Ed and Lorraine Warren. What happened?

I have been asked many times before what my fascination was/is with them. Especially since a lot of sceptics viewed them as con artists, and still do.

I always firmly believed they were the ones who started it all. The Adam and Eve of the paranormal world. They made a huge impact on society with their influence, skills, and knowledge. They didn’t shy away from the intense criticism faced, especially on their topics of demonology and possessions.

Regarding some of their investigative strategies though, I couldn’t help but question some of their techniques. In particular, their approach directly involved those who were at the center stage of a supposed haunting or possible possession in their investigation. Reading through some of their earlier case files, I almost felt as if they were “using” these people to incite any possible activity, and that was at their expense.

This was one of the reasons I decided to conduct investigations differently when I first started, I still learned from the Warrens nonetheless, just what not to do in certain circumstances or what I felt more comfortable with.

After all, there were no guidelines back then going blind into an investigation. This was all new. There was no handbook. All ideas and theories needed to be explored one way or the other, so clearly, some misjudgments and mistakes were bound to happen, but you learn from them. As their work progressed and evolved, so did their techniques.

Contempt and judgment did not seem to faze Ed and Lorraine Warren. In my view, they had higher priorities to focus on, and that was their research, to help people, while at the same time looking for answers themselves. Or, at least, that is what I thought.

In 2019 Ed and Lorraine Warren were making headlines again, except this time, for the wrong reasons. I will admit I did not pay much attention to the allegations at the time, or even for several years afterwards. It wasn’t until I recently watched a documentary “The Devil on Trial” that something stuck with me, something a reputable witness said in the documentary that caught my attention and had me thinking.

For those who may not be familiar with Ed and Lorraine Warren’s Franchise films, one of their more recent releases is a film called “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do” It. The film presented the real-life murder case of Alan Bono who was stabbed to death by Arne Johnson, who became the first case ever tried In America using the defense – the Devil made him do it. The defense tried to prove that Arne was indeed possessed and therefore could not have been held responsible for what took place. Even more so, Ed and Lorraine Warren were key in the defense, substantiating the claims that Arne was indeed possessed.

I don’t want to go too much into the story or film, all that one needs to take from it is that Arne’s possession was a direct result of him challenging the demon who at that time was said to be possessing his girlfriend Debbie’s younger twelve-year-old brother David Glatzel. A desperate yet valiant move some may think. It’s said that once the demon finally did let go of David, it possessed Arne as initially challenged, which resulted in Arne committing a brutal murder against his own will just a short time later. In the documentary, it wasn’t the star of the show David Glatzel’s interview and version of events that intrigued me, nor that of his sister Debbie, but it was his eldest brother Carl Glatzel’s statement (that was only made practically at the end of the documentary) that had me in disbelief. In the documentary, he described being present at a meeting at his parents’ home with Ed and Lorraine. The entire family was there, sitting at the dining room table describing their ordeal at the time to the Warrens.

The supposed possessed child David was also present at the table (which I immediately thought was going to be an issue). The child should not have been present at that meeting where conversations were being held about him. Regardless, Carl goes on to explain that Ed and Lorraine did not only talk to the family about what they believe the Demon’s next behaviour and or intentions would be and compromise off, but they went as far as to reinact the noises, growls, and even bodily movements that could be expected to be seen in their son in the coming future, should he of course not be exorcized soon enough. It is vital to note, that the possessed boy at the time- David did not exhibit any of these symptoms Ed and Lorraine were describing, EXCEPT, for a few weeks after that visit.

Carl strongly believes that Ed and Lorraine subconsciously influenced and or even coached the boy. I was disappointed to hear that revelation because it did make sense.

What didn’t make sense was why Carl decided to change his view completely as to what happened and what he initially believed. He had always advocated and substantiated the family’s and the Warren’s claims. So why the change of heart all of a sudden? I decided to do some digging on him and his past involvement in the case, to see where it may lead me, and that’s when I found out that in 2007 Carl sued the Warrens after they released a book called “The Devil in Connecticut”.

The book covered what happened to his brothers and family during their possession ordeal. Carl accused the content of the book of being “complete lies”, and I assume it was at this stage his moral compass may have kicked in, or he was maybe just upset-jealous about not getting the financial cut from the book he expected.

Regardless, these allegations do not bode well for Warren’s reputation, which made me look further into the more serious allegations from just a year before. In 2006 after the passing of Ed Warren, a woman name Judith Penny came forward and alleged she was groomed as a child by Ed and had a sexual relationship with him for many decades to follow. A relationship Lorraine was very much aware of.

Again, I am not going to go much into this, anyone could investigate it further themselves if they wished, for me it was just a crushing blow.

Now if you asked me, the Warren foundation’s reputation may just as well be very questionable. The Warrens created a foundation named the (NSPR), New England Sceptical Society which is still active to this day. This is now run by their son-in-law, the husband of Ed and Lorraine’s daughter. The foundation charges a fee for anyone interested in joining. And may I add it’s a substantial amount as well. I thought it odd that one had to pay to be a member of the foundation, especially one that’s created in the name of research. If anything, I would have expected them to rather be strict on the type of caliber of investigators and or researchers they may wish to have a part of the foundation and the work they put towards it. That does not seem to be the case though.

Now I am not talking about providing a donation that goes towards their research and work, I mean anyone can just sign up to become an actual Warren Foundation member for the right price.

I always believed the paranormal industry must be a non-profitable one. So, their “member fee” doesn’t sit well with me. It’s all good and well if a team wants to sell some merchandise or ask for donations doing public events for a good cause. But once you start slapping a price tag (and a hefty one too) on a service in this field of work, it’s becoming morally questionable. I will still enjoy the Warren’s films and franchise. I will still read their books.

My point of view on their reputation may be slightly tarnished, it’s true, but hey, at least that leaves the Paranormal pedestal open once more. Maybe it’s time for a new team of investigators and or researchers to emerge and become the latest paranormal legacy.