The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It Director Reveals Deleted Post-Credits Scene

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It director Michael Chaves reveals the third film deleted a post-credits scene that could come back “in another form” elsewhere in the Conjuring Universe. Set after the events of 2013’s The Conjuring and 2016’s The Conjuring 2, both from director James Wan, The Conjuring 3 is inspired by true events: the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect claimed demonic possession as a defense. In a new interview, Chaves says the decision to remove the filmed post-credits scene was made for a more “finite” finish to the trilogy about paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga).

“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,” Chaves told NME. “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.”

Asked if the scrapped credits scene set up a Conjuring 4, Chaves said, “What it teased was there’s definitely some villains and some ideas that we introduced in this, and it was an expansion on that. It was basically giving a glimpse on how we would unspool that.”

“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,” said Chaves, who previously directed the spin-off The Curse of La Llorona. “Even though I do love that as a movie fan, there was something nice about kind of ending without it.”

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It reveals a chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil that shocked even experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of the most sensational cases from their files, it starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes them beyond anything they’d ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson return to star as Lorraine and Ed Warren, under the direction of Michael Chaves (“The Curse of La Llorona”). The film also stars Ruairi O’Connor (Starz’ “The Spanish Princess”), Sarah Catherine Hook (Hulu’s “Monsterland”) and Julian Hilliard (the series “Penny Dreadful: city of Angels” and “The Haunting of Hill House”).

Read what early reviews are saying about The Conjuring 3 before it releases in theaters and on HBO Max on June 4.