Let’s be honest: the main demon in The Conjuring: Last Rites might not go down as a franchise great. It’s shadowy, connected to a cursed mirror, and terrifies the Warrens, but it never quite achieves the iconic status of Valak or Bathsheba. Yet, the film isn’t without its chilling highs, and every single one of them is thanks to the Axe Man a ghost so terrifying he’s single-handedly become the movie’s breakout star.
If you jumped out of your seat during Last Rites, chances are it was because of this farm-turned-phantom and his deadly weapon. So, who is he, and where did he come from? Let’s break down the backstory of the film’s most memorable specter.
Who is the Axe Man in The Conjuring: Last Rites?
First things first: the Axe Man isn’t a demon. He’s a ghost, and there’s a crucial difference in the Conjuring universe. Demons are ancient, purely evil entities from hell. Ghosts are tormented human souls stuck on our plane, often repeating the tragedies of their lives. The Axe Man is very much the latter a spirit fueled by a singular, violent rage.
He’s one of three ghosts that the main demon, attached to a cursed mirror, empowers to haunt the Smurl family. The demon acts like a dark battery, supercharging the negative energy of the land and allowing lost, angry souls to manifest and wreak havoc.
As Lorraine Warren pieces together through her investigations, the Axe Man was once a farmer who lived on the land long before the Smurl house was built. He was an ordinary man until he was consumed by a jealous rage, becoming convinced his wife was unfaithful.
In a fit of madness, he brutally murdered both his wife and his mother-in-law with you guessed it an axe. This act of violence forever tied his spirit to the location, and the weapon of his crime became a part of his eternal phantom form. He’s not a complex demon with a grand plan; he’s a snapshot of a single, horrific moment in time, doomed to repeat his rage forever.
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How does the Axe Man haunt the Smurl family in The Conjuring: Last Rites?
The demon’s presence gives the Axe Man the power to interact with the living world, and he doesn’t waste it. He delivers two of the film’s most heart-pounding scare sequences:
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The Video Tape Attack: After Heather Smurl sees a ghostly figure on a static-filled videotape (a classic, effective scare), the Axe Man materializes behind her and attacks, chasing her through the house.
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The Basement Pursuit: In the film’s climax, he relentlessly pursues Lorraine Warren through the dark basement, his axe dragging and scraping, until she’s rescued by Tony.
These scenes work because the Axe Man is a straightforward, primal threat. He’s not whispering curses or moving paintings; he’s swinging a weapon with lethal intent.
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Could the Axe Man return in a Conjuring spin-off?
This is the million-dollar question. The Conjuring franchise is built on spin-offs (Annabelle, The Nun), and even the Crooked Man from The Conjuring 2 was briefly considered for his own film.
The Axe Man has several things going for him: he’s instantly iconic, his design is simple and scary, and his backstory is a blank canvas ripe for exploration. A prequel film or limited series showing his descent into madness and the brutal murders could be a fantastic, grounded horror story.
However, there’s one big complication: his power was tied directly to the demon in the Smurl house. With that entity presumably defeated and the Smurls continuing to live in the home, the lore suggests his ability to manifest is gone.
That said, since when has lore ever truly stopped a studio from greenlighting a popular idea? If audiences demand it, the writers could easily find a way perhaps another cursed object or a different powerful entity could resurrect him elsewhere.
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Who are the main ghosts and demons in The Conjuring: Last Rites?
The film introduces a few new entities, but the Axe Man is the clear standout.
| Entity | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The Mirror Demon | Demon | The main antagonist, an unnamed entity tied to a cursed mirror. |
| The Axe Man | Ghost | A farmer who murdered his family; the film’s most effective threat. |
| The Wife & Mother-in-Law | Ghosts | The Axe Man’s victims; they appear as mournful, less aggressive spirits. |
While The Conjuring: Last Rites may serve as the finale for Ed and Lorraine Warren, its true legacy might be introducing a ghost simple in concept but devastatingly effective in execution. The Axe Man proves that sometimes, the scariest monsters aren’t ancient demons from hell, but the ghosts of human rage, forever trapped in the moment of their greatest sin. He’s a reminder that the most terrifying stories are often the most human ones even if they’re being told by something that is no longer human at all.
The Conjuring: Last Rites is currently in theatres.
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