. The TV show Ghost Huntersalso filmed there in recent years. And, Sutcliffe made a video with Andrea Perron talking about supernatural occurrences she herself had experienced in the home, including a mysterious banging on the door.
With the release of the film, however, Sutcliffe and Perron's friendship has evaporated. Sutcliffe has also taken to YouTube to try to dissuade any potential ghost seekers from disturbing her peace.
Support for LAist comes from
The Conjuring was not shot at Sutcliffe's home. Rather, a private home in North Carolina served as the exterior, while most of the interiors were filmed at Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina.
The Sutcliffes would not be the first people to have trouble after having their home featured in a Hollywood production. The couple who lives in the Breaking Bad house in Albuquerque would really appreciate it if people would stop throwing pizzas up onto their roof.
Here's the trailer for The Conjuring:
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Isolated showers can still hit the L.A. area until Friday as remnants from the tropical storm move out. -
First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings. -
It's thanks to Tropical Storm Mario, so also be ready for heat and humidity, and possibly thunder and lightning. -
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5425437/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3897+0+0/resize/640x396!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
L.A. County investigators have launched a probe into allegations about Va Lecia Adams Kellum and people she hired at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority. -
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a state law allowing duplexes, calling more housing unsafe. But in Altadena, L.A. County leaders say these projects could be key for rebuilding. -
This measure on the Nov. 4, 2025, California ballot is part of a larger battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/45c201e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3894+0+0/resize/786x486!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
Best of LAist