About This Episode
What is this episode about?
The episode "ShortHand: The Conjuring" from RedHanded covers the real story behind The Conjuring, the 2013 horror blockbuster that drew huge crowds worldwide on the strength of its marketing as a 'true story' about a house plagued by demonic forces.
The episode pulls apart that marketing, arguing that the actual history behind the film is far messier and less supernatural than the movie suggests. Rather than malevolent spirits, the hosts point to marital discord, aggrieved neighbours, and a self-styled ghost-hunting couple who allegedly drove what amounts to an unfair smear campaign against a 19th century farmer's wife — the real woman whose life and reputation became the raw material for a horror franchise.
Hosts and release
Suruthi Bala and Hannah Maguire host RedHanded, a true crime podcast examining serial killers, cults and lesser-known cases through a cultural lens. The show runs to roughly 400 episodes, releases weekly, and is available on Spotify and Amazon Music, with bonus content offered exclusively via Patreon.
This particular instalment is a "ShortHand" episode, a shorter format running 33 minutes, released as episode 246 on 13 October 2026. It fits the show's recurring interest in examining how popular culture — in this case a famous haunted-house film — can distort or exploit the real lives of ordinary people behind the legend, turning a disputed domestic dispute into a horror marketing phenomenon.
