The Conjuring: Last Rites has detailed elements of its real-life story ahead of its proposed September release.

The film, the fourth main instalment in the horror franchise, once again follows Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga respectively) as they investigate paranormal activities and dark evils.

Based on the real-life Smurl haunting, The Conjuring: Last Rites – purportedly the final saga in the Warrens’ story – is set in 1986, five years after the events of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, with the story picking up as the central duo enjoy a form of retirement.

Naturally, Ed and Lorraine are brought out of retirement by another case, with Janet (Rebecca Calder) and Jack Smurl (Elliot Cowan) enlisting the help of the pair to investigate their haunted house in West Pittston, Pennsylvania.

The couple alleged that a demon inhabited their home between 1974 and 1989, with the family claiming to experience supernatural occurrences ranging from “strange odours and voices all the way to ghostly molestations,” (via Entertainment Weekly).

Warner Bros.

Speaking to the same outlet, producer Peter Safran explained the decision to tell the story of one of America’s most famous hauntings, saying: “[The Smurl case] percolated on a regular basis… It is one of the more Googleable ones.

“It really fit the bill for us, being able to lean into something that audiences could go and Google after the movie. ‘Oh! They really did have that many children. Oh! They really were this age, and the grandparents really were there.’ All of that stuff has always been meaningful to us.”

“We’ve known about this one for a long time,” added Wilson. “Then writers are playing around with how it affects the family and what’s going on in the family’s life. That’s where we can really theatricalize it. We’re not making a documentary.”

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With the film due to be the last to centre on the Warrens, Farmiga described her working relationship with Wilson as “the absolutely best arranged marriage”, adding that she’ll miss her co-star as a “fun scene partner”.

Directed by Michael Chaves, who helmed the previous instalment, The Conjuring: Last Rites also features Ben Hardy and Mia Tomlinson, with the latter portraying Ed and Lorraine’s grown-up daughter Judy.

The Conjuring: Last Rites is scheduled to be released in cinemas on 5 September.