The Conjuring: Last Rites – Did You Catch These 10 Hidden Cameos in Patrick Wilson’s Latest $2.48B Franchise Film?

The Conjuring: Last Rites has officially drawn the curtains on Warner Bros.’ $2.48 billion horror universe (see The Numbers), and if you weren’t watching with demon-hunting precision, you likely missed a few ghosts from the past. Yes, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as Ed and Lorraine Warren, but this final chapter exhumes buried callbacks, resurrects fan-favorite survivors, and even includes a rare appearance by the real Judy Warren and Tony Spera.

The story centers on a haunted artifact, an antique mirror, and the Smurl family, who unknowingly unleash its evil. But it’s not just another paranormal case; the mirror is the same cursed object Lorraine touched while pregnant, which triggered a traumatic birth that nearly claimed Judy’s life. Judy (Mia Tomlinson), now grown and engaged to Tony Spera (Ben Hardy), begins experiencing terrifying visions. 

As demons crash their wedding prep, Ed and Lorraine are forced out of retirement to save their daughter. The emotional climax sees Judy possessed, nearly ending her own life before her parents and fiancé intervene. Together, they face the mirror, their pasts, and shatter it with something more powerful than holy water: truth.

But Last Rites isn’t just about Judy’s arc. It’s peppered with heartfelt cameos. Let’s break down every hidden return, every emotional echo, and the ending that shattered more than just glass.

The Conjuring: Last Rites – All 10 Key Cameos Explained

Kicking things off is Officer Brad Hamilton (John Brotherton), who’s come a long way from the skeptic cop he was in the 2013 original. Now proudly displaying the scar he earned from Bathsheba Sherman’s attack, Brad reveals he’s remained close to the Warrens and wears his ghost-battle wounds like a twisted badge of honor. But that’s just the beginning.

Carolyn Perron (Lili Taylor) and her daughter Cindy (Mackenzie Foy) return in a scene that’s equal parts touching and poetic. As do Frances O’Connor’s Peggy Hodgson and Madison Wolfe’s Janet from The Conjuring 2, both standing quietly in the background like war veterans revisiting the battlefield.

Julian Hilliard’s David Glatzel also makes a quiet return, connecting Last Rites to The Devil Made Me Do It, and weaving a final thread into the Warrens’ long trail of supernatural survival stories.

Quick Look: All 10 Major Cameos in The Conjuring: Last Rites

With James Wan in the crowd and the real-life Warrens joining the fiction they helped inspire, Last Rites blurs the line between story and spirit. Wan appears wordlessly, but his presence says everything. But the crown jewel of this closing chapter? The real Judy Warren and Tony Spera.

Their brief but powerful cameo during Ed’s birthday party is the most quietly moving moment in the film. Just a warm exchange between Judy and Lorrain, like passing the torch between two timelines.

Judy and Tony’s fictional versions (played by Mia Tomlinson and Ben Hardy) drive the emotional arc of the movie. Judy’s lifelong visions, her inherited gift or curse, and her near-death experience as a baby all point back to the original Conjuring. It’s as if the franchise has been building to this from the beginning.

And just like that, the circle completes. 

The Ending of The Conjuring: Last Rites, Explained

Here’s where the demons get real. The cursed mirror at the center of Last Rites isn’t just haunted; it’s personal. Lorraine first encountered it while pregnant with Judy, and it nearly killed both of them. Now, years later, the mirror returns, attached to a new family, the Smurls, and it’s not after random souls. It wants Judy.

As her wedding day nears, Judy is plagued with increasingly violent visions. The demon possessing the mirror slowly gains control over her. Eventually, she’s fully possessed, attempts to kill her parents, and nearly hangs herself until Ed and Tony stop her just in time. The usual tools, holy water, exorcisms, and artifact removal, fail.

Only when Judy, Lorraine, and Ed all face the mirror together does it finally shatter. The key isn’t resistance. It’s a confrontation. As Lorraine tells Judy:

What happens next?

• The Smurl family lived in the house for three more years before moving.
• Judy and Tony get married, symbolically sealing the end of the Warrens’ active demon-hunting days.
• Lorraine shares a vision of a peaceful future, grandchildren, retirement, and a life unburdened.
• Ed hands Tony the keys to the artifact room and smirks: “Welcome to the family.”

The final scene shows real home footage of Ed and Lorraine, followed by a grainy image of Ed standing beside the actual mirror… labeled a “conjuring mirror”, known for summoning spirits.

So, Was The Conjuring: Last Rites the Final Nail in the Coffin or Just the Beginning of a New Haunting?

The Conjuring: Last Rites wasn’t interested in sending you out screaming; it seemingly wanted to send you out remembering. This was less an exorcism and more a eulogy, filled with soul, sentiment, and sly nostalgia. But with Tony now holding the keys to the artifact room and Judy coming into her own power… is this really the end?

Could the next generation carry the torch? Or better yet, should they?

The table contains basic details about The Conjuring: Last Rites:

So what do you think? Were the cameos a clever farewell or cheap fan service? Did the mirror sequence chill your bones or leave you wanting more?

Sound off in the comments below, but please, don’t look into any mirrors while you do. 

Watch The Conjuring: Last Rites in theaters today.