This is the horrifying true story behind The Conjuring 3…
Following the popularity of the first two movies, The Conjuring Universe exploded with new entries, including Annabelle: Creation, The Nun, The Curse of La Llorona, and Annabelle Comes Home. However, it wasn’t until 2021, five years after The Conjuring 2 release, that we finally got the next mainline entry in Ed & Lorraine Warren’s story. But, unlike the first two films, this wasn’t another haunted house movie. Instead, the third film would follow a strange possession, a chilling murder, and even a courthouse trial.
The big hook in all of The Conjuring 3‘s promotional material focuses on 19-year-old Arne Johnson, the first person to use “demonic possession” as a murder defense. While Arne’s journey is well documented, there’s a second lesser-known story that leads up to the events of the murder. This week we’ll be looking into the Possession of David Glatzel.
It all began one fateful summer in 1980. Arne Johnson and his 26-year-old girlfriend Deborah Glatzel were looking to move. They’d lived in the bustling downtown of Bridgeport with Arne’s mom and three sisters, but their apartment was cramped, and Debbie had a long commute to and from work. With the end of their lease approaching, Arne and Debbie started looking for homes in the countryside, away from the chaotic city. Finally, after six months of searching, they found the perfect rental house. It was large, set back off of a country road, and even accepted dogs- The couple had a sheepdog named George.
Arne’s mother, Mary Johnson, signed the lease and put down the first two months’ rent with Arne and Debbie’s help. Now, all that was left was to move in.
On July 2, 1980, Debbie and Arne packed up their car and drove to their new home. Excitement and nervousness washed over them. The house was spacious. Split into two parts, the main house on the right and a built-on addition to the left, where Arne and Debbie would be staying. But as the couple walked around the property, it became clear this wasn’t quite the dreamhouse they thought it was. The grass was overgrown, the house weathered, and the paint peeled. It’d need a lot of tough love and care, but that was something Arne and Debbie would do together.
Plus, out here in the countryside, life seemed calm. They had a large beautiful oak tree in their front yard. Here the sounds of traffic or sirens wouldn’t hassle them. It was peaceful. As soon as they’d soaked it all in, Debbie’s family arrived to help the couple move. Judy and Carl Glatzel, Debbie’s parents, had brought the whole family- including their three sons, Carl Jr., Alan, and David. Arne and Debbie brought the Glatzel family inside and gave them a short tour of the house- Only stopping when they discovered a water bed in one of the bedrooms, seemingly belonging to the last tenant. Debbie warned the young boys away from it, afraid they might break it.
Of course, as soon as the adults left the room, Carl Jr. and Alan started “making waves” on the bed and causing childlike chaos. Judy returned and told the boys to leave the bed alone and help Arne. Dutifully, Carl Jr. and Alan left, leaving 11-year-old David alone in the room. Despite all of Debbie’s excitement, David was glum and quiet. He took the moment of solitude as an opportunity to reflect on all the changes and looked out the bedroom window. Outside, it’d begun to sprinkle rain.
Then, suddenly and with great force, David felt two hands press against his stomach and push him backwards onto the water bed. Shocked and confused, David spun around, expecting to see his brothers behind them, but he found the room empty- Or so he thought. Someone was standing there behind him, but he was translucent and faint. It was an old man with burnt-looking skin, wearing a torn flannel. David looked up and met the apparition’s cold black eyes. Then, in an instant, the specter was gone.
But this chance encounter would haunt David in the days to come. Over the course of the next two months, David would be visited by the “Old Man” almost every night. To relieve this demon, David was going to need the help of Ed and Lorraine Warren. Tune into the newest episode of Insidious Inspirations to learn about the full investigation of David Glatzel, The Conjuring 3‘s horrifying true story. If you like the show, consider subscribing on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
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