Conjuring 2 The Enfield Poltergeist Movie Overview
Conjuring 2 The Enfield Poltergeist is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wan and produced by New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster Productions, and RatPac-Dune Entertainment. The film is the third installment in The Conjuring Universe and the sequel to The Conjuring. It is based on the 1977 Enfield poltergeist case in London, where a single mother reported supernatural disturbances affecting her four children. The movie was released in theaters in the United States on June 10, 2016, and was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received a PG-13 rating from the MPA for intense sequences of horror and violence, disturbing images, and thematic material.
Conjuring 2 The Enfield Poltergeist grossed over $104 million in the United States and Canada and approximately $320 million worldwide, making it a commercial success relative to its production budget. The film was shot at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, England, with additional location shooting in London and Hertfordshire. The production design recreated the council house interior to match the real Enfield residence as closely as possible. The film's marketing campaign emphasized its basis on a real case file from the Metropolitan Police and the Warrens' collection of paranormal evidence.
Cast and Characters
Vera Farmiga stars as Lorraine Warren, and Patrick Wilson stars as Ed Warren, reprising their roles from The Conjuring. The cast includes Madison Wolfe as Janet Hodgson, the central figure in the Enfield case, and Frances O'Connor as her mother, Peggy Hodgson. Dominic Applewhite plays brother Billy Hodgson, and Simon McBurney portrays Maurice Grosse, the lead investigator from the Society for Psychical Research. The supporting cast includes actors portraying police officers, reporters, and the Hodgson children's siblings.
The casting process prioritized actors who could convey the emotional weight of a family under sustained paranormal stress. Madison Wolfe was cast as the central child witness, a role that required her to portray both ordinary vulnerability and the more overtly possessed states attributed to Janet Hodgson. Frances O'Connor was cast as the protective single mother navigating skepticism and fear while managing her household during the disturbances. The casting choices aligned with the film's goal of grounding the supernatural narrative in a recognizable family dynamic.
Plot and Real Case Basis
The film follows the Warrens as they travel from their home in Connecticut to Enfield, London, in 1977 to investigate claims of a haunting at a council house. The story centers on Janet Hodgson, a twelve-year-old girl whose bed begins to shake, objects move without explanation, and her voice changes during episodes. The film depicts the Warrens interviewing witnesses, reviewing physical evidence, and confronting a malevolent entity they identify as a demonic presence attached to the Hodgson family.
The Enfield poltergeist case was originally investigated by Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair, both members of the Society for Psychical Research. The case drew sustained media attention in the late 1970s and was documented in books and television programs. The film adapts this history but adds fictionalized elements and dramatic structure typical of the horror genre. The Conjuring franchise, including this installment, draws on the Warrens' case files, which are archived at the Warrens' museum in Monroe, Connecticut. For more information on the real case and its investigators, see the Society for Psychical Research at spr.ac.uk and the Warrens' official archive at theconjuringseries.com.