©Courtesy of Warner Brothers
Horror fans will be overjoyed when they learn that Ed and Lorraine Warren’s case files are open again for another movie in the Conjuring franchise.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles as the famous paranormal investigators in “The Conjuring: Last Rites“, 12 years after the original James Wan film brought them to the big screen, which earned huge box office business.
Like the previous movies, Last Rites uses inspiration from a real case (how real is it depends on how much you believe in the supernatural) that the Warrens investigated during their careers, this case concerns a small haunting that occurred in Pennsylvania and was brought to the attention of the Warrens in the 1980s.
Jack and Janet Smurl became a media star because they suggested that demons lived in the house they bought in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, they allege that they have been mentally and physically abused by demons since almost the moment they moved in in 1973. According to The Smurls, the entities produced loud noises and had foul odors, while also pushing their daughter down the stairs, throwing their dog against the wall, and even engaging in sexual assaults.
By 1986, the Smurls called in the Warrens, who immediately supported the couple’s assertion that there was something powerful in their house. The presence of the Warrens only made the Smurfs more famous and prominent on talk shows, and they co-authored a book about their experience titled ‘The Haunted: One Family’s Nightmare’. In the 1980s, the story and the Smurfs faced considerable criticism, with the press and pundits speculating that there was a conspiracy between the couple and the Warrens to increase their popularity. According to psychologists, the minors were utilizing paranormal claims to explain away their hallucinations or psychiatric struggles.
Mia Tomlinson, Rebecca Calder, Elliot Cowan, Kíla Lord Cassidy, Beau Gadsdon, Tilly Walker, Molly Cartwright, Peter Wight, and Kate Fahy co-star in the film.
This film — billed as Wilson and Farmiga’s final time in the roles — follows the true story of the Smurl family haunting in Pennsylvania in the ’80s. Last Rites comes after the 2013 original and 2016’s The Conjuring 2, which were directed by James Wan, and 2021’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, directed by Chaves.
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” is in U.S cinemas from 5 September 2025.