OVERLAY REPORT

In *The Conjuring 2* (2016), the primary conflict is the battle between paranormal investigators **Ed and Lorraine Warren** and the demonic entity **Valak** (manifesting as a "Demon Nun"). While the film initially presents the haunting of the Hodgson family as a localized poltergeist, it is eventually revealed that Valak is the architect behind the entire ordeal, specifically targeting the Warrens. ### **The Primary Conflict: The Warrens vs. Valak** The conflict is a spiritual and life-threatening struggle. Valak's objective is to break Lorraine Warren's spirit and kill her husband, Ed. The demon uses the haunting of an innocent family in Enfield, England, as a "lure" to draw the Warrens out of their self-imposed sabbatical. * **The Deception:** To hide its presence from Lorraine’s psychic abilities, Valak manipulates the spirit of **Bill Wilkins**, an old man who died in the Hodgson’s home. By forcing Bill to act as the "poltergeist," Valak prevents Lorraine from seeing the true demonic nature of the threat until late in the film. * **The Stakes:** The conflict is deeply personal. Lorraine is haunted by a vision of Ed being impaled, and the movie's tension revolves around whether she can prevent this premonition from coming true. ### **How the Conflict Started** The conflict starts at two different points depending on the characters involved: #### **1. For the Hodgson Family: The Ouija Board** The haunting in Enfield officially begins when the sisters, **Janet and Margaret Hodgson**, use a homemade Ouija board in their bedroom to "talk to their dad." * **The Inciting Incident:** Instead of their father, they inadvertently make contact with the spirit of Bill Wilkins. Shortly after, Janet begins sleepwalking and talking in a deep, gravelly voice. * **Escalation:** The activity quickly escalates from knocks on the walls to furniture moving on its own (notably a heavy dresser sliding across a door) and Janet being levitated or found trapped in various parts of the house. #### **2. For the Warrens: The Amityville Seance** While the Enfield haunting is starting in London, the Warrens' conflict with Valak begins during a seance at the **Amityville house** in New York. * **The Vision:** During a trance, Lorraine "sees" through the eyes of Ronald DeFeo Jr. as he murders his family. In this vision, she is confronted for the first time by the Demon Nun. * **The Warning:** Valak shows Lorraine a terrifying premonition of Ed being impaled by a sharpened tree branch. This encounter leaves Lorraine so shaken that she stops taking new cases until the Church specifically requests their help with the Enfield situation. ### **Secondary Conflicts** * **Public Skepticism:** A significant secondary conflict exists between the Warrens and **Anita Gregory**, a skeptic investigator who believes the Hodgson children are faking the hauntings for attention. This conflict peaks when Janet is caught on camera "faking" a scene (which she later reveals she was forced to do by the entity to drive the Warrens away). * **Internal Marital Tension:** There is an internal conflict between Ed and Lorraine; Ed is determined to help the family, while Lorraine is terrified that their involvement will lead to the death she saw in her vision. The resolution of the primary conflict occurs when Lorraine realizes she had scribbled the demon's name—**Valak**—in her Bible during a previous trance. By knowing its name, she gains power over it and is able to banish it back to Hell, saving both Janet and Ed.