(Updated 12/17/2024)
It’s hard to believe that, in every movie studio's race to match the success of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, a little haunted house movie is the one that came out on top. In 2013, James Wan turned the horror world on its head by directing THE CONJURING. (It was actually Wan's third franchise-launching horror movie, after SAW and INSIDIOUS.)
A no-frills ghost picture, THE CONJURING felt like a throwback to a time when horror needed only a simple setup. A pair of paranormal investigators are sent into a notoriously haunted house, and wild scares ensue. The modest film was a massive success that spawned a mountain of sequels — not just for the titular film in the franchise, but for entirely new franchises like ANNABELLE and THE NUN as well. Twelve years later, it’s time to say goodbye.
Here's everything we know about THE CONJURING: LAST RITES, coming in Fall 2025.
What's The Conjuring Last Rites Release Date?
New Line and Warner Bros. Pictures will unleash THE CONJURING: LAST RITES on September 5, 2025.
Is There a Trailer for The Conjuring: Last Rites?
There is no trailer for THE CONJURING: LAST RITES so far. Not an official one, at least. There are many fan-made trailers online, but none contain any footage from this movie.
What Is The Conjuring: Last Rites About?
After prequels and sidequels in the NUN and ANNABELLE movies, we come full circle with original leads Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). While the claims of the real-world Warrens have been contested and/or fully debunked, you’re not going into a horror movie looking for reality.
Beyond the fact that Ed and Lorraine Warren take on a case involving a haunting of some sort, we know nothing about the plot of THE CONJURING: LAST RIGHTS.
Who's in the Cast of The Conjuring: Last Rites?
As mentioned, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return to their leading roles. There's a lot to be said for compelling leads who can create a convincing vision of marriage onscreen. Few couples in horror have been as exciting and compatible as Wilson and Farmiga. While the ANNABELLE and NUN series rely on now-iconic monsters to keep you coming back, THE CONJURING movies ride squarely on the shoulders of these married spirit sleuths.
Additionally, Ben Hardy (BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY) and Mia Tomlinson ("The Beast Must Die") are in the cast. We'll get more details when the first trailer appears.
A Conjuring Veteran Directs
Returning to director duties is Michael Chaves, who has had multiple stabs at this franchise. He took the reins from Wan with THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT (aka THE CONJURING 3) and he was behind THE NUN II. Chaves got his start with the franchise by directing the odd duck in this series. THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA, the movie that put Chaves on the map, kinda sorta takes place within this very universe.
(This wasn't entirely planned. A scene was shot after the fact tying it all together. Father Perez, a character from ANNABELLE, makes a brief appearance in LA LLORONA. The braintrust behind this universe doesn’t consider the film to be an official entry but if you’re a completionist, nobody would fault you for giving it a look.)
It all may seem a little unwieldy, but we’re here to help. While little is known about where LAST RITES will take the Warrens next, there's a lot of past material to delve into. The CONJURING series can be a tricky bit of business to keep up with. Diverging timelines, spinoffs of spinoffs, it's got the works. But we've put together a guide to watch the movies either in release order or in chronological story order.
Will Last Rites Be the Final Conjuring Movie?
If there's one perpetually true thing in Hollywood, never say never. Franchises are never truly over in Hollywood. While, yes, this is planned as the last rodeo for the Warrens, there's always the chance they might return to the screen. The same goes for THE CONJURING overall.
While endings can be good, that’s not such a bad thing as THE CONJURING movies offer a balm to the heavier "it’s about trauma" horror movies. All horror is "about" something, to be clear, but sometimes you just want to shut out the terrors of the real world and let a few ghosts jump into frame to scare the living daylights out of you. In that case, you can’t do much better than THE CONJURING and its many tendrils.
THE CONJURING: LAST RITES opens on September 5, 2025.
All images courtesy of New Line and Warner Bros. Pictures.