When The Conjuring: Last Rites arrives in theatres in late September, it will mark the end of one of modern cinema’s most influential supernatural sagas. Since James Wan’s original film redefined studio horror in 2013, the franchise has thrived through sequels and spinoffs, becoming a legacy brand of frights. But with Last Rites, director Michael Chaves carries the responsibility of ending the Warrens’ terrifying journey on a definitive note.
Chaves is no stranger to the The Conjuring universe. He previously directed The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and The Curse of La Llorona, and also contributed to The Nun II. He has become one of the franchise’s most consistent voices, balancing reverence for Wan’s vision with his own flair for atmospheric storytelling. Few filmmakers understand the tonal DNA of The Conjuring as well as Chaves, making him the natural choice to guide its conclusion.
We spoke with Chaves about shaping a finale in a genre built on endless continuations, the craft of honouring horror’s cinematic history and the very real experiences that shifted his once-skeptical view of the supernatural.
With Last Rites acting as a send-off to The Conjuring franchise, how does it feel to be at the helm of this part of the series?
Michael Chaves: You know, such an incredible honour. James asked me when I signed on to this. He was like, “Why do you want to make another Conjuring movie? This will be the third, maybe fourth, depending on the count.”
And yeah, I told him — he was half joking, half serious — and I told him it’s such a great opportunity. It’s such a rare chance to tell a final chapter, to tell an ending.
We’re in a business where you’re always hoping the movie you make will spawn a sequel or a franchise or something like that. And the idea that we’ve had this incredible run, and we’ve been on this great journey with these characters for 12 years, and being able to bring it to a close, to tell a final chapter — it was a chance I couldn’t miss.
Do you see The Conjuring expanding into side stories or focusing on different characters, given how many exist within the universe? And if so, would you want to be part of that as well?
Michael Chaves: I think there are always opportunities. This is a series that’s really done so well with spin-offs and taking villains and giving them their own stories. I think there are always ways to expand the universe in terms of the Ed and Lorraine story. This is absolutely a final chapter. But I’ve loved this series. I’ve loved being a part of it, and I’d love to continue. Schedule permitting, I’d love to be involved.
That’s fantastic. Now, you mentioned you were a fan of the series. How do you feel about how the series has evolved up to this point and where it is now?
You know, I think it’s been fantastic. I think it’s been a great journey. The first film was such a great celebration of classic cinema — ’70s horror. And I feel like you see it with The Nun, which touched on horror movies from the ’50s, and there’s something about that quality in there. The third Annabelle was kind of the babysitter horror movie. It was such a great way of celebrating horror and all its different permutations.
We tried to do a little bit of both — an ode to the roots of The Conjuring, but also a little bit of the ’80s inspiration in Last Rites. I think this series has done a fantastic job of celebrating horror.
Now, just to wrap up, something fun—After working on The Conjuring series, has your perspective on paranormal or supernatural elements in the real world changed?
Michael Chaves: Absolutely. I was raised Catholic, a skeptic for the longest time. And you usually get this question when you’re working on these movies. Of course. And I never had a good answer because there was never… It’s usually, “Did anything spooky happen on the set?” And nothing ever did.
Until this film. We were shooting in London, and I was staying in this place called the Old Vicarage. It’s about a 200-year-old house in London, where the vicars — the English priests — would stay. Really nice place. My daughter was convinced she was seeing someone in the house, a dark figure. She took a picture on her iPad and showed it to me.
It was a dark, grainy iPad picture of the hallway. She said, “Can you see the guy at the end of the hall?” And I said, “Sweetie, I don’t see what you’re seeing.” It was a little creepy, but I’m such a skeptic. I told her, “You’re using your imagination too much. It’s getting away from you.”
Cut to later — they’re out in London going to see a show one night, and I’m home playing video games, as you do. I should have been preparing for the movie, but I’m playing video games. It’s dark, and I hear voices. I turn off the Xbox and start looking around, thinking it’s outside, but there’s nothing. Then I hear the voices in the other room.
It was like two male voices talking to each other, murmuring. I went room to room through the house. It was totally empty. By the end of it, I was convinced there was something in the house. I never saw anything, but between those two things, I absolutely believe the house is haunted. I’m totally a convert.
And I think it was that, and also working with the Smurls. We worked with the Smurls on developing this whole movie. From the very beginning, the four sisters were incredibly gracious with their time and sharing their story. When you hear what they went through, it’s really powerful. It’s hard to be a skeptic when you hear it from these amazing people.
Awesome. Thank you so much for your time.
Michael Chaves: Brendan, thank you so much.