Written By: Sam Santiago
When James Wan released The Conjuring in 2013, he proved something horror fans already knew. You don't need buckets of blood or nonstop carnage to terrify an audience. Atmosphere, dread and the fear of what might be waiting just beyond the frame were more than enough to make the film one of the scariest studio horror releases of the last two decades.
That leaves one question we've never quite been able to shake.
If the real farmhouse that inspired The Conjuring is truly as haunted as its reputation suggests, why would anyone willingly spend more than a million dollars to own it?
Apparently, because you're Jason Hawes.
The longtime Ghost Hunters investigator is now listed as the legal owner of the infamous Conjuring House in Burrillville, Rhode Island, after a warranty deed transferring the property was officially recorded. The sale price was reported at $1.3 million, marking the latest chapter in one of the strangest real estate stories the paranormal world has seen in years.
Of course, nothing involving this house has ever been simple.
Hawes first stepped forward last year after the property faced foreclosure, saying he wanted to preserve one of the paranormal community's most recognizable landmarks instead of seeing it become another over-commercialized attraction. What followed was months of lawsuits, family disputes and competing legal claims over whether former owner Jacqueline Nuñez had the legal capacity to sell the property in the first place. Earlier this year, a Rhode Island judge dismissed the lawsuit that had been preventing the sale from moving forward.
Even now, the process isn't completely over. Although the deed has been filed and town records list Hawes as the property's owner, he has publicly stated that the closing remains tied up because no one has been able to determine who is legally entitled to receive the mortgage payoff. Until that issue is resolved, a few legal loose ends still remain.
For horror fans, the house itself hardly needs an introduction.
The 18th century farmhouse became world famous after Roger and Carolyn Perron, along with their five daughters, claimed they experienced years of disturbing paranormal activity while living there during the 1970s. Their story eventually found its way to paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren before inspiring James Wan's The Conjuring, launching one of modern horror's biggest franchises.
Whether those events actually happened depends entirely on who you ask. Skeptics have long argued that no definitive evidence exists to prove the house is genuinely haunted. Believers continue to rank it among the most infamous paranormal locations in America. Either way, its place in horror history is undeniable, drawing investigators, ghost hunters and curious visitors from around the world for years.
As for Hawes, few people understand that legacy better. After spending decades investigating alleged hauntings on Ghost Hunters, he's visited some of the country's most talked about paranormal locations. If anyone knows exactly what he's getting himself into, it's probably him.
Still...
Knowing everything that's been claimed about that old Rhode Island farmhouse over the past fifty years, would you hand over $1.3 million for the keys?
Or is watching The Conjuring from the safety of your couch scary enough?