Spotlight on Ed and Lorraine Warren

At the center of The Conjuring Universe are Ed and Lorraine Warren, portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Their chemistry and emotional depth have become the franchise’s backbone by grounding supernatural spectacle in family dynamics. As producer Peter Safran reflects, “I think the success of the Universe has really hinged on the Warrens as a family. That’s why people keep coming back to see the next adventure, the next investigation, the next stage in their lives—it’s because they’ve fallen in love with Ed and Lorraine.”

The Conjuring: Last Rites delivers another chilling chapter of the popular Conjuring universe, bringing the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren to a powerful close. In this installment, they confront not only the forces of darkness threatening a new family, but also grapple with the challenges of aging, parenthood, and passing the torch to their daughter, Judy (Mia Tomlinson).

For director Michael Chaves, this was always the plan: “From the very beginning, James Wan, Peter Safran, and I saw The Conjuring: Last Rites as something that would bring to a close this journey of Ed and Lorraine Warren. The question was, ‘How can we land this with as much emotional impact as possible, while delivering all the scares you’ve come to expect?’”

Family Dynamics at the Heart of Horror

The final chapter brings the Warren family dynamic to the forefront, exploring the complexities of parenting, legacy, and generational trauma in the face of supernatural evil. Judy, the Warrens’ daughter, steps from the periphery into the spotlight, becoming an essential part of the story. Judy is depicted as the emotional center of her parents’ world—her well-being and future are at the core of Ed and Lorraine’s challenges.

Michael Chaves highlights this shift: “Judy is the Warrens’ daughter in all the Conjuring movies and in real life. She’s kind of been a secondary character, but in this movie, we wanted to reorient that and really show that their child is the most important thing in their life. We could also start going into a perspective that we hadn’t really thought of, which is, ‘What is it like to grow up as a Warren? What is it like to grow up in the shadow of your parents? And what is it like to grow up with the power that you’ve inherited from your mother?’”

Judy’s psychic gifts, passed down from Lorraine, become both a blessing and a curse. The dynamic between mother and daughter is especially tough, as Lorraine urges Judy to “shut it out,” hoping to protect her from the darker side of their legacy. This tension between sheltering a child and empowering her to face her fears echoes the universal challenges of parenthood, even as it plays out in the heightened world of supernatural horror.

A Haunting Rooted in Reality: The Smurl Family Case

One of the hallmarks of The Conjuring franchise—and a key to its enduring popularity among horror movie fans—is its foundation in real-life events. The Conjuring: Last Rites draws inspiration from the infamous Smurl family haunting of the mid-1980s in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. By weaving the Smurl case into the film’s narrative, it grounds its supernatural elements in real experience, making the horror all the more potent.

In Last Rites, the Smurl haunting not only serves as the central case for Ed and Lorraine, but also underscores the recurring theme of ordinary families facing extraordinary evil. Ed and Lorraine’s response to the Smurl family’s plight—traveling across the country to help people no one else believes—reinforces their compassion and determination.

Crafting Scares in The Conjuring Universe

What distinguishes The Conjuring movies from other horror franchises is their masterful approach to building terror. James Wan, who established the series’ signature style, has always emphasized the importance of atmosphere, tension, and discovery. “The real trick,” Wan says, “is letting yourself be absorbed in the environment, to play with possibilities, and to respond to what feels genuinely chilling. You have to let the story and the space tell you what’s scary.” Rather than relying solely on jump scares, The Conjuring films generate fear through meticulous sound design, clever camera work, and a slow-building sense of dread.

In The Conjuring: Last Rites, director Michael Chaves continues this tradition, crafting set pieces that are psychologically unnerving. “I wanted this opening scene to be the darkest thing we’ve seen in the series. And from that, comes something that is emotionally powerful,” Chaves explains. “We get the start of their family, the most important thing in their lives, but also, their Achilles heel—their daughter, Judy.”

Last Rites in Historical Context: 1980s America and Cultural Shifts

The Conjuring: Last Rites is set in 1986, immersing viewers in a decade marked by rapid social change, technological advances, and cultural upheaval. The film’s production design, costumes, and soundtrack all evoke the spirit of the era, creating a vivid backdrop for the Warrens’ latest—and possibly final—case. As Chaves puts it, “I love the ‘80s—I was born in the ‘80s, and The Conjuring: Last Rites is right smack dab in the mid-80s. It’s 1986. And we really dug into the period with the design, music, costumes, and things like a Ghostbusters reference.”

By the mid-1980s, the Warrens themselves had become polarizing figures—celebrated by some as spiritual warriors, dismissed by others as relics in a more skeptical age. Last Rites confronts this changing cultural landscape head-on, exploring the Warrens’ struggle to remain relevant as society’s faith in the supernatural wanes. “The world’s moved beyond them,” Chaves notes. “That’s a really interesting and kind of tense place to start from. And on top of that, they’re struggling with the idea of their daughter all grown up and starting to move on.”

The Lasting Impact of The Conjuring Universe

Since its debut, The Conjuring Universe has redefined modern supernatural horror, elevating the genre with its unique hybrid of fact and fiction, heart and terror. Each film in The Conjuring Universe ranks among the best horror movies of the last decade, inspiring an array of spin-offs and imitators, including the successful Annabelle and The Nun series.

The End of an Era, the Beginning of a Legacy

As The Conjuring: Last Rites brings the saga of Ed and Lorraine Warren to a close, it cements the franchise’s place in cinematic history. More than just a series of horror films, The Conjuring Universe is a deep exploration of faith, family, and the courage to face the unknown.