Michael Chaves (born November 3, 1984) is an American filmmaker and visual effects artist. He is best known for directing the horror films The Curse of La Llorona (2019), The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021), The Nun II (2023), and The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025).
Michael Chaves | |
|---|---|
 Chaves at South by Southwest 2019 | |
| Born | November 3, 1984 |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2009–present |
Career
Chaves began directing several short films including The Maiden, which won the Best Super Short Horror Film Award at Shriekfest 2016. He also created the television series Chase Champion, and directed all of the episodes. In 2017, he directed additional photography on The Nun (2018), alongside the film's director Corin Hardy.
He transitioned to feature-length filmmaking with the horror films The Curse of La Llorona (2019),The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021),The Nun II (2023), and The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025), all produced by James Wan. The latter three films are the seventh, eighth, and ninth installments of The Conjuring Universe, respectively.
Michael Chaves is currently signed on to direct another horror film, The Reckoning, for Michael Bay, Bradley Fuller, and Andrew Form, under Platinum Dunes, with a script written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan.
In January 2026, it was announced that Chaves would make his comic-book debut with Corpse Knight for Skybound Entertainment and published by Image Comics. A six-issue miniseries written by Chaves, illustrated by Matthew Roberts, and colored by Rico Renzi, the series follows a young girl named Foy whose father has mysteriously returned from the dead to protect her. The first issue goes on sale April 22 that same year.
In March 2026, he signed on to direct the creature feature Yeti.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Executive producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Nun | Additional photography | No | |
| 2019 | The Curse of La Llorona | Yes | No | |
| 2021 | The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It | Yes | No | |
| 2023 | The Nun II | Yes | No | |
| 2025 | The Conjuring: Last Rites | Yes | Yes | |
| TBA | The Revenge of La Llorona | No | Yes | Post-production |
Music video
| Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "Bury a Friend" | Billie Eilish |
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Editor | VFX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Worst Date Ever | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| 2010 | Regen | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2014 | Massacre Lake | No | No | No | Yes |
| Make Note of Every Sound | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2016 | The Maiden | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Web series
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | VFX | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Guild | No | No | Yes | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Chase Champion | Yes | Yes | No | 11 episodes |