Ed and Lorraine Warren visit Australia
No matter where you fall on the belief spectrum, Ed and Lorraine Warren remain the most recognisable ghost hunters in the world. Their names are now inseparable from The Conjuring franchise, but long before Hollywood transformed them into horror icons, the Warrens briefly crossed paths with Australia in one of the country's strangest paranormal stories.
In 1980, at the height of their fame, the Warrens travelled to Australia as guests on The Don Lane Show. Viewers were invited to phone in with reports of strange activity in their homes, generating more than 1,000 calls. Among them was a plea from Athol and Wendy Evans, a young family living in Gladesville, Sydney, who believed their house was haunted.
Accompanied by cadet journalist Jacqui Thompson, the Warrens visited the property. Thompson approached the investigation with scepticism, but according to reports, Ed and Lorraine immediately sensed something was wrong. They described the atmosphere as oppressive, heavy with negative energy.
The pair spent almost five hours in the house. Afterwards, they delivered a chilling verdict. According to newspaper reports, they urged the family to leave immediately.
The story exploded into national headlines. Sydney's The Sun ran the front-page headline "Family Flee 'Ghost House'", quoting Ed Warren as saying he had not encountered an evil presence like it since Amityville.
The comparison carried weight. By 1980, the Warrens had already investigated hundreds of cases in the United States, including the infamous Amityville house, where the Lutz family reported experiences ranging from unexplained voices and foul odours to violent mood changes. The case brought the Warrens worldwide fame and remains one of the most controversial hauntings in paranormal history.
Lorraine, who described herself as a clairvoyant and trance medium, reportedly experienced strong reactions inside the Gladesville home. Thompson later wrote of seeing Lorraine appear to "transfigure," though decades later she admitted she could no longer clearly remember the incident and suspected parts of the story may have been shaped by editors.
The Evans family followed the Warrens' advice and left the property, but scepticism quickly followed. Neighbours dismissed the haunting claims as nonsense, and many viewed the visit as a publicity stunt connected to the Warrens' television appearance.
Yet the story refused to disappear.
In 2024, journalist James Phelps revisited the case while researching Australian Ghost Stories. He uncovered accounts from previous occupants, including Wendy Evans' parents, who had also abandoned the house. Joy Evans claimed a curse had been placed on the property and described a series of disturbing experiences that eventually drove the family away.
Phelps also tracked down a later tenant who knew nothing of the house's reputation when she moved in. She described unexplained noises, objects appearing to move, and a persistent feeling that someone was standing directly in front of her. She also recalled discovering small, dungeon-like rooms beneath the house.
Whether coincidence, suggestion, or something stranger, the Gladesville story remains unresolved. The house was renovated in the late 1990s, and subsequent occupants reported no unusual activity.
Was it media-fuelled hysteria, a collection of unrelated experiences woven into a compelling narrative, or something genuinely unexplained?
As with most paranormal stories, the truth lies somewhere between belief and scepticism. What is certain is that the Warrens left an imprint wherever they went. And for one Sydney family in 1980, their advice was simple and final: leave now.
Read more about this story in Issue 13 of Unknowing magazine.
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