The Conjuring: Last Rites

Plot

Back in 1964, Ed and Lorraine Warren, who were expecting a child, looked into a haunting tied to an old mirror at a curio shop. Lorraine had a vision of a supernatural being and her unborn baby, then collapsed and went into labor. The child was born dead, but Lorraine prayed and the baby came back to life.

They named her Judy. Fast forward to 1986, and the Smurl family moved into a house in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. Jack and Janet Smurl lived there with Jack's parents, Mary and John, their four daughters, and a dog. For Heather's confirmation, John gave her that same antique mirror. At dinner, a light fixture fell from the kitchen ceiling, barely missing Heather.

Ed's heart condition got worse, so the Warrens stopped doing investigations but still gave lectures, though few people came. Judy, now more sensitive to psychic visions, had a panic attack during a meal. Lorraine calmed her with a rhyme from Judy's childhood.

Dawn and Heather tried to get rid of the mirror, but three entities—an old woman, a younger woman, and a man carrying an axe—kept terrorizing the family. Exhausted, the Smurls told the press about their ordeal, which caught the attention of Father Gordon. At Ed's birthday party, Judy's boyfriend Tony proposed, and she said yes. Father Gordon couldn't get the Warrens to help, so he went to the Diocese of Scranton.

A demon attacked him there and drove him to kill himself. At Father Gordon's funeral, Judy had a vision showing he died while looking into the Smurls' haunting. She secretly headed to Pennsylvania, and Lorraine had a vision warning her about Judy.

Cast

Vera Farmiga portrays Lorraine Warren, a clairvoyant and trance medium, with Madison Lawlor playing young Lorraine. Patrick Wilson plays Ed Warren, a demonologist, author, and lecturer, with Orion Smith as young Ed. Mia Tomlinson appears as Judy Warren, Ed and Lorraine's daughter, with Emmy Nolan as 10-year-old Judy.

Ben Hardy plays Tony Spera, a former police officer and Judy's boyfriend. Steve Coulter portrays Father Gordon. Rebecca Calder and Elliot Cowan play Janet and Jack Smurl. Kíla Lord Cassidy, Beau Gadsdon, Molly Cartwright, and Tilly Walker portray the Smurl daughters. Peter Wight and Kate Fahy play the grandparents.

John Brotherton, Shannon Kook, Paula Lindblom, Leigh Jones, Gabrielle Downey, and Grace Kemp appear in supporting roles. The real Tony Spera and Judy Warren make cameo appearances. Lili Taylor, Mackenzie Foy, Frances O'Connor, Madison Wolfe, Julian Hilliard, and James Wan appear as guests at Judy's wedding.

Production

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga expressed interest in returning. In October 2022, The Hollywood Reporter announced a fourth Conjuring film was in development with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick writing and James Wan and Peter Safran producing. By February 2024, Chaves was hired to direct. In September 2024, Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing were completing rewrites of Johnson-McGoldrick's draft of an original story co-authored by Wan and Johnson-McGoldrick.

Ben Hardy and Mia Tomlinson were added to the cast. Filming was scheduled in London from September 10 to October 10, 2024, started by September 17, and concluded on November 22. Sterling Jerins was recast with Mia Tomlinson because Jerins looked too young to play the adult Judy Warren.

Reception

The Conjuring: Last Rites grossed $177.8 million in the United States and Canada and $321.4 million in other territories, totaling $499.2 million worldwide. It was released alongside Hamilton and originally projected to gross around $50 million from 3,726 theaters. After making $34.6 million on its first day, including $8.5 million in Thursday previews, weekend estimates rose to $75 million.

It debuted to $84 million, the franchise's best opening and the third-biggest ever for a horror film. It was Warner Bros.' seventh consecutive film to open above $40 million. In the Philippines, it broke records for highest-grossing opening day for a horror film and highest-grossing opening weekend for a horror film, an R-16 film, and of 2025. In India, it surpassed Final Destination Bloodlines as the highest-grossing American horror film.

In Indonesia, it grossed $5,344,824 in its opening weekend. CinemaScore audiences gave it a B grade, and 58% of PostTrak respondents said they would definitely recommend it. Gregory Nussen for Deadline Hollywood wrote that the film is appropriately terrifying and a return to the aesthetic pleasures of the first Conjuring.

Did You Know?

• The film was released on Digital HD on October 7, 2025, and on DVD, Blu-ray, and Ultra HD Blu-ray on November 25, 2025.
• A prequel titled The Conjuring: First Communion is set to be released on September 10, 2027.