Interview: Michael Chaves on Directing THE CONJURING: LAST RITES and Bringing the Final Chapter to Life

Image courtesy of Warner Bros.

By Shannon McGrew

In THE CONJURING: LAST RITES, Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reunite for one final case as renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. This time, they face their most disturbing challenge yet when the Smurl family’s new home becomes the site of a terrifying demonic infestation.

For the digital release of THE CONJURING: LAST RITES, Creepy Kingdom’s Shannon McGrew spoke with director Michael Chaves. During their chat, they discussed everything from Chaves’ experience directing in the Conjuring Universe to the legacy of the franchise’s final chapter.

Thank you so much for speaking with me today, Michael! Since this marks the Warrens’ supposed final case, what was your guiding vision in bringing their story to life?

Michael Chaves: So much of it was centered on Judy Warren (Mia Tomlinson), and the big emotional journey of this movie for fans is letting go. It’s saying goodbye to this series and to these characters we love so much. It was always written that it would end with a wedding, which I thought was a beautiful way to let go, since the Warrens are letting go of their child. That core idea, following Judy and being on this journey with her, the Warrens saying goodbye to her, and us saying goodbye to all of them, I feel like that was the emotional thread that really led us through the whole movie.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros.

As someone who has directed several entries in the franchise, including The Curse of La Llorona, which no one will ever convince me is not part of the Conjuring Universe, what does LAST RITES as a whole represent to you personally? 

Michael Chaves: It means and represents so much to me. It’s the type of movie I always grew up on and I always loved. I would rent those kinds of movies at Blockbuster and eat them up. I was raised Catholic, and so it’s the Venn diagram of all my interests. [Directing these films] has been a full-on dream come true. The only thing it’s missing is robots or something happening in space. It would check every single box of things that I love [Laughs]. The reason they haven’t been able to get rid of me is that I love this series and everything in it. The people involved in front of and behind the camera are just some of the best people you could possibly meet. It’s been one of the highlights of my career and my life outside of my family and kids. 

If this is really the final Conjuring chapter, what do you hope its legacy will be within horror cinema? 

Michael Chaves: The studio and I talked about a bunch of things when we were making it, and we wanted to end it while we were still strong, and we could end it on our terms. That was really important. I grew up on Nightmare on Elm Street. I really loved those films. With something like Nightmare on Elm Street, I don’t think they really got to end on their terms. They just kept making them. So, I hope we’ve delivered this kind of complete story [for the fans]. 

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES is now available on digital and will arrive on 4K UHD November 25, 2025.