THE CONJURING: LAST RITES Director Says It's the Right Time to Say Goodbye to Ed and Lorraine Warren

Horror fans are about to say farewell to Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring: Last Rites. The upcoming film marks the end of an era for the beloved horror franchise, and director Michael Chaves knows just how much weight comes with closing out the Warrens’ final case.

“I thought it was an incredible opportunity,” Chaves told GamesRadar+. No stranger to the franchise, Chaves has already helmed The Curse of La Llorona, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and most recently The Nun II.

But even with that experience under his belt, stepping into the world created by James Wan, who directed the first two films, came with a lot of pressure. Chaves admitted he “felt all the pressure” in taking on the last installment in the main series.

Despite the pressure, Chaves wanted to make sure the movie meant something for fans who’ve been with the franchise since the beginning. “I grew up on, like, Nightmare on Elm Street – that was my first horror movie. And I know so many people that, this is the movie they grew up on.

“This is the movie that they saw when they were 11, 12 years old at a slumber party. It was their first horror movie… so I know what it means to so many people, and I totally knew the responsibility going in.”

The Conjuring universe has been running strong since 2013, spanning nine films including the Annabelle and The Nun spin-offs. Now, with The Conjuring: Last Rites, the story focuses on the Warrens’ final investigation, a chilling battle against a demonic force tormenting the Smurl family.

When asked why now was the right time to bring the story to a close, Chaves explained, “I think you want to end on a high point. I think it was something that everybody had the confidence to say, you know, we're in a great space with this, with a series, and we don't want this to be a series that just kind of gets [run] into the ground. We wanted to end with confidence and on our own terms.”

While this is the end of the Warrens’ story, the Conjuring universe isn’t completely closing its doors. New Line Cinema president Richard Brener has already teased that Last Rites is the end of what he calls Conjuring phase one, leaving plenty of room for future spin-offs and new stories.

The Conjuring: Last Rites arrives in theaters on September 5, promising a powerful farewell to Ed and Lorraine while setting the stage for what comes next in this ever-expanding horror universe.