Bathsheba Sherman

Lore & Background

In the film, the Warrens' research suggests the Perron farmhouse was once home to Bathsheba Sherman, a woman accused of witchcraft. The movie claims she sacrificed her week-old baby to the devil and killed herself in 1863 at 3:07 AM, cursing all who take her land. However, historical records do not support these claims: Bathsheba Sherman died in 1885 from natural causes, there is no evidence she was a witch or Satanist, and the baby's death was attributed to natural causes or an accident. The film also invents a familial connection to Mary Towne Eastey and asserts numerous murders and suicides on the land, neither of which is historically documented. During the investigation, Lorraine Warren sees a vision of a woman possessed by Bathsheba, leading her to believe Bathsheba intends to force Carolyn Perron to kill her own children. The entity is so powerful that even leaving the house will not free the family from its grip.

In Their Own Story

In the cellar of the farmhouse, Lorraine Warren sees the spirit of a woman whom Bathsheba Sherman had possessed long ago and forced to kill her child. This vision reveals Bathsheba's pattern: she possesses mothers and compels them to murder their own children. Carolyn Perron becomes completely possessed by Bathsheba, and the Warrens realize she will force Carolyn to kill her daughters Christine and April. Ed, Lorraine, and police officer Brad Hamilton tie Carolyn to a chair, and Ed attempts an exorcism himself. Carolyn escapes and tries to kill April, but Lorraine calls to her by reminding her of a family memory, allowing Ed to complete the exorcism and condemn Bathsheba back to Hell.

Reader's Guide

Bathsheba Sherman is the malevolent spirit haunting the Perron farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island. She was an accused witch and Satanist who sacrificed her week-old baby to the devil and killed herself in 1863 at 3:07 a.m., cursing all who take her land. Her supernatural abilities include possession, as seen when she completely possesses Carolyn Perron, and the power to cause clocks to stop at 3:07 a.m. She also attacks the Warrens' daughter Judy as a warning. Lorraine Warren, using her clairvoyance, sees that Bathsheba has possessed other women in the past and forced them to kill their children. The Warrens ultimately perform an exorcism, with Ed completing the ritual after Lorraine reminds Carolyn of a family memory, sending Bathsheba back to Hell. Ed later adds the haunted music box from the Perron home to their room of cursed artifacts.

Did You Know?

• In the film, Bathsheba Sherman is said to have died at 3:07 AM, but this is a fictional detail; historically, she died in 1885 from natural causes.
• The movie claims Bathsheba sacrificed her week-old baby to the devil, but historical records show the infant's death was due to natural causes or an accident, with no evidence of witchcraft or Satanism.
• The film portrays Bathsheba as a relative of Mary Towne Eastey, a Salem witch trial victim, but this connection is not supported by historical records.
• Joseph Bishara, the film's composer, also played the role of Bathsheba Sherman in the movie.
• The claim that numerous murders and suicides occurred on Bathsheba's cursed land is an invented plot point, not documented in history.