Celebrating ‘The Last Rites' With 12 Years Of ‘Conjuring': Top 5 Iconic Scares From The Universe

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The horror genre is no stranger to shared universes, where sequels, reboots, spin-offs, and more serve to expand upon established lore, while keeping the spotlight on the same recognisable villains. Typically self-contained, these stories can be enjoyed without prior understanding or knowledge of the franchise, and can leave room to incorporate easter eggs or nods to previous instalments in fun, creative ways.
Instead of a central scare figure, The Conjuring franchise introduces various demons, evil spirits, and malevolent entities, including the iconic Annabelle and The Nun, otherwise known as Valak. Created by noted director James Wan, whose expertise in horror extends to co-creating the Saw and Insidious franchise, the films in the Conjuring Universe chronicle the dramatised real-life adventures of paranormal investigators-slash-authors Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Vera Farmiga ( Bates Motel ) and Patrick Wilson ( Fargo ) for more than a decade.
The blend of embellishment and a personal touch not only plays into audience fears but also satisfies their curiosity about the events behind an inexplicable phenomenon, contributing to its growth in becoming the highest-grossing horror franchise to date. Since the release of its inaugural entry in 2013, movies in The Conjuring series have earned US$2.2 billion worldwide against a relatively lean combined budget of US$208 million – an impressive feat in itself.
It's easy to understand the franchise's appeal, starting with worldbuilding. As a shared universe, the storytelling spans the mainline original trilogy series, which follows the duo's attempts to assist individuals harassed by spirits (2013's The Conjuring , the 2016 sequel, and 2021's The Devil Made Me Do It) , and the offshoots, focusing on the origins of some of the entities the duo has encountered, namely Annabelle and The Nun .
The former is the subject of a trilogy comprising the 2014 film, a prequel titled Annabelle: Creation , and a third, Annabelle Comes Home , while the latter, based on the titular character introduced in The Conjuring 2 , is a duology comprising 2018's The Nun and its 2023 sequel. Fundamentally, the two series differ in direction – where the main films are centred on accuracy to real life, the spin-offs serve as an exploration of different horror sub-genres. What the Conjuring universe does is to make all of them accessible, so both newcomers and franchise veterans can enjoy the plot and frights easily.
The commitment to old-school horror certainly helps. Throughout the last 12 years, it has consistently prioritised suspense and traditional jump scares instead of gory scenes, aided by well-crafted CGI and special and practical effects. Conjuring: The Last Rites will be no exception, as it looks to reunite the Warrens for one last time and wrap things in the same way fans have come to expect and love.
Like before, the forthcoming film is inspired by a true ghost haunting and sees the pair taking on the Smurl case, which involved a family that was tortured by a demon between 1974 and 1989. But there's a catch – the supernatural entity has a familiar connection to them, with Lorraine saying in the latest trailer, 'There's something in the attic. Ed, there's evil here. Something I've felt before.'
The exact nature of the demon won't be revealed until 4 September when The Conjuring: Last Rites premieres in Singapore, but it's an effective tease to celebrate the end of a 12-year-old legacy.
Ahead of opening the case file that ended it all, here's a look back at five of the most iconic moments from the Conjuring universe.
A masterclass in misdirection, this notorious scene from the original movie has gained prominence for its unexpected nature. As if the grisly-looking Bathsheba isn't scary enough, it tricks viewers into thinking that the wardrobe, where a peculiar noise comes from, is hiding a jump scare, amounting to nothing after a thorough investigation by one of the children.
The camera then pans all around and draws back when the door is closed, setting off a second wave of anticipation that a spiritual presence could be behind it, but again, the zone remains clear. Then, it's hook, line, and sinker – the camera suddenly pans up to show a shrieking Bathsheba perched on the top of the wardrobe. Three words: Clever, simple, and highly effective.
It's all fun and games with hide and clap, a variation of hide and seek that the family in The Conjuring plays, until the real danger appears. In the scene, Carolyn is awoken by strange noises coming from the cellar, and instead of going down, she warns that she'll lock the lurking presence in, and the door slams shut behind her.
The tension further ratchets when a ball is tossed across the cellar floor, causing her to scramble up the stairs and light a match after the light bulb blows out. The dark, of course, is never a good thing, and a child's voice suddenly says, 'Want to play hide and clap?' before a pair of clapping hands pop up beside Carolyn. Another classic for the books right there, crafted from slow-building suspense and lingering unease.
The demonic Valak has emerged as one of the most terrifying horror icons in recent years, and for good reason. Her appearance in Conjuring 2 is a prime example of feeding into uncertainty and paranoia, as seen when Lorraine flips on a light switch on the wall after seeing what seems to be the Nun on the wall, later revealed to be a painting.
After lulling audiences into a false sense of security, the lamp near the painting flickers and the face changes, giving off the impression of playing a trick on their (and Lorraine's) eyes. It reaches the climax when the painting starts to scream, with its mouth moving and showing blood-red teeth.
The staircase scene in Annabelle is the perfect recipe for fear – it's dark, and comes amid a short but intense chase scene. Trapped in the basement after the elevator prevents her from escaping, Mia runs for the stairs and is pursued until she reaches the top.
A hint of something can be seen lurking at the bottom of the stairs, but it darts out of sight just as quickly. As the suspense tapers off and Mia looks down, the face of a demon flashes across the white screen, prompting her to unlock the door behind and run through it.
Being paralysed with fear is a nightmare in itself, let alone experiencing it while trapped. Father Burke is the unfortunate target of a supernatural entity in The Nun , after he follows a child's footsteps into a cemetery (a recipe for disaster).
There, a possessed boy pushes him into a coffin, but he manages to ring a bell for help before being buried alive. If only that was the end, because all the spirits end up ringing all the other bells, making it even more difficult for Sister Irene to pinpoint his location. Worse still, he soon feels a presence in the same space, and you know how that will go.
With The Conjuring: Last Rites set to be the Warrens' swan song, there's no better time to revisit the elements that have been a part of their journey. Alongside the Annabelle doll briefly teased in the latest trailer, longtime fans can also expect the return of several familiar faces and easter eggs in the sequel. It may spell the end of an era, but that doesn't mean the larger universe will stop growing – there's always room for more scares and thrills, after all.
The Conjuring: Last Rites brings the scares to Singapore on 4 September .
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really. Advertorial Conjuring: The Last Rites Horror warner bros