The Conjuring house leaves documentarians 'really messed up' after visit

The Conjuring House in The Sleepless Unrest
(Image credit: Robot Ninja Media)

The Conjuring movies are inspired not just by real life paranormal investigators, but a real house as well. And that house apparently terrorized a group of documentarians, who went in with a whole batch of cameras during a two-week shoot for a documentary film called The Sleepless Unrest.

The trailer below will give you some idea of what to expect, but Cody Beck over at our sister-site CinemaBlend got to talk to the director Kendall Whelpton and Vera Whelpton at the premiere. One (Beck doesn't specify which) told him "Being in the house for two weeks really messed up the whole team's psyche."

And it didn't take long for the team to be affected, as they said "Day three we start getting worn down, day four you can't sleep because things are happening, there's a lot of activity in the house." This may just be hype for the documentary, or it may be the real deal. It's hard to say, but I'm guessing fans of The Conjuring will judge for themselves: The Sleepless Unrest is coming out July 16. 

They even claimed it left a longer-term effect, and this is where it gets a bit unbelievable. One director claimed "when you go home, you're still thinking you're in the house, you're attached to the house. You have an overwhelming sense to go back to the house," which definitely sounds like something a character in a movie says, and not a real person. 

Check out the trailer for yourself:

That said, the directors' comments about how audiences will likely have to mentally handle the question of what's real and what's fake come off as more legitimate. One said "It has scares, little horror elements, a few jump scares. You have the documentary aspect which is 100% real, and I think that's way more scary than anything scripted. So, when you see stuff happening in the film, you gotta just ask yourself 'Wait, this is real? This isn't a Hollywood script?' and I think that's the scariest thing of all." 

The question of what's true and what's not, is familiar to fans of both reality TV and pro wrestling, and will likely be the crucial aspect for many as they watch along. Can The Sleepless Unrest convince folks that The Conjuring's house is legitimately traumatizing?

TOPICS
Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.

Read more
(L-R) Martin Sharpe as Mathew Palmer in "Lake Mungo"
This seriously intense dark thriller is streaming for free on Prime Video — and it’s 95% on Rotten Tomatoes
Danny Robins, the man in the red anorak, seeks out the paranormal once more in "Uncanny" season 2
How to watch 'Uncanny' season 2 online from anywhere
Toni Collette as Annie Graham in Hereditary
Netflix just added 'Hereditary,' one of the most unsettling horror movies I've ever seen
Edward Galland, David Kellman, and Robert Shafran in Three Identical Strangers
5 most harrowing documentary thrillers I've ever seen
Patrick Wilson as Josh Lambert in Insidious
One of my favorite horror movie franchises is now streaming free on Tubi
Anya Taylor-Joy as Margot in the film THE MENU
Best horror movies on Netflix in March 2025
Latest in Movies
Robert Pattinson in "Mickey 17" movie (2025)
‘Mickey 17’ is an unforgettable sci-fi fever dream — and Robert Pattinson steals the show
(L-R) Mark Eydelshteyn as Vanya and Mikey Madison as Anora "Ani" Mikheeva in "Anora"
Anora might win the Oscar for Best Picture and it shouldn't — here's why
Cover of Robbie Williams as a CGI monkey in "Better Man"
One of the most overlooked movies of 2025 so far is now streaming — and it deserves a second chance
Tom Cruise in the "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" trailer
Every movie trailer and teaser revealed during Super Bowl 2025 — ‘Thunderbolts,’ ‘Mission: Impossible’ and more
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, and Joseph Quinn in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps"
Marvel drops first trailer for new ‘Fantastic Four’ movie — and it might just revive my excitement for the MCU
Captain America: Brave New World
5 biggest movies you need to watch in theaters in February 2025
Latest in News
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge back
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge price comes into focus with latest leak
Apple iPhone 16 Plus Review.
Apple just released an emergency security update for a flaw used in an ‘extremely sophisticated attack’ — update your devices right now
NYTimes Connections
NYT Connections today hints and answers — Wednesday, March 12 (#640)
Jean Smart as Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels in Hacks
Max reveals 'Hacks' season 4 release date and trailer — here's when it's coming
Google Pixel 5 review
Google Pixel 10 lineup leaked in new renderings — here's what they look like
A person trying to set up a new Wi-Fi router
Thousands of TP-Link routers have been infected by a botnet to spread malware