Last Rites’ had to end that way

Spoiler alert! We’re discussing important plot points and the ending of “The Conjuring: Last Rites” (in theaters now), so beware if you haven’t seen it yet.

Unlike other horror movies, “The Conjuring” flicks are known for their rousing finales and positive, evil-defeating vibes. And they saved their happiest ending for last.

“The Conjuring: Last Rites,” the fourth installment of the popular franchise, features Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga in one last turn as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. They have to defeat the evil spirits and demonic presence spawned from a cursed mirror and save a Pennsylvania family in a story based on the real-life Smurl haunting case.

But it’s not easy for the loving couple, as Ed’s got a bad ticker and one more heart attack might mean doom – not great when you’re in a high-stakes situation facing supernatural threats – and their daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson) becomes possessed herself.

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What happens in the ending of ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’?

Lorraine (Vera Farmiga, left) sticks close to protect daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson) from evil in “The Conjuring: Last Rites.”

Our heroes do save the day, and “Last Rites” ends with the wedding of Judy and her beloved Tony (Ben Hardy), as well as Lorraine having a psychic look at her and Ed’s bright future.

“We want to have something good to say,” co-writer/producer James Wan says of the ending. “The world is such a dark place and we want our movies to be about good triumphing over bad stuff.” He compares the finale to the one he crafted for “Fast & Furious 7,” “where you’re paying a little tribute to the franchise itself but in sort of a sweet, melancholic way.”

Farmiga appreciates how the wedding finale is an important moment for Judy, who’s been a supporting character through previous “Conjuring” movies but comes into her own as an adult in “Last Rites.”

“Lorraine has always struggled with the impact that her work (and) psychic abilities have had on Judy,” Farmiga says. “It’s been an underlying guilt for Lorraine and she’s always wanted to protect her from those evil forces that they’ve encountered. And to see her all grown up and accepting of her own spiritual gifts and finding the great love of her life, it’s a beautiful way to end up.”

Are there any cameos in the new ‘Conjuring’?

Lili Taylor (second from right, with Ron Livingston), seen here in the original 2013 film “The Conjuring” alongside stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, returns for a cameo in the new franchise installment “Last Rites.”

The ending also pays homage to the franchise on the whole. In the wedding scene, on the bride’s side of the church, original “Conjuring” stars Lili Taylor and Mackenzie Foy are there in the pews, as is “The Conjuring 2” actress Frances O’Connor.

“To have people come back that day, man, that was so special to me,” Wilson says.

Farmiga wishes Lorraine Warren, who died in 2019, could have been there with them. “That would’ve been cool,” she says. But one guy who did make it into the scene was Wan himself, who’s seen alongside his “Conjuring” actors in the crowd.

Wan, one of the original masterminds behind “The Conjuring” movies, reveals that he was a reluctant participant. “I did not want to be in it at all,” he says. “They had to drag me all the way to England.”

Director Michael Chaves acknowledges that he was “begging” Wan to do it. “James is so charming. I’m surprised he’s not in front of the camera more.”

Wan laughs when recalling the day. “The cast are all pretty white, and then there’s this one Asian guy in the crowd that just pops out. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, how do I play this?’ ”

Is ‘Last Rites’ the final ‘Conjuring’ movie?

Orion Smith and Madison Lawlor play a young Ed and Lorraine Warren in a flashback sequence from “The Conjuring: Last Rites.”

For the first time in a while, there’s no “Conjuring” universe film on the way or in active development. Will there be more? “Never say never, I guess, but I’m saying no,” Wan says.

With the four main “Conjuring” movies, “I really honestly think we captured the real Warrens’ legacy right, in a very befitting, cinematic way,” Wan says, though he allows he could see other stories down the line.

The Warrens created a research society of the paranormal world, so that could be an option. A young Ed (Orion Smith) and Lorraine (Madison Lawlor) appeared in the 1960s-set “Last Rites” flashback opening, so they might return if “Conjuring” went the prequel route. Or Judy and Tony could get a spinoff – one of the last scenes in “Last Rites” has Ed literally handing the keys to their room of cursed objects to Tony.

“Just strictly from a storytelling standpoint, they had a very full life with lots of really interesting stories still,” Wan says of the Warrens. “We’ve only just captured a small portion of what they sort of dabbled in.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘The Conjuring’ spoilers! ‘Last Rites’ ending explained