Vera Farmigaadmits she is a changed woman thanks to her role in theConjuringmovies.

With the latest entry — the horror franchise’s eighth total —The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It(out Friday in theaters and on HBO Max),Patrick Wilsonand Farmiga once again portray Ed and Lorraine Warren, real-life paranormal investigators. The actors have done deep dives into the world of dark-sided curses and demons, something Farmiga says made her stronger.

“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t affect me, the first two films. But I think I’ve toughened up,” Farmiga, 47, tells PEOPLE. “I had to do a lot of really weirdo research for this project. I’ve gone down some dingy holes.”

As far as how to separate the scary subject matter from her life, Farmiga recalls getting “tremendously” helpful advice from the real Lorraine, whodied in 2019 at age 92. (Ed died in 2006 at 79.)

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson inThe Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It(2021).Ben Rothstein

(L-r) VERA FARMIGA as Lorraine Warren and PATRICK WILSON as Ed Warren in New Line Cinema’s horror film “THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

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“One of the first things Lorraine said to me is that, from her perspective and her knowledge of the diabolical, all of that negative stuff feeds on fear. That is probably something I’ve learned to push away year after year,” Farmiga says with a laugh. “And that’s really, honestly, the trick — how does one do that? I don’t necessarily have a recipe for that, other than knowing the knowledge of that.”

Ben Rothstein

(L-r) VERA FARMIGA as Lorraine Warren and PATRICK WILSON as Ed Warren in New Line Cinema’s horror film “THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

As for Wilson, the actor tells PEOPLE he chooses to see the positive in any unexplained occurrence rather than assuming the worst.

“We’re not dealing withboringdemons and ghosts in these movies; it’s always, like,theworst,” says Wilson, 47. “One thing Lorraine did say to me, when I was talking about a supernatural occurence — long story, but — about these kids and hearing kids' voices, she just very nonchalantly said, ‘It’s probably a child’s spirit who just wants to play.’ It was so off the cuff, and it actually did resonate with me: if there is something otherworldly or supernatural or unexplained, it doesn’t necessarily have to be bad.”

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do Itis in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.

source: people.com