The Glatzel Family Is Trying to Distance Itself From 'The Conjuring 3'
Published June 4 2021, 12:05 p.m. ET
Many moviegoers are already familiar with the Conjuring series and all of its fear-inducing moments, but what fans may not be aware of is that the characters within the films aren't exactly characters; they're interpretations of real people. That added element is what makes Conjuring films so much more intense and what has helped make them into the successes they are today.
The next iteration in the series, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, often dubbed The Conjuring 3, focuses on members of the real-life Glatzel family, who actually are still alive today. So fans of the movies want to know where the Glatzels now, years removed from the moments depicted in the film? Here are all the known details.
The Glatzels are still trying to distance themselves from their past.
Carl Glatzel Jr. and his brother, David Glatzel, want absolutely nothing to do with the rumors that plagued their past and formed the basis for the plot of The Conjuring 3. Nowadays, Carl is reportedly working as a contractor and is happily married.
There are no known details about David's current whereabouts, but Carl has claimed in the past that he is doing well and has moved beyond the alleged mental health issues that plagued him as a child.
As for Debbie Glatzel, Carl and David's sister, she actually went on to marry Arne Cheyenne Johnson, the man convicted of killing his landlord. (He was her boyfriend at the time of the killing.)
This incident initiated the interest in the Glatzel family. But the duo were happy together until Debbie passed away from an unspecified form of cancer. Apparently, even Arne is now doing well, looking to move beyond his past mistakes.
Was 'The Conjuring 3' based on a true story? The film has a lot of exaggerations in it.
While it is true that the main story behind The Conjuring 3 actually did happen, the details of it are far less over-the-top and much more debated than what is presented in the film. The storyline of Arne killing his landlord and defending himself by claiming that the devil — who seemingly possessed 12-year-old David — told him to do so actually did happen.
Beyond that, there even was a real-life exorcism for David, but the actions and moments you see on-screen otherwise are largely exaggerated.
Furthermore, Carl actually sued the real-life Lorraine Warren back in 2007 over her reprinting of a book about the story titled The Devil in Connecticut. According to him, David was never actually possessed and simply suffered from mental health issues as a child.
He has repeatedly expressed his disdain that the Glatzel family name has been associated with demonic possession and claims that anything portrayed in the film (besides the murder) didn't actually happen.
In a 2007 interview with the Hartford Courant, Carl said, "David was a good kid. He never bothered nobody. He lived a living hell because of all the negative attention."