After years of anticipation, “Conjuring: Last Rites,” directed by Michael Chavez, was officially released on Sept. 5. 

Fans of this horror movie trilogy have held their breath, sitting on the edge of their theater seats as they waited for the movie’s first release. 

Despite only being released for a short period of time, “Conjuring: Last Rites” has already racked up over 226 million dollars globally at the box office. Although fans have admired the series and awaited its release for almost three years, the movie itself has begun to stir up some sinister controversies. 

 “The Conjuring” is a prominent horror movie series that explores the beliefs of the Christian religion, following a married couple named Ed and Lorraine Warren, who serve as paranormal investigators throughout the storyline. Since the movie trilogy is entirely based on demonic entities, Christianity, and the supernatural, its existence already attracts many controversial opinions, especially because the series is believed to be based on the true adventures of the real Ed and Lorraine Warren. 

“The Last Rites” is the final movie in the beloved series, putting an end to the infamous “Conjuring” era. “The Last Rites” takes place in 1964, with an expecting Ed and Lorraine Warren. When the baby is delivered, there is a time skip displaying that Ed’s previous heart condition is worsening. The couple retires from their paranormal investigations. However, their daughter, whom they named Judy, began to experience horrifying psychic visions about a family named the Smurls in Pennsylvania who are in dire need of assistance.

The family reaches out to them, claiming that they have been experiencing horrific paranormal events for the past few days. Ed and Lorraine Warren, being the pure-hearted souls they are in the movies, waste no time and immediately run to their aid, traveling from their peaceful home in Monroe, Connecticut, all the way to Pennsylvania. After further investigation, the Smurls family is revealed to be haunted by three vengeful spirits, only to find out that the three spirits are actually under the facade of something much worse– a demon.

As tickets for the theaters began to sell out worldwide, disturbing footage of a man allegedly encountering a malevolent entity and being possessed began to circulate on the internet as it went viral. This left fans wondering: Is the footage true? Does this movie have any connections to the unseen world, or was this just an elaborate public marketing scheme?

This horrifying incident occurred at a theater in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, on Sept. 4. As visitors were pouring into the theaters, the premiere of the movie began to play. However, what was originally supposed to be yet another innocent and light-hearted night at the theater ended up taking a dark and insidious turn. 

Witnesses at the site of the scene reported that a man was seen violently convulsing during the screening, resulting in someone calling in a Christian priest immediately. Footage of the incident is going viral, with clips displaying the horrors that took place that night. 

In the footage, the man is on the floor just underneath the movie theater seats, as he is being surrounded by security who are pinning him down. 

Within moments, a bishop was called, and he began to bless the audience with holy water and a crucifix.

The man who suffered the spasm has not been named yet, but eyewitnesses report that after a ritual and being sprayed with holy water, the man was able to recover. Ever since this concerning feat, debate and speculation have been going around on the internet. 

Some claim that the man suffered an epileptic seizure or a spasm instead of being under the influence of a supernatural entity, and that he was denied proper medical care simply because people were too shaken up by the movie to offer their assistance. However, a vast population of online users claim that the movie has connections to the unseen world and that attending the movie will attract the paranormal towards the viewer, making them an easy target for possible possessions. Another good portion of the web argues that the incident was a publicity stunt performed by the movie directors to attract more viewers.

Ever since this incident occurred, bishops and priests have been spotted all around the world outside of theaters, suggesting that viewers of “The Conjuring: Last Rites” should seek protection from malevolent entities. Due to this, more people are becoming nervous about the movie’s true intentions and whether it is safe to view or not.

Whether the event was really a supernatural incident or just a publicity stunt, there has been no confirmed factual truth. However, the attention drawn to the movie because of this so-called “stunt” has proven to be successful towards the film’s overall ratings, allowing it to pull in more money at the box office and receive more viewers.