Upcoming sequel The Conjuring: Last Rites is said to be the final installment in the mainline franchise, yet that doesn’t mean the end of the extended Conjuring Universe.
But what exactly does that mean… ?
New Line Cinema CCO Richard Brener indicated earlier this year that Last Rites is considered the conclusion of “phase one” of the extended franchise that includes The Nun, The Nun 2, Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation, and Annabelle Comes Home.
The final mainline entry also serves as the final bow for Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s characters, Ed and Lorraine Warren, a culmination of their epic romance/horror saga over four films as well as appearances in multiple spinoffs. It also brings the Warrens’ daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson), now grown, into the family line of business as the Warrens face their most dangerous case yet, one that also happens to be one of the real-life Warrens’ most infamous: the Smurl family haunting.
The Conjuring originator and producer James Wan, speaking at a recent press event, explained why Last Rites had to feature this particular case. And why now was the right time.
Wan explains, “We don’t want to be doing this 20 movies down the line, where we’ve driven the franchise into the ground. We love the idea that we’re going out with a big bang whilst everyone’s still loving the world, loving the movies, and loving the characters. It just feels right.
“We’ve been doing this for over 10, 12 years, and I think it’s nice to just take a break from it. A big break from it.“
VERA FARMIGA as Lorraine Warren and MIA TOMLINSON as Judy Warren in New Line Cinema’s “THE CONJURING: LAST RITES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Wan continues, “So, I think that’s more the case, to want to go out on a high whilst we’re still on top, so to speak. As to why this particular case, it’s actually pretty personal for me. The movie, the TV movie that came out in the early ’90s, called The Haunted, starring Sally Kirkland, was the movie that introduced me to Ed and Lorraine Warren. It just felt full circle for me to come back and use this particular case, the Smurl case, as the last one. It just felt right.”
That the real-life Judy grew into her own as a paranormal investigator raises the obvious question as to whether Last Rites could be perceived as a torch passing between parents and daughter, with Mia Tomlinson’s Judy anchoring “phase two.” Wan’s answer is much more cautious about the franchise’s future.
“That’s a very good question, which I have been asked a little bit in terms of the torch passing,“ the filmmaker tells BD. “I don’t know. Never say never. The setup and the structure are inherently there. But I’m just really focusing on kind of putting this last one out there and saying that this is the last one. I mean, I know there’s been talk outside the system and inside about the possibility of a phase two, but I don’t know.
“I’m a little bit superstitious, and I don’t want to jump the gun, but if there is a phase two, something like that does not seem out of place. Actually, it feels very organic, if you will.”
See how The Conjuring as we know it ends when The Conjuring: Last Rites releases in theaters on September 5, 2025.
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