When a horror series goes as long as The Conjuring universe, it’s understandable that inconsistencies and plot holes will be present. The Conjuring series has been about Ed and Lorraine Warren’s cases concerning demons and spirits whom they seek to vanquish.
While the characters are based on real-life figures, quite a lot has been interjected in their history and characterizations through fiction. Due to this, there are a number of things about the couple that don't make sense. With The Conjuring 3 adding their adventures against the Occultist after their prior face-offs with Valak and Bathsheba, it’s worth noting the lack of logic behind several things to do with Ed and Lorraine.
Lorraine's Control Over Her Powers Slipping With Time
Lorraine’s use of clairvoyance is a recurring aspect in the series, with every movie featuring sequences where she finds vital information through them. Rather than getting better with experience, Lorraine has progressively become worse in holding herself together.
Lorraine had mentioned that her daughter’s clairvoyance was still in its early stages and she would get better in time. But if that’s the case, then it doesn’t make sense why Lorraine has lost control over her abilities. The Conjuring 3 showed her becoming far weaker than before after making user of her powers, to the point where Ed had to ask her to stop.
Why People Still Don't Believe Their Authenticity
Ed was shown frustrated in The Conjuring 2 over the fact that the popular opinion was still against him and Lorraine over their role as demonologists. He got over this eventually and confidently told Arne’s lawyer in The Conjuring 3 about the existence of both God and the devil.
Considering the number of cases the two have been involved with, which have been well documented on camera and seen by many people, it’s hard to believe that anyone can still be cynical about them. In the third part, they even managed to turn the police force and Arne’s lawyer into believers, so it’s strange that the public in general still questions the Warrens.
Lorraine Seeing An Angel Only Once & Never Again
In The Conjuring, Lorraine revealed that the reason she became such a believer was due to witnessing an actual angel when she was a child. What’s hard to believe about this is why she didn’t see another angel again considering Lorraine was around death a lot more.
In Annabelle Comes Home, she claimed to know that Daniela’s father was in the afterlife. If that’s the case, then Lorraine should have the ability to see angels around her as well, yet the story about seeing an angel seems to be a one-off for no reason.
Ed Completing An Exorcism When He Didn't Know He Had The Approval To Do So
The climactic moment of The Conjuring saw Ed go through with completing an exorcism despite having said earlier that he couldn’t since he wasn’t a priest. Later on, Lorraine confirmed that Ed had been given approval by the Vatican to go through with it and that’s why it had worked.
However, Ed had truly believed that he didn’t have the power to do so, meaning he didn’t have the faith in him to exorcise the spirit as a priest would. Moreover, if Ed never even needed to know about the approval, it would open many new questions over the possibility that the Vatican had essentially given him powers.
Why Spirits Don't Just Kill Them Straightaway
It’s understandable that the movies want to build up tension, which is why spirits spend most of the time antagonizing the Warrens rather than end them. And yet, it doesn’t make sense from an in-universe standpoint that the couple doesn’t face the antagonists’ full wrath.
The entities are seen killing off side characters with no problems, only to haunt the Warrens extensively until the protagonists find a way to fight them. While Lorraine can be given a pass since she has special powers, the spirits should logically kill off Ed the first chance they get.
Not Using The Occult Museum Earlier To Prove Their Point
In the first two The Conjuring movies, Ed and Lorraine shared their possession of the Occult museum only in passing and didn’t invite others there. This wouldn’t be an issue had they also not been frustrated by people who didn’t believe them, as the Occult museum can instantly turn a person into a believer.
This was seen in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It where Ed asked Arne’s lawyer to accompany him and Lorraine to the Occult museum. If it’s easy enough to do this, then it’s strange that the Warrens didn’t think to just do this earlier.
Their Lack Of Action Toward Ridding The Spirit Off The Annabelle Doll
Although Annabelle wasn’t involved in all the scares seen in The Conjuring 3, she was glimpsed at the end as still part of the Occult museum. It’s a very questionable move on the Warrens’ part to leave her still possessed by a demon considering they’ve gone to great lengths to exorcise others.
It’s even stranger considering the events of Annabelle Comes Home where the doll terrorized their own daughter. The couple hasn’t shown much regard toward finding a way to dispose of the demon despite knowing very well how dangerous it is.
Lorraine Only Occasionally Using Her Powers Outside Of Cases
It’s been shown that Lorraine can get severely hurt if she fully gives into her clairvoyance, but she’s claimed to have used it for more peaceful purposes. According to her, she even spoke to Elvis Presley once after his death, while she was confirmed to have communicated with Daniela’s father.
If she can bring comfort to people who have lost loved ones, it doesn’t make sense why Lorraine hasn’t done so. Along with that, Lorraine has chosen to talk to only particular individuals who weren’t even that important, leaving it unclear why she makes exceptions for them.
The Two Having No Problem With Daniela Releasing All The Entities In Their House
The premise of Annabelle Comes Home involved Daniela releasing the demon by accident after she purposefully entered the Occult museum to find something to communicate with her father. This led to Annabelle’s demon releasing a number of other spirits and came very close to killing the Warrens’ daughter.
Despite knowing of all this when Ed and Lorraine returned, they held no ill will toward Daniela, with Lorraine even comforting her. While it aligns with their characters to be empathetic, it’s a very big stretch to believe that they had no problem with Daniela’s act nearly causing an enormous calamity.
Their Inaction Toward Judy's Powers
Lorraine revealed that the Warrens’ daughter Judy also had the same powers as she does. According to her, Judy’s powers would get stronger as he grew, yet her parents haven’t done anything with this knowledge. After all, Lorraine confirmed that carrying these abilities was a burden as well.
It would make sense for Ed and Lorraine to make Judy accompany their activities since this would help her control her powers, but Judy was out of the main storyline in The Conjuring 3 entirely. In addition, Judy can end up being overwhelmed without knowing how to live with her clairvoyance and it doesn’t make sense why Ed and Lorraine haven’t acted on this possibility.