The Conjuring franchise is preparing to unleash its chilling finale with The Conjuring: Last Rites, a film that promises to be both terrifying and deeply emotional. Scheduled for release on September 5, 2025, the movie will close the book on Ed and Lorraine Warren’s cinematic journey, with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprising their roles one last time. Directed by Michael Chaves and produced by James Wan, the film draws from one of the Warrens’ most disturbing cases: the haunting of the Smurl family.
The Smurl Haunting
Between 1973 and 1989, Jack and Janet Smurl and their daughters endured years of paranormal torment in their West Pittston, Pennsylvania duplex. The family reported terrifying phenomena—foul odors, strange knocks, shaking mattresses, violent apparitions, and even physical and sexual assaults by an unseen entity.
In 1986, desperate for help, the Smurls reached out to famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Ed described the presence as a “very powerful demon,” claiming the home was plagued by multiple entities, with one particularly malevolent spirit at the helm. Chilling accounts included temperature drops, distorted echoes, and paranormal activity caught on tape.
But not everyone believed. Skeptics labeled the case a hoax, pointing to the Warrens’ long history of sensational claims. Later residents of the Smurl home reported no paranormal disturbances, fueling doubts about the family’s story. Still, the haunting became widely known thanks to the book The Haunted and a 1991 made-for-TV movie.
Why This Story Matters for Last Rites
After experimenting with courtroom drama in The Devil Made Me Do It, The Conjuring: Last Rites returns to the series’ haunted house roots. The Smurl case is a perfect choice for a finale—it’s a story soaked in dread, family trauma, faith, and the eternal tug-of-war between believers and skeptics.
For the Warrens, this final confrontation isn’t just with a demon—it’s with their own mortality. Ed’s health struggles and their advancing years give the film an added emotional weight, promising an ending that feels as personal as it is terrifying.
The End of an Era
With James Wan producing and a talented creative team behind it, The Conjuring: Last Rites is set to be a haunting swan song. The Warrens’ cinematic saga, which began in 2013, has terrified audiences for over a decade. Now, with the Smurl family’s infamous haunting at its heart, the franchise will close in the same spirit it began—with a family under siege and evil lurking in the shadows.
