2021 saw the release of the third instalment - The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It - in which Lorraine and Ed Warren take the Devil to court in their supernatural mystery with Lorraine at the reigns as Ed recovers from the films opening heart-attack. With Ed's potential life threatening scare, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It perhaps had fans wondering where the final instalment would pick up on Ed and Lorraine's domestic life outside of being Paranormal Investigators. Alongside Ed's struggles throughout the film we see Lorraine battle with the consequences of her clairvoyance, taking a significant toll on her motivation to continue working with the supernatural. With the next instalment being the last, it is possible that Wan et all may decide to end the franchise on a similar path.
While the actual plot of The Conjuring 4 is under tight wraps, the case of The Amityville Horror seems the perfect exit
With a franchise as iconic as that of The Conjuring, seeing the end on the horizon begs the question of which story is the right one to tell? The life of the Warrens was and is famed for the plethora of Demons, Ghosts, Cults, and Poltergeists they encountered all as bone-chilling as the next. However, when trying to successfully draw an empire like this to a close; there is one case that stands out as the one to be told. The 1974 case of The Amityville Horror is perhaps the most notorious case to have ever come across the Warrens, a test of true believers. While the actual plot of The Conjuring 4 is under tight wraps, the case of The Amityville Horror seems the perfect exit. It would not be the cases first appearance in the film, having an opening segment in the franchises second movie yet to be further elaborated on.
Michael Chaves has officially been confirmed as the man for the job, returning to direct after the previous instalment. Chaves is a strong choice to end the franchise off with success, a veteran of Wan's work by 2025 (having previously worked on The Nun II in 2023 and The Curse of La Llorona in 2019 also). Similarly, the franchises original screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick is reportedly returning along side the director. This roster can be seen as comforting knowledge that the franchise will have a strong exit from cinema screens.
As the Warrens main storyline comes to an end, their legacy in the horror genre will not go unmissed. The Conjuring franchise has set a standard for modern horror films that so many desire to live up to, basking in bone-chilling beasts. It's without question that The Conjuring has a legacy of loathing and is an empire of exorcism.