Editorials
5 Warren Case Files That Could Be the Plot of ‘The Conjuring 3’!
The Conjuring 2 won the hearts of many horror fans last weekend, and if box office receipts are any indication a sequel should be put into production soon. Though writer/director James Wan may not be at the helm due to his commitments to Aquaman, he will most likely serve as producer like he did on the Saw and Insidious sequels. The Conjuring 2 takes place at the tail end of the 1970s, so it makes sense that a sequel would take place in the 80s (even Wan has admitted this). The Warrens had quite a few well known cases during that decade (whether or not they are “true” is up to you), giving the writers of The Conjuring 3 plenty to pick from. Here are the five most well-known case files of the Warrens that could potentially be at the center of The Conjuring 3!
The Demonic Possession of Arne Cheyenne Johnson
Otherwise known as “The Devil Made Me Do It” case, the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson was the first case in the United States to use demonic possession as a defense. Johnson was on trial for murdering his landlord Alan Bono on November 24, 1981 in Brookfield, Connecticut. As part of his testimony, Johnson claimed that an 11-year-old boy acted as host to the demon that made him murder Bono. The Warrens were brought in to exorcise the demon from the child, and after several days, the demon left and entered Johnson, forcing him to kill Bono. Johnson was eventually convicted but only served five years of his 10- to 20-year sentence before being released. This case could be useful for The Conjuring 3 in that it would force the writers to change the style of narrative. Part exorcism and part court case, it would be more in the vein of The Exorcism of Emily Rose than the first two Conjuring films. This would prevent the potential sequel from becoming too familiar to audiences and critics, prompting complaints of it being “more of the same.”
The Haunting In Connecticut
James Wan has said that he opted not to use the Amityville Horror as the centerpiece of The Conjuring 2 (or any Conjuring sequel) because the case has been adapted too many times. The Haunting in Connecticut was already adapted into a 2009 film starring Academy Award nominee Virginia Madsen, but it wasn’t very good (and neither was the DTV sequel starring Chad Michael Murray). Using this particular case file as the main plot of The Conjuring 3 could do justice to the story, in which the Warrens proclaimed the Snediker home to be infested with demons since it was a former funeral home. They may choose not to go this route though since, like Amityville, it’s been done before.
The Smurl Haunting
This haunting, which supposedly lasted from 1974 to 1989, took place in the home of Jack and Janet Smurl. They claimed that they witnessed multiple instances of supernatural phenomena (smells, sounds, etc.). They finally brought the Warrens in in 1986, who declared that their house was occupied by three spirits and a demon that was said to have sexually assaulted both of the Smurls. This gives the filmmaking team three ghosts and a demon to work with. It ups the stakes and could lead the way to tons of varying scares.
The Werewolf of Southend
This is my pick for a sequel if only because it’s so ridiculous. Apparently in the late 80s the Warrens claimed they exorcised a “werewolf demon” from a carpenter named Bill Ramsey. He claimed to have experienced super-strength and bouts of aggression that he blamed on the werewolf demon that possessed him. As ridiculous as this sounds, it could make for a really great movie. First, it would provide a different take on the werewolf sub-genre, a sub-genre that has become stale in recent years. Second, it’s something that, to my knowledge, hasn’t ever been done before in a film. I mean, it’s a werewolf demon! The only reason I could see them not going this route (and any of the cases listed after this) would be because it takes place too late in the 80s and would mean skipping over a bunch of well known case files. This limits the cases they could use for future sequels.
The White Lady of Union Cemetery
Finally, we’ve got the White Lady of Union Cemetery. Located in Easton, Connecticut, Union Cemetery is considered to be one of the most haunted cemeteries in the United States. The “White Lady” is said to wear, you guessed it, a white dress or nightgown while haunting said cemetery. Ed Warren claimed to have seen the ghost in person. The legend of the White Lady is told in many countries, which means the writers could pick which location and iteration of the White Lady they would like to use for the film. This case file takes place in the late 80s/early 90s and, like the Werewolf Demon, would mean skipping over a bunch of well-known cases. It is doubtful they would choose this case file, but it could be fun!
Which of the above case files do you want to see adapted in The Conjuring 3? It may not be the same without Wan behind the camera, but at least there’s enough material to mine out of each of these cases to make for a terrifying film!
I first heard about The Mandela Catalogue through a couple of nephews who were obsessed with the ARG’s sinister mythology. It was only after watching Wendigoon’s in-depth analysis of the series that I realized just how deep this rabbit hole goes.
In fact, I’d already been exposed to the nightmarish visuals of Alex Kister’s YouTube creation for years at that point without even realizing that it was the origin of several viral “cursed images” and spooky memes that had leaked into the wider internet – with this viral element actually being a part of the Catalogue’s overarching narrative.
Flash-forward to 2026 and the unprecedented success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms has led to Hollywood betting on horrific internet properties with existing fanbases, which means that Kister’s unique hybrid of both religious and analog horror is finally headed to the big screen with a script written by Kister himself alongside Tyler Clifton.
While this news shouldn’t be too surprising if you’ve been keeping up with the ongoing success of The Mandela Catalogue (both myself and Wendigoon having previously predicted that the series would inevitably make the jump to theaters one day), plenty of horror fans are likely confused as to why so many folks are excited for what appears to be a Hollywood adaptation of a series of creepy .jpeg images under a VHS filter.
With that in mind, today I’d like to invite fellow readers to accompany me as I explore the origins of Alex Kister’s viral hit and attempt to explain exactly why we should all be excited about the Mandela Catalogue adaptation!
From High School Writing Project to Internet Horror Phenomenon
The first seeds of The Mandela Catalogue were sown when Kister was still in high school and developed a writing project subverting religious tropes in a world where biblical history had been altered by demonic forces. A little while later, Kister came across an analog horror contest on Reddit and decided to adapt his ideas into a standalone video where he would edit a religious kids’ cartoon –The Beginner’s Bible: The Nativity, to be specific- into something far creepier. This is how the iconic Overthrone video was born, with this viral short film taking on a life of its own as fans demanded more eerie content from Kister.
Though the video was originally meant to be a one-and-done sort of affair, with Kister actually regretting some of its primitive visuals and considering the editing amateurish and “YouTube-Poop-like” when compared to his current standards, fan reaction and free time during the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged the (then) seventeen-year-old filmmaker to continue producing content set in this same world. The Mandela Catalogue name was inspired by the Mandela Effect conspiracy theory, as the series would slowly begin to explore the subtle horror of alternate histories.
Inspired by existential dread brought on by extended periods of quarantine as well as a personal crisis of faith, Kister continued to expand his alternate timeline where the rise of Christianity had been prevented by what was presumably the Devil disguised as the Archangel Gabriel. This alternate course of fictional events led to the existence of certain paranormal anomalies that had come to be accepted as “normal” by the 1990s, which is why most of the series’ supernatural horror is presented in such a matter-of-fact manner.
Most of this background information and religious lore is delivered by increasingly cryptic broadcasts and in-universe PSAs, as well as the occasional found footage video, that often have to be decoded by clever viewers. Of course, it’s the consistently disturbing imagery that made the series so popular – much of which was originally created by Kister on a smartphone!
The Alternates: Horror’s Most Unsettling Modern Monsters
The show’s early episodes mostly take place within the fictional Mandela County in Wisconsin and depict life in a world where demonic entities are capable of using media to enter our reality. This process usually involves scaring victims into killing themselves and then repurposing their bodies as horrific doppelgangers referred to as “Alternates”. This terrifying phenomenon has become so common that local police already have specialized procedures in place to deal with the issue, though this usually consists of simply ignoring calls for help so as to avoid spreading so-called “Metaphysical Awareness Disorder” any further.
Over time, Kister would expand this mythology and incorporate different kinds of Alternates into the mix, though the story never stopped deconstructing religious concepts. The series’ second volume exponentially increased both video quality and the overall narrative scope as we began to follow the lives of characters who had already grown up in this dystopian hellscape where the government is forced to prohibit religion, television, and even mirrors in the hopes of mitigating the damage done by the ongoing invasion of otherworldly entities.
The really interesting part comes into play when you realize exactly how the Alternates make use of scary media in order to spread their demonic influence, with the analog horror of it all being a diegetic part of the story and something of a memetic trap orchestrated by the false Gabriel.
I particularly appreciate how some characters begin to suspect that there’s something wrong with their version of reality and that things weren’t meant to play out this way, especially when Mark utters the haunting line “who have I been praying to all this time?” That’s why I think The Mandela Catalogue is an effective piece of religious horror even if you don’t subscribe to the Christian worldview, as the mere idea of a world where evil has already won is a universally terrifying concept in and of itself. Not only that, but the series’ uncanny analog imagery alone is already worth the price of admission, as you’ve likely already noticed by looking at the pictures accompanying this article.
Why The Feature Adaptation Could Be Horror’s Next Big Success
It’s actually been a whole year since Kister first announced that he had been working on a feature-length screenplay for a Mandela Catalogue movie since 2022, with his proposed story following an ensemble of high-school graduates who uncover a supernatural conspiracy after the mysterious disappearance of a fellow student. This premise sounds similar to narrative elements present in the series’ second volume, but I’m pretty sure that Kister is going to go the Kane Parsons route and make the movie more of a spin-off than a re-imagining of its source material.
While notable Hollywood producers like Aaron B. Koontz, Scott Stuber, and Steven Spielberg himself are backing the upcoming project, I feel like there’s no one better to adapt this deeply personal exploration of faith and the dark side of communication than the person who first came up with it. That’s why I can’t wait to see Kister’s work on the big screen, as I have a feeling that this young filmmaker is the next one on the list about to make cinematic history – especially since this is clearly a passion project that has been in the works for years at this point!
That being said, there’s always a chance that the film could end up unleashing a fresh wave of Alternate incursions, but I guess that’s just a risk we’ll have to take.
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