"The Conjuring: Last Rites," released on September 5, 2025, serves as the ninth installment in the "Conjuring Universe" and the fourth and final film in the main series. Directed by Michael Chaves, the film revisits one of Ed and Lorraine Warren's most unsettling cases: the haunting of the Smurl family.

In August 1973, Jack and Janet Smurl, along with their daughters, Dawn, Heather, Carin, and Shannon, moved into a duplex in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, after their previous home was destroyed by flooding. Jack’s parents, John and Mary, resided on the other side of the duplex. Soon after settling in, the Smurls began experiencing strange and terrifying phenomena.

The family reported a range of disturbing events, beginning with minor incidents like disappearing objects and electrical malfunctions. However, the activity soon escalated to include loud noises, foul odors, phantom screams, and physical attacks. The Smurls claimed that their dog was thrown against a wall, their mattresses were shaken, and one of their daughters was even pushed down the stairs. Disturbingly, some family members reported being physically and sexually assaulted by the malevolent entity.

Desperate for help, the Smurls contacted the Catholic Church, but initial investigations found no evidence of a haunting. In 1986, they reached out to Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators renowned for their involvement in cases such as the Amityville haunting. The Warrens' investigation led them to believe that the Smurl home was indeed inhabited by a powerful demonic presence. Ed Warren asserted that the demon was incredibly strong, capable of shaking furniture and leaving threatening messages. Lorraine Warren, a clairvoyant, believed that the Smurls shared their home with four spirits: a harmless elderly woman, a young, possibly violent girl, a man who had suffered and died in the house, and a demon manipulating the others.

The Warrens' attempts to rid the house of the demonic presence included playing religious music, praying, and using holy water and crucifixes. Ed Warren claimed to have felt a significant drop in temperature and witnessed a dark mass forming in the house. He also stated that he had audiotapes containing knocking and rapping sounds caused by the demon. According to the New England Society for Psychic Research, the demon was using the other three spirits to try and destroy the Smurl family.

The events depicted in "The Conjuring: Last Rites" draw heavily from the Smurls' experiences. The film portrays the escalating terror faced by the family, the Warrens' investigation, and their efforts to combat the demonic forces at play. The film incorporates elements such as a possessed mirror that serves as a focal point for the evil entity. The movie culminates in a battle between the Warrens, the Smurls, and the demonic forces, ultimately leading to an exorcism that breaks the mirror and ends the haunting.

While the Smurl haunting gained widespread attention, it also faced skepticism. Critics, such as Professor Paul Kurtz, suggested that the Smurls' claims were a hoax or the result of psychological issues. Kurtz advised the family to undergo psychiatric evaluations, arguing that the Warrens were not objective investigators. Despite the skepticism, the Smurls maintained their account of the haunting, and the Warrens stood by their findings.

After the Warrens' intervention and a final exorcism conducted by the Catholic Church, the Smurls reported no further demonic activity. They continued to live in the house for another three years. In 1988, the Smurls moved. A woman who moved into the house after the Smurls claimed to have experienced no supernatural occurrences. Jack Smurl passed away in 2017 at the age of 75, while Janet Smurl and her daughters continue to reside in the West Pittston area.

"The Conjuring: Last Rites" explores the themes of faith, family, and the battle against unseen forces. The film, like its predecessors, blends elements of horror and suspense with the real-life accounts of the Warrens' paranormal investigations. While some aspects of the film may be dramatized for cinematic effect, it remains rooted in the documented experiences of the Smurl family and the Warrens' involvement in the case.