The anticipated Halloween auction for the iconic house featured in the “Conjuring” horror series has been cancelled following a mystery buyer’s acquisition of the property weeks prior.
Situated on an 8.5-acre lot in Harrisville, RI, the home was set for a one-day auction on October 31, attracting interest from affluent celebrities and paranormal enthusiasts, including comedian Matt Rife and YouTuber Elton Castee.
<pHowever, on Wednesday, auctioneer Justin Manning from JJ Manning Auctioneers announced the cancellation of the sale.
Manning explained to Realtor.com that Needham Bank, which held the mortgage for the foreclosed property, had “concluded a sale at the underlying mortgage loan,” without revealing the buyer’s identity.
The last owner, Jaqueline Nuñez, acquired the house for $1.5 million in 2022. She operated it as a tourist attraction but soon faced controversy after a worker claimed he was fired due to alleged misconduct from a spirit of the home’s original owner.
Subsequently, other employees began to speak out about poor treatment under Nuñez. In 2024, the Burrillville Town Council opted not to renew her entertainment license, which strained her community relations.
This summer, Nuñez fell behind on her mortgage, which opened the door for an auction.
This sprawling 19th-century farmhouse has become a tourist mecca, with fans of the “Conjuring” franchise paying thousands for overnight stays, hoping to experience its reputed paranormal activity.
Manning has embraced the house’s lore, admitting he was apprehensive about entering but excited about the opportunity to auction it off.
“I joked with the attorney about dressing up as Count Dracula instead of wearing a suit. But I want to maintain professionalism, so I’ll likely stick with the suit,” he remarked to the outlet.
The property remained peaceful for a century until the Perron family moved in during 1971. Andrea Perron, who was just a child at the time, detailed numerous paranormal encounters in her book “House of Darkness: House of Light.”
Perron asserted her family experienced various spirits with differing motives, eventually enlisting paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren for a séance.
“My mother began to speak in a voice not her own and in a language not of this world. Her chair levitated, and she was thrown across the room,” Perron recounted in a 2013 interview.
The original “Conjuring” film, launched in 2013, is based on the experiences of the Perron family during their nine-year stay in the haunted house, albeit with a more dramatized, bloodier twist.
