THE CONJURING: LAST RITES First Look Reveals a Haunting Farewell for the Warrens and New Details — GeekTyrant

Geek Tyrant

07-05-2025

The curtain is about to fall on one of horror's most beloved ghost-hunting duos. The Conjuring: Last Rites , the fourth and final film in the franchise, is set to hit theaters on September 5th, and thanks to new first-look photos and fresh insights from the cast and creators, we now have a much clearer picture of what to expect.
If you've followed Ed and Lorraine Warren's terrifying journey since 2013, prepare yourself, because this one promises to be as emotional as it is chilling.
Entertainment Weekly unveiled new images from the film, and a short tease is now circulating on social media, offering a glimpse at what's coming. This final chapter will feature a personal reckoning.
Set in 1986, five years after The Devil Made Me Do It , the Warrens are semi-retired, older, wearier, and grappling with Ed's worsening heart condition. But as always in this universe, evil has no intention of letting them rest.
Patrick Wilson joked, eflecting on Ed's long, exhausting battle with the paranormal: 'There's only so many times you can say, 'This is the worst case we've ever had!'' Vera Farmiga echoed the sentiment: 'My rosary literally busted apart. The beads were like, 'Girl, we're out of here!' I think we've done as much as we can do for this.'
Wilson said: "Ed got pretty beat up in the third one, so I honestly didn't want to be on death's door for this movie. First of all, there's no reason to be — he lived another 25 years. But retirement was interesting to me. It was important to show the skeptics. We're not in the middle of Amityville, when [hauntings were] everywhere. What is it like when they're not playing to big crowds? What does that do to them?"
Despite the exhaustion, both actors are clearly sentimental about closing this chapter, especially when it comes to each other. 'I'm going to miss Patrick most of all,' Farmiga admitted. 'I mean, not really. He's reachable within seconds on text. But I'll miss him as a fun scene partner who totally understands my kind of neurology… He made all of these life-zapping, exhausting exorcisms feel like a family barbecue.'
Wilson added: 'I didn't think we'd be doing this for 12, 13 years… I get emotional. I can't imagine not doing a movie with her.'
That chemistry between Wilson and Farmiga is something franchise co-creator James Wan has always viewed as the franchise's backbone. 'The beating heart of this franchise is Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson playing Ed and Lorraine,' Wan said. 'The family dynamic, the faith the characters have, and the faith that they have in each other are really the things that drive this particular franchise.'
This time around, the Warrens are drawn into one last case: the infamous Smurl family haunting. If you've ever gone down a late-night paranormal Google rabbit hole, you might already be familiar.
'It is one of the more Googleable ones,' said producer Peter Safran. 'It really fit the bill for us, being able to lean into something that audiences could go and Google after the movie.' The Smurls, Janet and Jack (played by Rebecca Calder and Elliot Cowan), were reportedly plagued by a malevolent force that tormented their family, and the case became a national sensation.
'Janet and Jack Smurl moved their family into a duplex on Chase Street in West Pittston, Pa., in the 1970s. In the years that followed, the Smurls, including their young daughters and Jack's parents, claimed to experience supernatural occurrences ranging from strange odors and voices all the way to ghostly molestations.'
The Smurls' sppeared on TV programs such as Larry King Live and Entertainment Tonight 'made it one of the more publicized cases of supernatural activity, but it also gave skeptics ammunition to say they sold out for the public spotlight. The story became the subject of the book The Haunted: One Family's Nightmare (1986) and a 1991 made-for-TV movie starring Sally Kirkland.'
Also stepping into the spotlight is Judy Warren, now an adult played by Mia Tomlinson. Her boyfriend Tony Spera (Ben Hardy) is also introduced.
Director Michael Chaves emphasized the emotional depth behind this version of Judy: 'What is it like when you are living with an artifact room that is filled with demonic items? How hard is that? What impact does that leave on a person's life?'
Farmiga added, 'She's obviously inherited this spiritual sensitivity… Judy has been the quiet force right behind everything that Lorraine does. She's the light. She's the reason that Lorraine still fights when she feels like there's nothing left to give.'
And while this movie brings all the demonic intensity you'd expect, the story leans more into existential themes. 'It's a moment that makes time stand still,' said Farmiga. 'This one's different than the others. The other three were about hauntings, and this one is about reckoning, in a way.'
New images hint at younger versions of the Warrens (played by Orion Smith and Madison Lawlor), flashbacks, and eerie visions of twisted doppelgängers—grinning, warped versions of Ed and Lorraine.
'Whether it's dealing with mortality or dealing with where they are at the end of their career, you're forced to look in the mirror,' Wilson explained. 'Who's on the other side may not be the most pleasant. Those are themes we definitely explore.'
While a Conjuring spin-off series is already in development for Max, Last Rites is the definitive swan song for Wilson and Farmiga's time in the cinematic spotlight.
As Farmiga put it: 'It is the end of the road. It's got to be the end of the road… It is time to trade her clairvoyance in for crossword puzzles. She's going to take up some tai chi. They're going to Turks and Caicos, baby, and so am I.'
The Conjuring: Last Rites opens September 5. Are you ready for one last ride with the Warrens?