The Conjuring: Last Rites confirmed why the Smurl haunting case was the Warrens' last case, and it had something to do with their family. Marketing for the final chapter of The Conjuring Universe, featuring Ed and Lorraine Warren, revealed that the fourth horror movie explores the Smurl haunting, a real-life infamous case of demonic infestation in Pennsylvania. This dangerous case made headlines in 1986 due to the fact that the paranormal encounters became more frequent and agressive, leading to the Warrens' involvement in the case.
The trailer made it clear that this is the definitive last case of the Warrens before laying low on paranormal investigations, but the reason behind it was unclear. The Conjuring: Last Rites shed some light on the subject, and it was due to a demon that had a bone to pick with them that traces back to their first case and ties to the most important person of Ed and Lorraine's lives: their daughter, Judy Warren.
Directed by Michael Chaves, The Conjuring: Last Rites brings back Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren. Joining them are Mia Tomlinson, Ben Hardy, Rebecca Calder, Elliot Cowan and Kila Lord Cassidy. The Conjuring: Last Rites premiered in U.S. theaters on September 5, 2025.
Why Was The Smurl Case the Warren's Last In Conjuring: Last Rites?
Warning - the rest of this article contains spoilers for The Conjuring: Last Rites.
The Conjuring: Last Rites revealed that the Warrens (Ed and Lorraine) were seemingly retired in 1986, but they were instantly pulled back into the paranomarl world after their daughter, Judy Warren, decided to go to Pennsylvania and help the Smurl family.
The opening sequence of Last Rites explained how Judy is at the core of this story. It turned out that the Warrens abandoned their first case in 1964 because Lorraine was about to give birth to Judy. She was investigating a demonic mirror before the chaos ensued, and the demon apparently followed them to the hospital. Although Ed and Lorraine thought that all was well because Judy survived the demonic aftermath, this wasn't the case because it came back to bite them in 1986, the same year when Judy is a full-fledged adult.
This unresolved case is tied to the Smurl family haunting because the same demonic mirror found its way to their home. While the hauntings were minimal at first, it instantly became clear that this mirror was bad news because it served as the beacon for the other aggressive spirits inside the house to be more violent against the Smurls.
After the Smurl haunting became viral, it caught the attention of Father Gordon (a priest who was also a friend of the Warrens) and he tried to help the Smurls even without the permission of the Catholic Church. However, the demonic entity was so powerful that it manipulated Father Gordon to kill himself in the end, and Judy saw it in a vision, which prompted her to cross paths with the Smurls.
After the Warrens agreed to help, Lorraine eventually pieced it together. It turned out that the three ghosts in the Smurl family’s West Pittston home were being manipulated by the demonic entity inside the mirror to draw attention and lure the Warrens to their residence because it wanted Judy as its vessel.
The climactic battle between good and evil saw the demon taking over Judy's body, and it almost succeeded in killing her before her parents and her fiancé, Tony, managed to save her. By working together as a family and allowing Judy to embrace her paranormal abilities, they eventually defeated and banished the demonic mirror.
Given how much it took a toll on them and how it almost killed Judy, the Warrens decided to officially lay-low and retire in The Conjuring: Last Rites' ending. They realized that it would be better for them to give up their active duty in the paranormal world and settle down to protect their family and the future generation.
The Last Rites' epilogue scene, though, confirmed that the Warrens remain committed in helping people with paranormal problems because they still assisted their clients by doing prayers and exorcisms over the phone.
Considering the fact that Judy embraced her newfound abilities, it's also possible that she took over in actively helping victims of demonic and ghostly entities (read more on how to watch The Conjuring movies in order here).
Did the Warrens' End Their Career With the Smurl Case In Real Life?
While the real Ed and Lorraine Warren became involved in the Smurl family haunting, they never actually solved the haunting case and a key difference between the movie and real life was that Judy Warren was not involved at all.
Still, extensive records of the investigation had been chronicled online, showing a glimpse of how they still helped the Smurls while they are being haunted by paranormal entities. Ed and Lorraine (via Bloody Disgusting) believed that the Smurls was part of "The Chosen," a family selected to take part in a cosmic game beyond their control.
The pair also identified that there four entities that were tormenting the Smurls, three of which are spirits while the most powerful one is a dangerous demonic force that targeted its victim's fears. They claimed that they experienced poltergeist activity while inside the house. At one point, Ed even found a message telling them to get out.
Although there were a plethora of records of observation and notes about the whole Smurl family haunting, the Warrens did not reach a definitive conclusion, which is why it is dubbed as the one case they never really solved. It took one more round of house blessings and prayers from the Catholic Church for the haunting to eventually stop.
While the Warrens weren't able to solve the case, the Smurl family haunting was actually not their last one since records showed that they returned to actively investigate one more in 1990 by joining the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR) to learn about the White Lady who had a looming presence at Union Cemetery in Easton, Connecticut.
