The Conjuring: Last Ritesis set to conclude the series of films created by James Wan in 2013, which eventually evolved into the most successfulhorrorfranchise of all time. The fourth andfinal chapter of the Warrens-verseends the saga, and naturally,Last Riteswas always going to be projected as an epic conclusion. However, producer Peter Safran and director Michael Chaves thought of making a film in the same vein as MCU’s massive showdown,Avengers: Endgame.
“We toyed with the idea,” Safran said to Entertainment Weekly, teasing a project that was larger in scale than what they had originally come up with. Safran has been supervising the franchise along with James Wan since its beginnings. He’s joined by Chaves, aConjuringveteran making his fourth feature in the horror universe (he directedThe Curse of La Llorona,The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, andThe Nun II. The creative duo behindThe Conjuring: Last Ritesconfirmed that the project always felt like a worthy and epic ending,à la Avengers: Endgame:
“When we were developing the movie, we always called it Conjuring: Endgame because it was a culmination of a great story that audiences had been with.
I’m not saying that our movie is the same as the Avengers: Endgame run of movies, but there was something about building an audience through this storytelling mechanism, through Ed and Lorraine Warren. Knowing that Last Rites was going to be the last one made us put a lot into it to make sure that it was an incredibly satisfying experience and a really emotional experience.”
How to Watch The Conjuring Universe in Order
With nine movies in total and more coming out, here’s how to watch The Conjuring Universe in order by release date and chronology.
Chaves also said that, whilst preparing the film, they juggled around some ideas for makingLast Ritesmore of a shared universe piece. Character crossovers are typical in the franchise based on the Warrens' real-life practices as paranormal investigators. Nevertheless, Chaves says that, while the fourth and final chaptercould have been a huge reunion, they ultimately decided to change this direction:
“Even as we were developing it, we were throwing a bunch of ideas out: ‘How shamelessly big can we make it?’ ‘How epic can we make it?’ ‘Is this the culmination of all the demons coming to face them?’
“Even though we entertained that idea for a minute, we stepped away. I felt strongly that the biggest, most emotional story we could tell was the most personal story.”
The Final Chapter of ‘The Conjuring’ Franchise Will Still Feature Some “Familiar” Faces
Even thoughThe Conjuring: Last Riteswon’t be a big crossover event film, this doesn’t mean that the filmmakers behind the final chapter of the franchise didn’t find a way to include other iconic characters from the Warrens' files. Safran did not reveal much, but he teased a few cameosby your favorite ghouls:
“Without any spoilers, we took the opportunity to maybe bring back some fan favorites. You can watch this movie never having seen a Conjuring movie and have a totally satisfying viewing experience, but if you’re a little bit more of a dedicated Conjuring fan, there’s a lot in this for you that maybe a more casual viewer wouldn’t necessarily pick out.”
Consider us officially excited about the next and final entry inThe Conjuring universe, which releases in theaters on Sept. 5, 2025.
