“The Conjuring: The Last Rites – Based on a True Story”

With spin-offs like Annabelle and The Nun, the Conjuring series, which debuted in 2013, has expanded into a complete horror universe. Even The Curse of La Llorona shares a spiritual connection with the same sinister realm.

The script for Last Rites was written by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, based on the real-life work of the Warrens. James Wan, who co-wrote the original story, is producing alongside Peter Safran.

The end isn’t just near — it’s here. Today marks the end of an era for one of horror’s longest-running franchises in recent memory. Fans of The Conjuring film series will want to take a seat for this as they’re invited to feast their eyes on the full trailer for The Conjuring: Last Rites, which will serve as the last time that Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson will appear in the roles of real-life paranormal investigators, Lorraine and Ed Warren, respectively. After more than a decade and numerous films that spawned multiple offshoots, it’s a bittersweet moment to see the pair in the last movie, but — at the same time — we’re beyond excited to see what Farmiga, Wilson, and returning helmer, Michael Chaves (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It), have in store for us when the feature comes to cinemas on September 5.

Is ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ A True Story? What To Know About The Smurl Family Haunting

Is ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ based on a true story?

Yes, the new movie is based on a true story. Since each film explores different cases Ed and Lorraine Warren investigated, it is simply a different haunting. Like the others, Last Rites immerses viewers into the terrifying world of haunted and hurting families. But this time, it’s as scary as it gets with the Smurl family case in the spotlight.

Director Michael Chaves even offers his thoughts on the new film’s topic in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly. “The Smurl case was the darkest thing we’ve ever seen in the series,” he says, highlighting the distinction with The Conjuring: Last Rites. Therefore, people who are most familiar with the Conjuring universe believe that the Smurl family case is serious.

Although there are many stories of American paranormal lore, not many tales are as chilling as the Smurl family’s. Technically, the case occurred between 1974 and 1987. But it was investigated by the Warrens in 1986, per The New England Society For Psychic Research (N.E.S.P.R.).

N.E.S.P.R. is an investigative organization that is run by the real life Ed and Lorraine Warren’s daughter and son-in-law. As they report, the Smurls moved into a duplex on Chase Street in West Pittson, Pennsylvania. But this move was not made of their own free will, they were forced from their home after flood damage. Once they began to make renovations to the outdated proprty, things went left.

What happened to the Smurl family?

The New England Society For Psychic Research describes the alleged incidents as “evil encounters.” During the Smurl family hauntings, they experienced a range of supernatural activity, including violent acts and sexual assault. For example, a light fixture fell on one of their daughters and left a large gash. Then their dog Simon, a mid-sized German Shepherd, was thrown against a wall, according to People. Other strange occurrences went down in their home, like repulsive smells and even fits of screaming. All these scary occurrences put their family in danger, so they knew they had to do something.

So, Jack and Janet Smurl went on a media tour, which entailed appearing on shows like Larry King Live. Eventually, this caught the attention of the Warrens, and they started their investigation of the home. Upon checking out the haunting, as N.E.S.P.R. reports, the Warrens found multiple presences in the Smurl home. Lorrain even concluded, “The Smurls shared their home with four spirits: a harmless elderly woman, a young and possibly violent girl, a man who suffered and died in the home and a demon that used the other three spirits to destroy the Smurl family.” But this is where the real world story gets interesting.

Technically, the Warrens did not successfully rid the house of the spirits. It was a local pastor who did the job. As the Times Leader archive of 1986 cites, Rev. Joseph Adonizio, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in West Pittston at the time, said in an Oct. 28, 1986, article, “Prayers have chased the foul smells and violent demons from the West Pittston home.”

But after the Smurl’s home was (mostly) relieved from ghostly activity, they ended up moving away about a year later, relocating to Wilkes-Barre, PA. Because of the real-life conclusion to the haunting, the movie could go in any direction. Whether or not the upcoming project takes liberties with the storyline or not, this widely documented supernatural case will shed light on the perilous journey of the Smurls.