The Conjuring: Last Rites

2025
Directors: Michael Chaves
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Mia Tomlinson, Ben Hardy, Steve Coulter, and more…

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren take on one last terrifying case involving more mysterious entities they must confront.

This is the end of an era for me, and it’s bittersweet. James Wan was one of the biggest reasons I became obsessed with the horror genre once again. Unlike so many directors in the 2010s, he wasn’t remaking established franchises or churning out torture porn to get reactions. No, he changed horror as we know it with The Conjuring in 2013. (Talk about a movie I wish I could rewatch for the first time again.) He was coming off the wildly successful Saw franchise, and also delving into the supernatural with Insidious. But where that franchise was about haunted people, The Conjuring series was pure haunted-house horror based on the true case files of celebrity ghost hunters, Ed and Lorraine Warren.

The first movie in the Conjuring universe balanced real scares (not cheap jump scares) with emotional storytelling. Wan realized something many never do when it comes to the horror genre. If you couldn’t care less about the characters in the story, you’ll feel nothing when they die or their lives are at stake. You may feel revulsion if they meet a particularly gruesome demise. Make the viewer care about the characters and when they are threatened or killed, it’s devastating in the best way. It stays with you long after you leave the theatre. That’s what makes James Wan and his films so irresistible.

Now, more than a decade later, we have the final movie in the franchise, The Conjuring: Last Rites. While some found it formulaic or predictable, I think it ended this fantastic franchise on a satisfyingly emotional note for the couple at the center of it.

No matter what was going on in each film, it was always about Ed and Lorraine. It was about their love and chemistry as much as it was about their teamwork as paranormal investigators. Each film saw them helping someone else with otherworldly attacks that no one else could navigate. And no matter how crazy the supernatural chaos got, the emotional bond between the two characters kept us watching to see how they would save the day. So yes, it was predictable, but in a way you won’t really find anywhere else.

Last Rites takes place at the end of the Warrens’ careers in the paranormal. Ed’s declining health and the toll each case took on Lorraine with her gift had them pivoting to lectures, books, and family life. Their daughter Judy is now grown and dealing abilities that she inherited from her mother. Judy also found a young man to share her life with which ups the ante in this film.

This final case involves the Smurl family who unwittingly bring a cursed mirror home and it unleashes terror on the entire family. As the unexplained disturbances escalate, a connection between the mirror and the Warrens is revealed. The demon haunting the object has unfinished business with Judy, leaving Ed and Lorraine no choice but to deal with the darkness one last time.

Director Michael Chaves proves there’s still energy left in the series of films, delivering several unforgettable scares throughout the film. The use of a mirror as a possessed object allows for some pretty inventive and terrifying sequences in this movie that has the viewer truly uneasy before the real scares begin. Chaves knows how to build suspense, and how to build up to huge scary payoffs in a way I’ve always enjoyed.

Is the film as strong as the first two in the series? No. But it doesn’t lose the emotional focus that brought fans back each time a new film was released. We also spend a little more time with the Warrens this time but I personally liked that since it’s likely the last time I’ll get to see Famiga and Wilson play the two beloved characters. They feel like family after all this time. The actors have so much chemistry and make playing these roles seem effortless.

Yes, Last Rites sticks to its traditions with haunted families, demonic entities, and Catholic rituals. But I’m personally glad they did that. Instead of falling back on nonstop scares, the film leans on character relationships, nostalgia, and the beautiful legacy of the Warren family.

The film is rated R for good reason and at just over two hours, it’s the perfect length. I highly recommend it.

Isy