The one that got away, why I still think about The Crooked Man

When we wrapped The Conjuring 2, I was sure The Crooked Man was next. He was eerie, off-kilter, and looked like something pulled straight out of a childhood fever dream. I thought he’d be our next Annabelle moment, the spine of another standalone movie built within the universe we were quietly expanding. But the audience had other ideas.

The Nun entered the scene, and something shifted. That gothic presence, the imagery, the uncanny intensity of her role pulled everyone in. Suddenly, it wasn’t The Crooked Man fans were asking about. It was her. I had to listen. We all did. That’s the thing about building horror universes: You guide the story, but the audience decides what haunts them most.

Even now, I still think about The Crooked Man. He’s a character I haven’t fully let go of. I get messages all the time from fans begging us to bring him back. And I would love to. There’s a version of that movie still alive in my head, waiting for the right moment, the right window, maybe the right technology.

Because here’s the truth, sometimes what kills a project isn’t lack of vision, it’s timing. And sometimes all it takes to bring something back from the grave is a new way to show the world what you see in your mind.

That’s why I get so excited about what tools like Aux Machina can do now. Back when we pitched Saw, we had to scrape together props, draw storyboards by hand, and shoot proof-of-concepts with pocket change. If we’d had access to a platform like this that lets you create photorealistic concept art with just a few clicks, it would’ve changed everything.

Now, you can bring a character like The Crooked Man to life in seconds. No film school, no special effects crew, no budget bottleneck. Just a clear idea and the courage to explore it. For horror fans, for storytellers, for anyone haunted by something they haven’t yet made, this is the best time in history to start.