My Real Life Incident at The Conjuring 2

This is a true story and more importantly it’s a story about what happened to me this past week at the Carmike Movie Theater. This column has always been about paranormal subject matter. Now, I don’t know if this falls under that category or if it’s just a case of coincidence. Either way, I feel compelled to write about what happened to me while watching the movie, The Conjuring 2.

I want to compliment James Wan to start, as I found this movie to be frightening, even by my own high standards. He has certainly raised the bar for future horror movies. As I watched the movie, I felt… the best word that I can come up with is “anxious”.

Here is where the strange part of the experience kicks in. There were several moments during the movie that I felt uncomfortable. This feeling was accompanied by a head ache that throbbed behind my ear and tightness down my neck. I remember thinking to myself, what the hell is going on with me? Probably nothing more than a head ache, right? Shortly after leaving the theater, my left eye started to uncontrollably water.

This continued for the duration of the day and into the evening. I have allergies, so I’m thinking that this eye watering thing is just that… some type of allergy attack. I couldn’t be more wrong. I woke up the next morning with the left side of my face in paralysis. I had suffered a episode of Bells Palsy. As I’m typing this article, I’m still suffering from those same symptoms. It feels like I got a shot of nova-cane and it’s numbed the entire left side of my face.

The burning questions is… Did The Conjuring 2 cause my Bells Palsy? It’s certainly something that I’ve pondered over the last several days. As a horror fan, it’s disturbingly exciting to think that a horror movie can cause such a reaction. I will say this, I have battled with Bells Palsy one time before. That said, it’s been 20 years since my very first and only other Bells Palsy episode.

Back then, It took about a month for me to regain full feeling to my face. I’m hoping the same results, if not quicker. I almost didn’t write anything about this, as I consider myself a private person and very rarely do I let me personal life spill over into the world of horror. If The Conjuring 2 caused my Bells Palsy, then I must admit that this could very well be one of the scariest movies in decades. Coincidence? Perhaps….