Michael Chaves, the director of the upcoming film The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, spoke recently about a deleted post-credit scene that was intended to set up another movie in the ever-growing Conjuring universe of films. The Conjuring films are based on the real-life paranormal investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren. The first film debuted in 2013 to critical and audience praise before going on to rake in over $300 million worldwide. That success led to the creation of an interconnected universe of horror films, which also features The Conjuring 2, three Annabelle films, The Curse of La Llorona, and The Nun.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It breaks away from the haunted house setup of the first two films to focus on the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, which was the first time in U.S. history that a defendant claimed to be possessed by a demonic force in order to prove their innocence. James Wan, who directed the first two Conjuring films, is on board as a producer and he shares story credit, but directing duties were handed over to Chaves, who previously directed The Curse of La Llorona. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are also back in the roles of Ed and Lorraine.
While speaking with NME, Chaves was asked if The Conjuring 3 has any sort of post-credit scene. He was quick to discuss the fact that there was a scene, but it was removed in order to allow the third film to feel more finite. Chaves didn't elaborate much on the scene as he wants to keep it a mystery for now, but he feels there are plenty more stories to tell with the Warrens. Check out his comments below:
"We actually had [a post-credits scene]. I'll keep it a mystery as to what it was because it may kind of be coming back in another form. We were really proud with the ending and it felt like a real kind of finite close to the story. Not to say that there isn't a door open for many more Warren cases and Warren adventures, but there was something about this that just felt like ending a trilogy, it just felt nice and solid with this ending."
Chaves went on to say that the scene was intended to tease their plans for expanding on ideas and villains set up by The Conjuring 3, but no specifics were given. While the concepts in the scene may come back in another film within the universe, Chaves is content with the scene being omitted. His continued involvement with the franchise is unknown, but Chaves is happy to have this feel like an ending. He said:
"I'm glad that we didn't put it in because it does seem sometimes like you're being kind of roped into the next one. Even though I do love that as a movie fan, there was something nice about kind of ending without it."
While it's unclear as to what the scene features, The Conjuring universe is meant to continue on with The Nun 2 and The Crooked Man, said to be in development. The scene likely didn't feature a tease for these films, as Chaves stated it was linked to the third film directly, but that could be an indication that it was intended to set up yet another spinoff film. The Conjuring spinoff films have been hit and miss with critics, but they have proven successful financially, so continuing the series seems likely from the studio's standpoint. Franchise fans will likely have a better sense as to the ideas that Chavez tiptoed around when The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It hits theaters on June 4th.
