THE CONJURING: LAST RITES Director Thinks Matt Rife Owning The Warrens’ Occult Museum Could Inspire New Films

Sometimes reality feels stranger than anything a horror movie could dream up, and that’s exactly what happened when comedian Matt Rife revealed that he bought The Warren’s Connecticut home and even took guardianship of the infamous Annabelle doll and all of the other haunted and cursed artifacts.

Now, The Conjuring: Last Rites director Michael Chaves has weighed in on the bizarre news, and his reaction is not at all what you might expect.

Instead of condemning the idea or warning Rife about unleashing something sinister, Chaves immediately started spinning it into a story idea that feels tailor-made for the Conjuring universe.

When asked about the comedian’s haunted purchase, the filmmaker pitched a concept that could easily live alongside the rest of the franchise. Chaves told Entertainment Weekly:

“It does though feel like a great new chapter. If there ever was a Phase 2 of the [Conjuring] series, I think that it should begin with him just turning these viral bits with each one of the artifacts and it just goes horribly wrong.”

Rife had announced in early August that he had “officially purchased” the Warrens’ former home and Occult Museum, making him the legal caretaker of the couple’s collection of cursed relics for at least five years.

That includes Annabelle, the haunted doll that became a horror icon thanks to the blockbuster franchise. Given Rife’s well-documented fascination with the paranormal, Chaves sees the situation as an oddly fitting jumping-off point for a new era of storytelling, especially in today’s social media-driven culture.

And while the idea of a TikTok comedian becoming the keeper of haunted objects sounds like the setup for a parody, Chaves admits he can’t help but be curious. He added:

“I’m deeply concerned… deeply concerned. I dunno. As long as he’s got the instruction manual or whatever the blessing procedure is, I’m sure it will all be fine. I guess I am curious. I haven’t read enough about it to know why he did it.”

The Conjuring: Last Rites is being billed as the Warrens’ final on-screen outing, but the franchise is built on spin-offs and side stories. Chaves’s suggestion of a “Phase 2” starring Rife as an unwitting influencer-turned-caretaker seems like it could be fun and open the door to satire and fresh scares.

It’s be fun to see Rife making viral videos with Annabelle and the other artifacts, only to find himself in over his head when things start to go terribly wrong.

Chaves might have been joking when he pitched the idea, but the more you think about it, the more I think it could be entertaining.