As noted in the previous cast-focused article, on September 5, 2025, The Conjuring Universe is said to be coming to an end, at least as far as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) are concerned. The Conjuring: Last Rites is supposedly the final entry for the horror series that began back in 2013 with James Wan’s The Conjuring, and has since led to eight additional entries in the form of sequels and spin-offs, making it one of the rare cinematic universes that worked out for a studio. For this post, it’s time to hear what returning director Michael Chaves and producer James Wan have to say about the legacy of this series, how to continue emphasizing the role of these iconic characters, and what, if anything, is in store for the future.
[Note: Various quotes have been edited for clarity.]
From La Llorona to Last Rites, Director Michael Chaves
While the spin-offs have chosen entirely fictional paths to go down, The Conjuring films have remained rooted in actual cases the Warrens had to deal with. This time around, for ‘Last Rites,’ the movie is looking at the Smurl haunting, a Pennsylvania family who alleged that a demon had been inhabiting their home for over a decade. Working on how to bring a cinematic version of this story to life meant finding the right approach and doing the research. When asked about that process, Chaves had a few interesting notes to add.
“We actually worked with the Smurl sisters. They came on early, as we were developing the script for pre-production through production. And, you know, there’s a movie called The Haunted that was actually James’ introduction to the Warrens. It was also a movie that the Smurls really didn’t like. They had a lot of issues with it. So, when I was like, ‘What can I do in telling your story?” They, they said, don’t make that movie again. So, we just wanted to be true to their story. We really wanted to listen to what they said they experienced. And that was the big thing with this, in every way possible. We really tried to ground it in their experience. And, you know, based on things that they had gone through, that really fueled so much of the story.”
In terms of delivering a film designed to work as the endgame of The Conjuring Universe, Chaves had this to say about what that was like. “There’s obviously a lot of pressure. You know, it’s like this is a series I love so much, and the fans love so much. I think that the biggest thing with it is, ultimately, this is a journey we’ve been on with the Warrens and, you know, with Ed and Lorraine, and looking at it as a family story, and trying to tell a final chapter to their family story. So much of the experience of making this movie meant knowing we were saying goodbye. We’re saying goodbye to Ed and Lorraine, to Patrick [Wilson] and Vera [Farmiga]. We’re saying goodbye to this incredible series that we’ve been a part of for 12 years.
Chaves continues, “I was there with all of you guys when I saw that first one, and just fell in love with this series and fell in love with those characters in the world. And so, it is hard to say goodbye. I think that’s always hard when you’re coming to these final chapter movies. And I think that that’s why we leaned into the story of our relationship with children, or our children, you know, parents and children. Their relationship with Judy as they’re saying goodbye to their daughter and giving her away, and I think that it felt like a great metaphor.”
Even though this is seemingly the end of the line for Conjuring proper movies, it does still mean providing scares for audiences that are effective yet true to the series. In that regard, as Chaves explained, “You know, it’s tricky. We actually had a limited number of ways to scare audiences, and then we just kind of used them all up on this one. The Conjuring movies also have a distinct language and style. I think that there is something in the scares that is very playful, I think, by its nature. And I think that the DNA of the movie goes back to, honestly, the clap game from the first film. I think that, you know, with everything in the series, it is rooted in that sense of play. These entities and these darker forces are trying to lure us in with games, and they’re luring us in with toys. And I think Annabelle being a doll, it’s always, when you’re doing the scares. I think you’re always trying to push the boundaries a little bit.”
Chaves goes on to note, “There’s obviously a lot more blood in this movie than there was in previous Conjuring movies. I think there’s also a part of the language of that you know so much of the first film is rooted in the horror movies of the 70s, and in The Changeling and The Exorcist. We wanted to return to that and keep that DNA. But I also wanted a little bit of the flavor of the 80s. You know, we actually shot on C-Series anamorphic lenses, these kinds of great vintage lenses that they used on Poltergeist and on Alien. So, it kind of had a little bit of the texture of the ’80s. I think also, even just like the bloody sink scene is a little bit of an ode to, you know, The Shining and Nightmare on Elm Street, just that kind of language. I think there are always these movies that are always referencing other horror movies and horror movies of the period that they live in. So, I think that was always the basis for, you know, how we built these scares.”
As far as whether Chaves would want to do anything more with this series, here’s what he had to say. “I love this series. I would keep on making Conjuring movies. They would have to pull me away from it. I’m so glad I’m not the one who made the decision that this would be the last one, because it was up to me. I would just keep on making conjuring movies until the day I died. This really was designed to be a final chapter, and I think in terms of, you know, spin-offs, or, you know, all of that, that stuff, the door is open. But I think that this was something that James, [Producer] Peter Safran, and the studio really had the incredible confidence and wherewithal to say, ‘You know, we’re going to tell a final chapter. We’re going to bring it to a close on our own terms.’ And I am so glad for that. I’m so glad they made that decision, because I would have kept on dragging them around until they were in their 90s.”
The Elder Statesman, Producer James Wan
It’s impressive to think of how much James Wan has had an influence on the horror genre over the past couple decades, between getting a sub-genre trend going in Saw, re-emphasizing what can be done on a minimal budget with Insidious, and being a the center of what became a new cinematic universe with The Conjuring (and time will only tell when it comes to what happens with his gonzo cult-favorite horror freakout, Malignant). But for now, speaking with Wan about ‘Last Rites,’ I actually kicked this conversation off with his thoughts on where things are now versus how they started.
As Wan explained, “I do feel like an elder statesman. I feel like I’ve been doing this for a while now. I feel like I’ve been sort of passing the baton like two generations up to me already. But, in terms of the actual franchise, you know, I think that was part of the fun. I guess, you know, we’ve created the overall world. And for me, just shaping what I kind of wanted the world to feel like, and then at some point, I just felt like I can’t just direct every single one of these movies. And so, it’s a great opportunity to find a new filmmaker and an up-and-coming filmmaker, and give them the chance to kind of play in this world. So it’s been great, and that’s pretty much what I’ve pretty much been doing now for, like, nearly the last 10 years.
Speaking more to being the elder statesman, as far as his role as a producer, Wan has plenty of nice things to say about working with Chaves. “Michael’s very first movie was The Curse of La Llorona, and at Atomic Monster, we’ve made four films with him. He’s technically made more Conjuring movies than I have in this universe. So, he knows the world very well. But the best thing about working with Michael is literally watching him grow. And I’ve seen him grow with each subsequent film, from the first one to the second movie, to his third movie, to this final one. And he’s truly, you know, improved on each film that he’s made. And, we were super proud of Michael, and I think he’s done a terrific job. I’ve seen him put emphasis on the right thing with each movie. Obviously, he’s come to learn that what makes the Conjuring films so special, or especially The Conjuring mothership movies so special, is basically Ed and Lorraine, Patrick and Vera, right? And so he’s really got his focus and energy on those guys. The scares and the horror are obviously still very important for us, for the fans and all that, but he’s focusing on the right thing, and we all feel very good about this film.”
Looking at why this particular story was the one to focus on, Wan had this to say about focusing on the Smurls and the Warrens at this point in their lives. “It’s actually pretty personal for me. The TV movie that came out in the early ’90s, I think, called The Haunted, starring Sally Kirkland, was the movie that introduced me to Ed and Lorraine Warren. It felt full circle for me when I came back and used this particular case, the Smurl case, as the story, and had that be the last one. It just felt right.”
On that same note, telling stories about family and finding a level of sentimentality within that realm has always been important for Conjuring films. When asked about bringing a sense of finality to that overriding theme, along with the horror element, Wan had this to say. “Listen, I mean, obviously it’s a horror movie at the end of the day. And so the scares were important for us. The horror aspect was important for us, just because, you know, it is what people love to a big degree. And this is the fourth movie, and the ninth or 10th, in The Conjuring Universe. And so it was important for us to try and find a sort of new flavor within the horror. And that can get tricky, right when you’re like, the ninth or 10th one. So, you know, I helped Michael out there to try and find flavors and just different smelling scares, if you will.
Wan continued, “Ultimately, we felt the right thing to do with this last one was doing justice to sending the Warrens off, saying goodbye to Ed and Lorraine, and saying goodbye to Vera and Patrick as well. We wanted to capture the emotionality of the family dynamic, which is why bringing Judy, the daughter, and her boyfriend/ eventual husband, Tony, into the fall was so crucial to wrapping up the story for us. Because the emotion and the, you know, the love that fans have for this cinematic family, is very important for us, and we just wanted to make sure we did justice to that.”
As far as the future is concerned, when asked about the possibility of Judy Warren taking over the mantle when it comes to possible future films, Wan stated, “I don’t know. I guess, never say never. The setup and structure are inherently in place. Still, in terms of for us right now, I guess we are just really, at least for me, I’m just really focusing on kind of putting this last one out there and saying that, you know, this is the last one. I mean, I know there’s been talk outside the system and inside of 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.”
The Conjuring: Last Rites opens in theaters and IMAX on September 5, 2025.
