If there’s one thing horror fans love almost as much as a good jump scare, it’s spotting Easter eggs tucked between the screams. The Conjuring: Last Rites delivers on both counts, serving up a devilish mix of callbacks to classic horror films, cameos from familiar franchise faces, and sly winks that reward sharp-eyed viewers. From bedtime levitations like The Exorcist to blood floods straight out of The Shining, this chapter is as much a love letter to the genre as it is a supernatural showdown. And yes—you’ll want to stick through the credits for one final, spine-tingling surprise.
If you haven’t seen the movie yet… don’t go any further. Close this tab and go to this one. Save yourself. But if you dare to continue, know this: every twist, every secret, every shocking reveal will be laid bare. Once you’ve seen the spoilers, there’s no turning back.
Proceed… if you’re brave enough.
As the movie enters the "present day" of 1986, we get a glimpse of the Warrens in semi-retirement—no longer taking on cases after Ed’s heart attack in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021). At Ed’s 60th birthday party, surrounded by friends and family, the grill is manned by none other than Brad Hamilton (John Brotherton), the Rhode Island cop and fan-favorite sidekick. Introduced in the Perron case of the first Conjuring, Brad cemented his place in franchise history when he blew open the Perron home’s door with a shotgun, ran headfirst into danger despite his skepticism, and took a bite from possessed Carolyn Perron (Lili Taylor)—a scar he now wears proudly, like a badge of honor.
Keep your eyes peeled—among the party guests lurk the real Judy “Warren” Spera and her husband Tony Spera, stepping straight out of the true Warren legacy and into the film’s haunted celebration.
In a nod to The Devil Made Me Do It, Ed goes full demon-busting mode in the Smurl house — only to be humbled by chest pains, spilling the same heart pills he left behind in Father Kastner’s basement. True to form, Lorraine swoops in like the ultimate sidekick, snatching one of the pills as she marches upstairs to face the mirror demon. Bonus points if you caught this clever callback!
From Ghosts to Ghostbusters
By 1986, the Warrens are still taking their paranormal knowledge on the road — this time with a lecture devoted entirely to Annabelle. But the crowds are thin compared to 1971, when Carolyn Perron first found them at a packed hall. The infamous doll has recently resurfaced in the news after 54-year-old investigator Dan Rivera died suddenly following contact with her during the Devil’s on the Run Tour in Gettysburg, PA.
The Annabelle lecture serves two purposes. First, it triggers Judy Warren’s overwhelming psychic visions — a chilling reminder of her near-fatal run-in with the demon inhabiting the doll in Annabelle Comes Home. Second, one of the few attendees undercuts the solemnity by asking if the Warrens’ work is “anything like the Ghostbusters,” a cheeky nod to the 1984 comedy that transformed the paranormal from terrifying to tongue-in-cheek. It’s a clever wink at how pop culture itself helped shrink the Warrens’ lecture crowds.
Because in the end, Annabelle may terrify — but she’s no match for proton packs and a catchy theme song.
Tributes to Genre Icons
In addition to the Ghostbusters nod, The Conjuring: The Last Rites tips its hat to other horror classics. There are at least two clear references to Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece The Shining: the demonic patriarch Abner chasing his family with an axe echoes Jack Torrance’s iconic pursuit, while Lorraine Warren’s vision of a sink overflowing with blood that floods the kitchen mirrors the Overlook Hotel’s elevators disgorging a torrent of crimson.
In more nods to genre staples from that era, Jack Smurl (Elliot Cowan), tormented by one of the entities haunting the house, levitates above his bed, just like Regan did in 1973's The Exorcist. Absent of any assistance or answers, Heather Smurl (Kila Lord Cassidy) investigates the haunting herself in the darkness of night by turning on the family TV and watching the home video of her confirmation celebration. This is the first time she sees the entity terrorizing her family, just as Carol Anne communicates with the entities entering her home in the 1982 classic Poltergeist.
Til Death Do Us Part: A Conjuring Wedding
One of the central throughlines of The Conjuring: The Last Rites is Judy’s engagement to Tony Spera (Ben Hardy). While neither Tony nor Judy were actually involved in the Smurl investigation, the film uses their relationship to set up Tony’s future role. In real life, Tony Spera is a former police officer who worked alongside the Warrens for thirty years and now serves as custodian of the Occult Museum, which houses the cursed and haunted artifacts collected over decades of paranormal cases. Fittingly, the film closes with Ed Warren symbolically “passing the torch” by handing Tony the keys to the museum.
But first—there’s a wedding, and the guest list doubles as a reunion of survivors and familiar franchise faces. Among the attendees, you may spot:
- Producer James Wan, who also directed the first two installments in the Conjuring series
- Carolyn and Cindy Perron (Lily Taylor and Mackenzie Foy), The Conjuring
- Peggy and Janet Hodgson (Frances O'Connor and Madison Wolfe), The Conjuring 2
- David Glatzel (Julian Hilliard), the IRL possessed boy from the opening of The Devil Made Me Do It, now grown up
- Natalia Safran, Sister Chloe, the French nun from The Nun II (and wife of producer Peter Safran, a key franchise figure)
As with so many entries in The Conjuring universe, Last Rites knows how to leave audiences with one final chill. After the credits roll, viewers are treated to a photograph of the real Ed Warren standing beside the infamous Conjuring mirror, which still resides today in the Occult Museum under Tony Spera’s care. It’s a simple but haunting reminder that beyond the Hollywood spectacle, the Warrens’ world of cursed objects and lingering spirits continues to cast its shadow in real life.