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The Conjuring franchise has been captivating and horrifying fans since 2013 and shows no signs of slowing down. The three existing movies of the “core” franchise (Conjuring films only, we’ll address the spinoffs later) loosely follow the real-life cases of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. James Wan, who created the Conjuring universe, is also a co-creator of the Insidious franchise, so it can get a little confusing to differentiate the franchises at times, due to the fact that Patrick Wilson stars in both. Wan directed the first two (and arguably most popular) films, but the third installment was directed by Michael Chaves.
In addition to the “core four” Conjuring movies, there are a total of seven films in the collective franchise so far, with more to come. Two of the haunted artifacts that Ed Warren keeps in his Cabinet of Curiosities got their own spinoff movies: Annabelle and The Nun. The Annabelle movie was popular enough to get two sequels, Annabelle: Creation and Annabelle Comes Home. The Nun currently has a sequel in the pipeline, and honorable mention goes to The Curse of La Llorona, which does not have any direct ties to Ed or Lorraine. In addition to the films, a television series for Warner Bros’ MAX has been announced as being in development to continue telling the stories of the Warrens.
Speaking of the Warrens, the real-life paranormal investigative duo made headlines in the 60s and 70s for prominent cases such as the Annabelle doll and the Perron family (The Conjuring), the Amityville murders and the Enfield Poltergeist (The Conjuring 2), and Arne Johnson (The Devil Made Me Do It). However, in the 90s, the couple was investigated and deemed frauds by the New England Skeptical Society. The real Warrens might have been scam artists, but they sure make for a great franchise! Now that the fourth film has an official title, as announced just days ago at the Las Vegas CinemaCon.
With many questions surrounding the newest installment, let this article serve as a humble guide to everything we know about The Conjuring: Last Rites.
When Will The Conjuring: Last Rites Come Out?
No official release date has been announced, but looking at the timelines from the previous films in the franchise, we might not get a release date or trailer until sometime in 2024. As development progresses, we will undoubtedly get updates on new cast members and plotlines, and we will of course keep you updated!
In the meantime, if you find yourself hankering for a haunting, all three of the previous Conjuring installments are available to watch for free (with ads) on Tubi, and are all available to rent or purchase on other streaming platforms such as Amazon, Apple TV, and Vudu. You can use the following link to rent the first movie, The Conjuring (2013), on Amazon:
Is There a Trailer for The Conjuring: Last Rites?
No trailer has been released as the movie is still in pre-production, but we’ll update you as soon as we get word on a trailer or official poster. To quote a certain famous Pixar movie… “You can’t rush art!” While you wait, here's the trailer for the first Conjuring movie to get you into the mood for a haunting:
Who Are the Cast and Crew of The Conjuring: Last Rites?
The only two confirmed cast members are Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren, respectively. Wilson has a long working relationship with James Wan, as they have worked together on the Insidious franchise as mentioned earlier. Fun fact about Patrick Wilson, he initially started acting on Broadway, performing in The Full Monty before transitioning to Broadway on the big screen in the 2004 film The Phantom of the Opera. He utilizes his singing chops in The Conjuring 2 when he sings an Elvis song for the Hodgson children.
Aside from her role as Lorraine Warren in the previous Conjuring films, Vera Farmiga is best known for her role as psychiatrist Madolyn in The Departed. She was also the adoptive mother in the first Orphan film. Her sister, Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story) stars in another Conjuring franchise film, The Nun, and will be returning for the sequel, which will come out later this year. Will we ever see the sisters on screen together in a future film in the franchise? We'll just have to wait and see.
For those who were not fans of the third Conjuring movie, but loved the first two, keep your fingers crossed because it’s still up in the air as to who will direct the upcoming film. We do know for certain, though, that James Wan will be co-producing once more with Peter Safran, who has produced many of the films in the Conjuring franchise, as well as the 2021 Suicide Squad. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who wrote the screenplays for The Conjuring 2 and Devil Made Me Do It, will also be returning to write the fourth film.
What Is The Conjuring: Last Rites About?
James Wan has been pretty tight-lipped regarding if this film will be the last Conjuring movie, and even more secretive about the plot, although he did express interest once in pitting the Warrens against a lycanthrope or placing them in a Hound of the Baskerville setting. As fun as that would be, the antagonist that the demonologists will have to face in the upcoming film is most likely going to be, well, a demon. In all seriousness, there are only two major cases that the Warrens investigated that have not been covered in any of the prior films. Wan has also told Collider that this may be the final Conjuring movie, so it's likely that the focus will be on wrapping up the Warrens' story, at least for the time being.
The first is the haunting of the Snedeker house, a former funeral parlor now inhabited by a family in the 80s. The movie A Haunting In Connecticut is based on this exact case, although the 2009 film omitted the involvement of the Warrens and simply told the story based on their recounts. The second possible case to feature is the haunting of the Smurl family. Similar to the Perron family in the first Conjuring, the Smurls reached out to the Warrens reporting strange activity, smells, and apparitions within their home.
We also know that the Warrens always have at least one crazy exorcism scene in each of the previous films, and considering this one will be named Last Rites, it will likely tie religion into the plot heavily. In the Catholic faith, “the last rites,” or “Commendation of the Dying,” are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of the Catholic faith shortly before their death, when possible. The title for the upcoming movie certainly raises a few eyebrows in regard to if this will be the final Conjuring film or not, especially in light of Wan's comments.