American filmmaker Michael Chaves, best known for steering the Conjuring universe into its final chapter, says the latest installment 'The Conjuring: Last Rites' didn’t just deal with hauntings on-screen, it crept into his real life. In a recent interview, the 40-year-old director revealed that his time working on the film convinced him of the supernatural.
“When talking about making these movies, the question that always comes up is ‘Did anything spooky ever happen on set?’ And my answer now is ‘Yes,’” Chaves said. “My experiences on (the sets of) The Conjuring: Last Rites have made me a believer. That is because of two things, the first having talked extensively with the Smurls and the conviction they had in telling their story. They’re totally honest, reasonable, smart people, and this was something that was really a wound that they dealt with. It was a jarring, traumatic event. It resonated with me incredibly," he added.
A Haunted Stay in England
Chaves went on to detail the second and far more chilling reason he believes in ghosts. While filming in England, he stayed at The Old Vicarage, a centuries-old home once used by vicars serving the local church. What seemed like a charming residence for him and his family soon became the setting of inexplicable events.
He recalled a series of disturbing incidents, from his daughter’s iPad photo that appeared to capture a shadowy priest, to hearing two men’s voices upstairs while he was alone at home. “Now, I’m scared, but I keep going. I search from one room to the next… and there is no one in that house—and the voices suddenly stop,” he revealed.
“At first, I’m relieved, I think, ‘Well, at least I’m not getting robbed,’ because I’d have no clue how to deal with that. Then I realized that, I swear to God, those voices were there, and I was convinced it was a haunting. I know that something was there. I’m a total believer, and I apologize for any other interview where I might have been dismissive or just tossed off an answer. It happened to me,” Chaves said.
Final Chapter of the Conjuring Saga
His brush with the paranormal mirrors the theme of The Conjuring: Last Rites, which marks the final film in the blockbuster franchise. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reprise their roles as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, joined by Mia Tomlinson as their daughter Judy and Ben Hardy as her boyfriend. The story pits the Warrens against a case that could shake not only their faith but also their family bonds.