The Conjuring (2013) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Bathsheba's spirit specifically targets mothers to kill their children because of her own tragic history. She was an accused witch who sacrificed her own infant to the devil and then committed suicide, vowing to curse anyone who inhabited her land. Her demonic pact twisted her spirit into seeking other mothers as vessels to carry out child sacrifices, which is why she possesses Carolyn to harm her daughters.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, the Warrens explain that Bathsheba's spirit has latched onto the Perron family, foreshadowing her specific targeting of the mother.

• bathsheba
• witch
• mothers
• possession
• curse

The music box at the end suggests that the evil has not been fully contained. When Ed places Bathsheba's music box on his shelf of cursed artifacts and it suddenly plays on its own, it implies that the demonic presence has followed the Warrens home or remains active. This creates lingering dread despite the successful exorcism, reinforcing the film's theme that pure evil is difficult to fully eradicate.

Foreshadowing: The music box was shown as one of the haunted objects the Warrens collected from the farmhouse, suggesting it carries residual evil.

• music box
• ending
• haunted
• artifact
• post-credits

Carolyn becomes possessed because Bathsheba's spirit has been actively trying to claim a mother as her vessel throughout the film. When Carolyn returns to the house alone with two daughters while the family stays at a hotel, she becomes vulnerable. The demon seizes this opportunity to fully possess her, using her body to attempt the ritual sacrifice of her daughter April, whom it traps under the kitchen floorboards.

Foreshadowing: The Warrens had already warned the family that Bathsheba intends to possess mothers to kill their children, making Carolyn's return to the house a critical vulnerability.

• carolyn
• possession
• demon
• bathsheba
• april

The dog senses the supernatural evil presence in the farmhouse before any visible paranormal activity occurs. Animals are often depicted as sensitive to spiritual entities in horror films, and the dog's refusal to enter serves as an early warning sign that something is wrong with the property. The dog later dies mysteriously, reinforcing that the house contains a malevolent force.

Foreshadowing: The dog's behavior is the first supernatural indicator, foreshadowing the dark presence that will escalate throughout the film.

• dog
• sadie
• death
• premonition
• animal

3:07 AM is referred to as the witching hour, a traditionally significant time in occult beliefs when supernatural activity is believed to be strongest. The Warrens set up their monitoring equipment hoping to capture evidence when the spirit would be most active, but interestingly, the clocks fail to stop at exactly 3:07 AM during their first night of investigation, which initially suggests the haunting may not be as strong as they expected.

Foreshadowing: The significance of 3:07 AM was established through the Warrens' investigation methods and their expectation of heightened demonic activity.

• 3:07
• witching hour
• clocks
• time
• demonic

Lorraine breaks Carolyn's possession by appealing to her maternal love and reminding her of her family. While Carolyn is being forced to harm her daughter April, Lorraine grabs Carolyn's face and urges her to remember how much she loves her children and what her family means to her. This emotional appeal weakens the demon's grip, allowing Carolyn to fight back the evil influence and release April safely.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the film, the power of family love is contrasted with Bathsheba's hatred, making this emotional confrontation the key to breaking the possession.

• lorraine
• carolyn
• family
• love
• break possession

Bathsheba was an accused witch who lived on the property in the 1800s. She made a demonic pact and sacrificed her own infant to the devil before hanging herself in the house. Before her death, she cursed the land, vowing that any family who dared to live there would suffer. This curse has led to multiple murders and suicides at the farmhouse over the decades, creating the long history of evil that the Warrens uncover.

Foreshadowing: The discovery of Bathsheba's history comes through the Warrens' research, revealing the root cause of the haunting.

• bathsheba
• witch
• curse
• history
• sacrifice

An exorcism becomes necessary because the paranormal activity escalates beyond what the Warrens can handle through investigation alone. The spirit of Bathsheba has latched onto the family with increasing aggression, culminating in the direct attack on the eldest daughter and eventually possessing Carolyn. The Catholic Church's authorization is required because the case involves demonic possession, which is beyond standard paranormal intervention.

Foreshadowing: Lorraine initially senses the malevolent spirit and warns that an exorcism may be required, setting up the eventual ritual.

• exorcism
• church
• catholic
• demon
• ritual

The Warrens use thermal cameras and alarms to capture objective evidence of the paranormal activity. They hope to document temperature drops, which are associated with spiritual manifestations, and trigger events that would prove the presence of a supernatural entity. This evidence is also needed to support their request for an official exorcism from the Catholic Church, as they require concrete proof before the Church will authorize the ritual.

Foreshadowing: The cameras capture a significant temperature drop around Cindy during her sleepwalking episode, revealing the spirit's presence.

• thermal cameras
• evidence
• investigation
• drew
• proof

The clocks fail to stop at 3:07 AM during the first night of monitoring because the demon is deliberately misleading the investigators. Despite the significance of the witching hour, the entity chooses not to manifest during this expected time, creating doubt and demonstrating its malevolent intelligence. The demon wants to evade detection and frustrate the Warrens' attempts to document its presence.

Foreshadowing: This failure to capture evidence at the expected time initially suggests the haunting may be less significant than believed, until further terrifying events occur.

• clocks
• 3:07
• evidence
• trick
• investigation

The secret passage behind the wardrobe connects to the cellar where Bathsheba committed her original dark rituals. When Cindy sleepwalks into the wardrobe and the door slams shut, the family discovers this hidden space. This passage reveals how Bathsheba's spirit moves through the house and where she has claimed the souls of those she has killed, making it a critical location in understanding the full scope of the haunting.

Foreshadowing: The wardrobe incident where Cindy bangs her head foreshadows this secret area, as the spirit repeatedly draws children to that location.

• wardrobe
• secret passage
• cellar
• cindy
• bathsheba