Who doesn’t want to star in their own ghost hunt? Even if you’ve instigated some ill-advised paranormal activity of your own with a Ouija board, your options have likely been limited. But that changes with The Conjuring: Unspoken, a game based on the blockbuster horror franchise exclusively on Netflix.

What kind of game is The Conjuring: Unspoken?

The Conjuring: Unspoken is an interactive, paranormal investigation you can play from your couch. It’s a narrative game, so you shape the story by choosing different dialogue options as you play. Using your phone, you scour the historic Red Lion Inn (a reportedly haunted place in England) for clues about things that go bump in the night.

You start things off as Bryony Cooper, an 8-year-old girl who hasn’t spoken a word since her mother died. The combination of her grief and inherent paranormal sensitivity makes Bryony a perfect target for otherworldly visitors. As the story plays out, a demon begins invading her dreams.

At key points, the perspective switches to that of demonologist Francesca Noakes. Playing as Francesca, you scan the area around you with an electromagnetic field reader, an infrared camera, and a spirit box — ghost-hunting tools of the trade for finding apparitions in the wild. The big screen shows your virtual environment, while the one in your hand serves as the controller for these tools. The infrared camera, for instance, allows you to see a thermal overlay of the environment while you’re looking for cold spots that indicate an otherworldly presence.

Check out this article for more about using your phone as a controller.  

What’s The Conjuring universe about?

The Conjuring movies center on a pair of paranormal investigators who patrol the US and UK investigating hauntings and the realm of the macabre. The first film in the series debuted in 2013, followed by The Conjuring 2, which explored the Enfield poltergeist. Since its haunted house debut, The Conjuring series has spanned four main films and a handful of spin-off titles. It’s also inspired prequels about a demonically possessed doll (Annabelle) and a demon nun (The Nun). 

The Conjuring: Unspoken might actually be scarier than the movies because you’re an active participant. It starts out innocently enough. The grief-stricken Cooper family arrives at a centuries-old inn, and strange things start happening: Dolls go missing, a daughter hears her deceased mom’s voice whispering in the night, a ballerina music box starts playing by itself. Oh, and there’s a creepy well, too. You know, the usual stuff. One failed séance later and things get a little hairy.

As the haunting progresses, you’ll use your wits — and your smartphone — to free the Cooper family from the phantasmal grip of the grief-feeding demon Vinea and Florrie, a ghost out of English folklore.

Who’s in The Conjuring: Unspoken?

The Conjuring: Unspoken centers on the Cooper family, demonologist Francesca Noakes, a ghost straight out of English folklore, and a demon bound to a well. If your investigation succeeds, you might even catch a glimpse of the investigators’ collection of curiosities.

• Jack Cooper: He just lost his wife, and suddenly finds himself raising two girls alone while trudging through cascading waves of grief. Ever the skeptic, Jack resists the paranormal until confronted with irrefutable proof.
   
• Bryony Cooper: For demons and ghosts, there’s something irresistible about a grieving child. Bryony is Vinea and Florrie’s main target.
   
• Charlotte Cooper: Like most teens, Charlotte just wants to live her own life with minimal interference. The death of her mother means that now she’s a caretaker for her younger sister, something she never asked for.
   
• Olivia Cooper: Olivia Cooper lives on in the memories of her daughters and her husband — which makes her voice calling out to Bryony at the Red Lion Inn an absolutely skin-crawling affair.
   
• Florrie: Every ghost story needs a ghost, and Florrie is The Conjuring: Unspoken’s. As the story goes, her husband murdered her when he discovered her infidelities upon returning home from the English Civil War, and then threw her body into the Red Lion Inn’s well.
   
• Vinea: The resident demon who devours grief with his afternoon tea, Vinea is bound to the well where Florrie resides and has a penchant for possession, along with altering memories and branding his victims.

Do I need to watch The Conjuring movies to play The Conjuring: Unspoken?

You don’t need to watch the movies to play The Conjuring: Unspoken. That said, if you’re in deep with the Conjuring universe, you’ll get a lot more from the experience. There are a few familiar faces that pop up in the game, and knowing the backstory adds to the overall impact.

Where can I play The Conjuring: Unspoken?

Play The Conjuring: Unspoken right here with your Netflix subscription.