RedHanded: DAY 9 – The Conjuring (ShortHand’s 13 Days of Halloween)

Podcast: RedHanded | Host: Ash Kelly & Sarah
Release Date: October 27, 2025

Episode Overview

In this Halloween special of RedHanded’s bite-sized “ShortHand,” Ash and Sarah dive into the true story behind “The Conjuring.” They scrutinize the haunted farmhouse that inspired the famous horror movie, expose the myths and lies surrounding its legends, and lay bare the real victims of the ensuing hysteria. Expect laughs, sharp skepticism, behind-the-scenes tales of their personal visit to the infamous house, and a pointed debunking of both Hollywood and so-called “real-life” hauntings.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Conjuring: Hollywood vs. “Real Life”

• Background of the Film:
  The 2013 movie "The Conjuring" was lauded for reviving the supernatural horror genre, grossing nearly $320 million on a $20 million budget.
  Ash: “It’s a simple story of a family who move into a house that’s haunted. Are they haunted? There’s some sort of haunting, but it is pretty good...and it absolutely cleaned up at the box office.” (04:00)

• Personal Visit:
  Ash and Sarah visited the actual “Conjuring house” in Connecticut, only to find the experience underwhelming.
  Sarah: “If you’re in that neck of the woods and you’re looking for a spooky tour, go to the Lizzie Borden house.” (05:31)
  Ash: “The Lizzie Borden one? Fantastic…this one? Not five star.” (05:48)

2. The Perron Family’s Claims

• Firsthand Accounts:
  In the 1970s, the Perron family (Carolyn, Roger, and five daughters) lived at 1677 Round Top Road and allegedly faced terrifying phenomena: objects flying, ghostly noises, smells of rotting flesh, and demonic attacks, particularly centered on Carolyn.
  Sarah: “Apparently, this boss bitch spirit saw herself as the mistress of the house and she resented the competition that Carolyn posed for that position.” (07:03)

• Andrea Perron’s Books:
  The eldest daughter, Andrea, wrote a trilogy, “House of Darkness, House of Light,” described as the “true story”—a far scarier version than Hollywood dared show.
  Ash (quoting Andrea): “Every time...the suits at New Line Cinema and Warner Brothers sent the script back and said, take that out...They thought it was just too scary. It was too real, it was too raw. People who read my trilogy of books are changed.” (07:56)
  Sarah: “It’s because the books aren’t very good. That’s what changed me.” (08:58)
  Ash: “It’s like joining a cult that destroyed your brain.” (09:09)

• Hollywood’s Adaptation:
  The movie draws from the case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren, famed (and controversial) paranormal investigators, not Andrea’s books.

3. The Real Victims: Norma and Jerry Sutcliffe

• Post-Film Fallout:
  When the film was released, the Sutcliffes—who had quietly lived in the house for 23 years—were beset by trespassers, occultists, and thrill-seekers at all hours.
  Ash: “The producers make no effort to hide the true identity of where this happened. Allegedly. And then suddenly, the Sutcliffe’s lives are absolutely destroyed...” (11:47)

• Daily Nightmares:
  Trespassers ignored warnings, conducted séances, screamed in the woods, rifled through mail and bins, and regularly harassed the elderly couple.
  Sarah: “Other people...would go through the Sutcliffe’s mailbox or their bins...just ring up the house to harass this elderly couple.” (12:19)

4. Norma Sutcliffe Investigates—and Debunks the Legends

• Fact-Checking the Claims:
  Norma (with a journalist's help) pored over historical records and debunked every major claim about the farmhouse’s bloody history:

  • The purported murders, suicides, and drownings? Invented or had happened elsewhere.

  • The sinister “Bathsheba Sherman”? Never lived on the property, never on trial for infanticide, and lived to old age, buried with her husband in consecrated ground.

  • Ash: “None of the stories that are detailed in the book...about the history of the farmhouse, are even remotely true.” (16:35)

  • The “Black Book of Burrillville” (local death records) showed only two unfortunate frozen-to-death incidents in over 200 years—no murders, no demonic pattern.

  • Ash: “None of the deaths Carolyn claimed to have uncovered in relation to that house had happened in that house...It’s more insidious because it’s like Carolyn did find out about these murders…somewhere else. But she just is like, ‘I’ll have it. I’ll have that one.’” (18:07)

• Bathsheba Sherman Smear Campaign:

  • The origin of the “witch” story was solely the Perrons’ hearsay, unbacked by any local tradition or evidence.
  • Sarah: “Bathsheba Sherman appears to have been a normal, hard working farmer’s wife. Sadly, the conjuring smeared her memory with unfounded accusations. Bathsheba’s grave and headstone have been targeted by vandals for years. And Carolyn and Andrea Perron are to blame for that.” (28:50)

5. Motives, Media, and Money

• Why the Lies?

  • Carolyn Perron’s motives may have been rooted in attention-seeking, marital issues, or “keeping Roger there” during a troubled marriage.

  • The Warrens and later owners likely saw financial opportunity.

  • Ash: “I do think that Roger was just unhappy because they end up divorcing afterwards. And I think, you know, how do you keep a man there is tell him that his five daughters are in some sort of mortal danger, possibly.” (30:12)

• Revolving Door of Haunting Entrepreneurs:

  • The house was resold in 2019, its “haunted” fame leveraged for massive profit ($1.5M resale in 2022).
  • Ash: “Everyone who lied made money off this hoax. And the people who didn’t lie, Norma and Jerry, who just wanted to live there and raise their family and be nice. Normal people got their lives totally ruined by all of the lies.” (36:58)

• Andrea’s Ongoing Fabrications:

  • Multiple claims by Andrea Perron about subsequent hauntings and acts witnessed by new owners or the Sutcliffes are categorically denied by those she names.
  • Ash: “Andrea Perron has also lied a lot...She said in an interview following the film’s release that Warner Brothers had given the Sutcliffe’s protection. That is not true...Andrea also said that she was attacked by Bathsheba when she visited the house and that Norma Sutcliffe saw it. Norma Sutcliffe is categorical that that is not true.” (31:25)

6. Ed & Lorraine Warren: Supernatural Hype Machines

• Skeptical Assessment:
  • The duo’s reputation rests on self-promotion and dubious cases. Many, including the infamous Amityville haunting, have been outright debunked.
  • Ash: “I can certainly get on board with [Vox’s] description of the Warrens as ‘a pair of conniving, reality-distorting, shamelessly grandiose self-promoters and sham psychics running a long-term con job.’” (35:07)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Andrea Perron’s Claim about the Books vs. the Movie
  Ash (quoting Andrea): “People who read my trilogy of books are changed. They’re never the same again. Nothing is ever the same.” (07:56)

• The Real Victim’s Perspective
  Ash: “Imagine random weirdos turning up and doing seances in your garden. And if they’re that crazy, how could you possibly feel safe that they’re not going to do something to you?” (11:47)

• Debunking via Historical Records
  Ash: “The Black Book of Burrillville...it’s a record of all unnatural and suspicious deaths that occurred in that area from 1777 to the 1990s...None of the things you say are in this book.” (17:23)

• On Profiting from Paranormal Claims
  Sarah: “The people who bought the house claimed that they too experienced all sorts of demonic activity. But maybe, just maybe, they had been motivated to draw attention to the house’s demonic side for financial reasons.” (32:59)

• Ethics of Haunted Tourism
  Ash: “Do you want to buy some well water for like $10 in this little vial? Do you want to buy a T-shirt with a conjuring merch? It was so tacky and money grubbing.” (36:31)

• On the Real “True” Story
  Ash: “It’s like based on the ghostly grifter’s Warrens. But Andrea Perrin’s story is also a lie. It’s like another layer down from that you have to go to to get to the truth of this.” (37:32)

Key Timestamps

• [04:00] – Introduction to “The Conjuring” film and initial personal impressions
• [05:07] – Hosts’ visit to the real conjuring house
• [06:18] – Background on the Perron family and their alleged experiences
• [07:56] – Ash’s full quotation from Andrea Perron about her trilogy and Hollywood
• [11:47] – Impact on Norma and Jerry Sutcliffe, post-film harassment
• [15:34] – Norma decides to independently fact-check the “hauntings”
• [17:23] – Introduction and findings from the Black Book of Burrillville
• [20:18] – The fabricated legend of Bathsheba Sherman exposed
• [28:50] – The lasting damage done to Bathsheba’s reputation and grave
• [32:59] – New owners profit from perpetuating the haunted myth
• [35:07] – Final critical assessment of the Warrens
• [36:31] – Hosts reflect on the commodification of the haunting

Wrap-Up: The Real Haunting Is the Hysteria

Ash and Sarah conclude that the true horror is not a demonic entity, but the harm done by those desperate for attention or profit—from the Warrens and the Perrons to Hollywood studios and entrepreneurial house-flippers. The real victims, like Norma and Jerry Sutcliffe, suffered not from ghosts, but from people’s credulity and greed. The story of “The Conjuring” is ultimately about people’s willingness to believe, the consequences of folklore in the internet age, and the persistent exploitation of fear for cash.

Sarah: “The real story is fucking Norma Sukhler.” (37:29)

Note: Segments related to ads, show promos, and non-content material have been omitted for clarity and focus.