Is The Conjuring 2 Enfield Poltergeist Based On A Real Person?

The Conjuring 2 features a handful of demons and poltergeists, one being Bill Wilkins, a frightening old man who may not be entirely fictional.

Summary

• The Conjuring 2 draws inspiration from real paranormal cases, including the Enfield poltergeist case.
• Bill Wilkins, a poltergeist in the film, is revealed to be a pawn for the malevolent force Valak, who becomes the true villain of The Conjuring 2.
• The introduction of Valak as a major evil force in The Conjuring Universe sets up the spin-off film The Nun, which explores the origins of this demonic entity.

In The Conjuring 2, Bill Wilkins is a poltergeist who haunts the Hodgson family in Enfield, London and he may be based on a real-life person. Directed by James Wan, this is the second film in The Conjuring series and the third film in the Conjuring Universe after the original 2013 movie and Annabelle. Taking place in the 1970s, The Conjuring 2 sees Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to England for their latest paranormal investigation, as single mother Peggy Hodgson and her four children begin experiencing paranormal activity in their home, starting with Bill Wilkins, the ghost of an elderly and cantankerous man.

The Conjuring franchise often takes inspiration from real events and paranormal cases. In The Conjuring, the family at the center, the Perrons, is based on an actual family; The Conjuring 3 is based on real-life characters and centers on the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson. And like its fellow franchise movies, The Conjuring 2 tells the true story of the Enfield poltergeist. Bill Wilkins appears in the first half of The Conjuring 2, the section of the film that is more closely aligned with the real story, but was he actually a person in real life?

The Conjuring 2's Bill Wilkins Is Based On A Real Person

In The Conjuring 2, Bill Wilkins died in the same Enfield home that the Hodgson family currently lives in. It’s Bill who seems to be causing paranormal happenings in the home, frightening the Hodgsons and bringing Ed and Lorraine to the house. During the course of their investigations, it becomes apparent that Bill is specifically targeting Janet in order to force the family out of what he considers "his home". Bill explains that he died from a hemorrhage in the same chair that Janet sees him in. According to History vs. Hollywood, the real Bill Wilkins died the same way and in the same Enfield home.

However, that is where the similarities between the real-life Bill Wilkins and The Conjuring 2 Bill Wilkins end. In the film, it’s clear that Bill is a true poltergeist, made perfectly and terrifyingly obvious in a scene where a possessed Janet silently and slowly morphs into the old man, cleverly shrouded in the background. However, the actual Enfield case and the attendant poltergeist are believed to be hoaxes, as the real Janet Hodgson’s "ability" to be a mouthpiece for Bill Wilkins seems to have been an idea planted by paranormal investigator Maurice Grosse, who also appears in the movie.

Bill Wilkins' Character Sets Up The Nun Movie

When it’s revealed that Janet is responsible for the paranormal events in the house, Ed and Lorraine are set to leave, assuming that the whole event is a hoax. However, The Conjuring 2 flips the script, and it’s discovered that Bill Wilkins is just a puppet for a far more malevolent force, Valak, who is the true villain of The Conjuring 2. Dressed as a nun, Valak terrorizes Lorraine throughout the movie, but it’s only after they discover its connection to the Enfield haunting that she learns how to defeat the demon. Wielding its full name "Valak" in The Conjuring 2, Lorraine is able to banish it back to hell.

The Conjuring 2 ends up establishing Valak as one of the most evil forces in The Conjuring Universe. The Nun continues this story as a spin-off to The Conjuring films, explaining the origins of Valak in the real world. While Bill Wilkins wasn’t the primary antagonist in The Conjuring 2 after all, he’s the door that Valak used to enter into the real world.