Los Angeles - The haunted house which inspired the popular horror film franchise 'The Conjuring' has been sold.
As a young woman noted at the beginning of 'The Conjuring': "It scares us just thinking about it."
She was talking about the elements that went into the film, but that statement also applies to the real estate price wars that are driving housing prices toward the sky throughout the country.
In Rhode Island, that means that the early 19th century house that inspired the horror film, but wasn't shot there, fetched a price 27% above asking. It sold recently for $1.52 million (R23.6m), reports Deadline.
For the uninitiated, the 2013 horror film is a fictionalised account of the Perron family and their work with paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The house has a history of murder, rape, and suicide.
Apparently, however, that's not enough to dissuade buyers in this over-heated market. The property's listing said it was rumoured to be haunted by the spirit of Bathsheba Sherman, who resided there in the 19th century.
According to Deadline, the 289-square-metre house is located at 1677 Round Top Road in Burrillville. The sellers were paranormal investigators Jenn and Cory Heinzen, and they profited handsomely on the deal. They purchased the home for $439 000 (R6.8m) in 2019.
The Heinzens allegedly spent four months keeping themselves to one room. At the time of listing, they told the Wall Street Journal that this was as a sign of respect for the spirits, letting them get used to the family, instead of barging in.
Still, they were paid a visit by a black-coloured figure.
"Once we realised we were both awake and both seeing it, it was gone," Cory Heinzen told the publication.
The pair have also heard footsteps and knocks, and have even seen flashes of light in rooms that don't have lights in them.
The publication reported that the new owner is a Boston real-estate developer named Jacqueline Nunez. Her offer on the property was one of 10, and she agreed to meet one unique demand of the sellers: not living in the home for the buyer's own good.
"This is a very personal purchase for me," Nunez, who was represented by Ricardo Rodriguez and Bethany Eddy of Coldwell Banker Realty in Providence, told The Wall Street Journal.
"When it hit the market, I thought, 'This is a property that enables people to speak to the dead'."
She says she will host events at the house with the Perron family.
“I'm not afraid of the house,” she said, adding however: “Ask me again in a year.”
Take a virtual tour of the property here.
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