We never thought we’d be writing about another supposed Conjuring film, but lo and behold, 10 years into the franchise, it isn’t taking a pause just yet. The Nun 2 has just been released and is garnering a mixed reaction from fans. The film, set four years after the first Nun film, is, in a sense, a prequel to 2013’s The Conjuring. The Conjure-verse (we just made that up; don’t come at us) consists of eight films, but don’t be mistaken by The Curse of La Llorana, which was not, in fact, a part of the universe, but a stand-alone film and has created a huge reputation for itself in the horror world.
It’s impossible for horror fans not to mention The Conjuring when talking about their beloved genre, whether in a good or bad way, because the films have been everywhere for the last 10 years. There have been three core films released and then spin-offs based on the ghost-hunter and paranormal investigator couple, the infamous Ed and Lorraine Warren. Ed and Lorraine’s stories were known widely in the 1960s and 1970s, when they were actively working on hauntings in the US and abroad.
The Conjuring universe has picked up on their most notorious cases and created a solid inventory of villains who could be included in lists of the greatest horror villains ever (even if they can’t crack the first 50). Considering the popularity of the film to this day, James Wan continues to expand his universe, even if he doesn’t make the movies anymore. It is a shame because his first two installments still stand tall as the best of the 8. What is so fascinating is that even if most of the last five films have been below par, people continue to watch them because they want to keep the universe going.
‘The Nun 2’ Mid-Credit Scene
This is your big spoiler warning. If you’ve seen The Nun 2, you know, there’s a mid-credit scene that shows us our favorite lovers, Ed and Lorraine, chilling in their home. While The Nun 2 disappoints with the lack of an exploration of the lore behind it all, there’s some good stuff to come out of it. It’s in execution and expansion that it truly lacks. They get a call from THE Father Gordon, and Ed wonders, how they can help. The scene ends there, but avid fans will know that Father Gordon appears in the first two Conjuring films, meaning that this is just a sign that there are no more Nun movies.
On the other hand, according to IMDb, a fourth Conjuring film titled The Conjuring: Last Rites is in pre-production, and we may get more information at the earliest, in 2024. Admittedly, this comes as a shock because of how poorly “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” did. Still, as fans of the franchise, we’re happy to see another attempt done right. While everything is under wraps about The Conjuring: Last Rites, we would love to see some stuff about how the Warrens were considered Con Artists and the media play of the time. What makes these movies so special are the characters, that have been reappearing again and again (for the longest time, I skipped the Annabelle movies because I missed Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson). So, even if the movie is skippable, people will go back to the presence of Ed and Lorraine and their infinite love for each other (only in the movies, we suppose).
‘The Conjuring’ TV Show
According to some articles, MAX is set to create a Conjuring TV show as well, and that, my friends, may be a bit too much to handle. The cases chosen in the Conjuring films are the most infamous ones and have big impacts on the world. Of course, The Amityville Horrors were completely skipped in this universe (as there’s already another franchise on the same events without Ed and Lorraine), and maybe in a show, the smaller cases could be showcased. If this is true, we really only hope that Ed and Lorraine will be a big part of it. While both Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson have made a name for themselves in other films and franchises, with Bates Motel and Insidious being their biggest hits, they’re still best known as the demonologist and clairvoyant that saved the day back in the 60s and 70s in their frilly shirts and fancy suits.
Some of the most popular cases that the franchise hasn’t explored yet are The Snedeker House (in the homeland of Connecticut), The Smurl Family Hauntings (in Pennsylvania), and The Southend Werewolf (Essex, England), amongst others. Whichever story is picked for Last Rites, it seems like it will be the last of the franchise, by the sound of it or at least of the core movies. We’d think that would be a good way to come full circle in the franchise and end on a Conjuring film rather than a spin-off, and definitely not keep it going for decades to come with other spin-offs with more and more characters. We can already see a Sister Irene spin-off, and as much as we love her, we’re not sure we’d like to stick around for more of those.
Still, with the fact that some new characters have been added to the franchise, like Debra and Sophie, and with every blockbuster franchise continuing to milk the cash cow as far as studios can take it, these films will continue hitting our screens long after Ed and Lorraine leave the show. As a fan of the franchise, would you prefer The Conjuring 4 to be the last film in the franchise? Or would you want it to keep going and have more vicious villains join the likes of Valak and Annabelle?
