A demonic entity lays claim to family living in a secluded farmhouse, prompting them to seek the aid of two renowned paranormal researchers in this tale of possession inspired by actual events. The story gets underway as paranormal researchers Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) evaluate a mysterious doll discovered by a trio of young roommates in 1968. Believing their house to be haunted by the wayward spirit of a deceased young girl, they give the girl permission to inhabit the doll, and soon their lives become a waking nightmare. Informed by Ed and Lorraine that they have fallen victim to an inhuman spirit (aka a demon) seeking a human host, the roommates entrust the doll to the Warrens, who place it in their personal museum for safekeeping. Flash forward three years to Harrisville, Rhode Island, where the Perron family have just moved into their country dream home -- an 18th century farmhouse that offers plenty of space for parents Carolyn (Lili Taylor) and Roger (Ron Livingston), as well as their five daughters Andrea (Shanley Caswell), Nancy (Hayley McFarland), Christine (Joey King), Cindy (Mackenzie Foy), and April (Kyla Deaver). It seems like the ideal place to raise a family until a series of unsettling events leave the Perron family convinced they are not alone. Terrified, Carolyn reaches out to the Warrens for help, and learns that a demonic entity has attached itself to her family, and has no intentions of letting them go. Meanwhile, the deeper the Warrens delve into the farmhouse's history, the clearer it becomes that this spirit has a murderous agenda, and that no one will be safe until it is driven back into darkness.