Few horror franchises have maintained both longevity and consistency the way The Conjuring has. Since its debut in 2013, audiences have followed Ed and Lorraine Warren across haunted houses, courtrooms, and possessed basements. Now, after more than a decade of facing the supernatural, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are ready to close the book on their iconic roles. The Conjuring: Last Rites will serve as a farewell not just to the characters but to a chapter of the franchise defined by their onscreen partnership.
Set in 1986, five years after the events of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, The Conjuring: Last Rites finds the Warrens in retirement — at least until one final case lures them back. This time, the haunting isn’t just about what’s lurking in the shadows, but what’s been buried in the past. “I felt strongly that the biggest, most emotional story we could tell was the most personal story,” irector Michael Chaves told Entertainment Weekly.
Vera Farmiga hinted that The Conjuring: Last Rites introduces a “moment that makes time stand still.” Her comments suggest the Warrens will face something unlike anything they’ve encountered before: something deeply tied to their own history. Wilson, meanwhile, described the film as a return to the franchise’s core: a story centered on family, faith, and fear. “The third film was more of a true crime detour,” he said. “This really felt like a proper ending to get back to the heart of the franchise, the family of it all.”
The Conjuring: Last Rites adapts the infamous Smurl haunting, a real-life case that drew national attention in the late ’80s. For producers, the true story’s media exposure became an asset. Executive producer Peter Safran pointed out that it’s “one of the more Googleable ones,” giving audiences an eerie head start before stepping into theaters. The Smurls’ claims made the rounds on TV shows like Larry King Live, turning their story into one of the most well-documented cases in the Warrens’ archive.
Safran confirmed that Last Rites marks the final appearance of Wilson and Farmiga as the Warrens, but not necessarily the end of the franchise. “It’s the end of the story with Patrick and Vera,” he said, leaving the door open for future projects set within the same universe. New Line Cinema president Richard Brenner echoed that sentiment, calling this the end of The Conjuring’s “phase one” and teasing additional entries including new titles and potential crossovers with other Warner Bros. horror properties like Evil Dead.
Whether or not the Warrens return in some future form, The Conjuring: Last Rites closes a chapter that began with a quiet knock on a farmhouse door in Rhode Island and ends with a case that may reveal just as much about the Warrens as it does the spirits they chase. Fans will soon find out what haunts a ghost hunter when the ghosts are personal.
The Conjuring: Last Rites opens in cinemas on 5 September.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, and anime — you name it. When she’s not reading or being a dedicated cinephile, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of Caleb from Love and Deepspace.
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