Can we officially declare it the summer of the Conjuring house yet? All roads —or at least screens— seem to lead there in some shape or fashion this year. It started with The Conjuring 3, then followed with discovery+’s Shock Docs: The Devil Made Me Do It. (Which, no, wasn’t about the house but did draw on its Conjuring connection with the Warrens). Now comes The Sleepless Unrest: The Real Conjuring Home. It releases in select theaters and on VOD on July 16, 2021.
It’s the latest haunted house documentary from director Kendall Whelpton. Last year, along with Steve Gonsalves, they released The House in Between, a film that aimed to bring “the paranormal, science, and the human experience together for the first time.”
After watching The House in Between, I sort of thought it might be a paranormal investigation game changer. It attempted to bridge the gap that ghosts, UFO, and aliens aren’t separate paranormal experiences, but are somehow tied together. For now, we bucket them individually because we don’t understand we’re looking at snapshot puzzle pieces that fit together to form a bigger picture.
I found their approach more interesting and useful than most. Even though admittedly I wasn’t convinced the ball rolling down the stairs was evidence of paranormal activity.
No, it wasn’t as “sexy” as the demon-hunting quests and sensational overreacting to every little noise that most shows have devolved into lately. It was “smarter.” Especially the questions they asked and the experts they consulted.
Kristy B., a reviewer on Amazon, summed it up best with her headline: “Truth-seeking, not thrill-seeking.”
People who like the creepy scariness of ghost hunting shows would not only be disappointed with The House in Between but were. It scored a dismal 17% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and 4.5/10 on IMDB. It’s done better on Amazon, 3.8/5. Mostly, however, there’s very little “in-between” when it comes to The House in Between: viewers either like it or they don’t.
But what about The Sleepless Unrest: The Real Conjuring Home? What will it be like?
We’ll have to wait and see. For now, let’s take a look at what it’s about, including a peek at its trailer.
The Sleepless Unrest Storyline
Here’s the description Bloody Disgusting shared with the exclusive trailer they posted on YouTube:
“The haunted house that inspired the Conjuring films has recently been sold and is now open to paranormal investigations. A small group of close friends is invited to move in and document a real haunted house for two weeks.
Filmmakers Vera and Kendall Whelpton, along with their paranormal investigator friends Richel Stratton and Brian Murray immerse themselves deep into the experience.
With hopes of capturing real paranormal evidence day and night, the team will investigate and document the house best known for a seance gone wrong, with a possible demonic possession.
Do spirits still haunt this home or is it something more sinister?”
Documentary or Mockumentary?
What is The Sleepless Unrest? It’s categorized in the following genres on IMBD: Documentary, Horror, Mystery, Reality-TV, Thriller.
However, FirstShowing.net wrote “This seems like a mix between The Blair Witch Project and an actual ‘hey look, this is a real house that inspired horror.’ Though it seems much more like a setup than an actual doc, but it’s not the first time we’ve seen a horror film try it.”
So now I’m wondering if it’s a documentary or a mockumentary, and how much is scripted and how much isn’t. If I happen to get a chance to interview Kendall Whelpton again (I did for The House in Between), I’ll definitely ask.
The Sleepless Unrest Trailer
Check-In
What would you ask either Kendall and Vera Whelpton, the producers of The Sleepless Unrest, and/or Cory and Jennifer Heinzen, the owners of the Conjuring House?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, as well as obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of healing, to learn how she channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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I would ask regarding the movie trailer what is the plastic bag in the water for? A test of some kind?
Fantastic question! If I get a chance to ask, I’m definitely doing it!
Oh and THANK YOU for offering up yet another awesome Q!
The plastic bag actually was used to waterproof a device that we were using to monitor activity inside the cistern in the basement.
OMG Mr. Heinzen, thank you so much for spotting this and taking the time to clue us in as to what the bag was used for!