Ed and Lorraine Warren saddle up for one last case against the demonic forces of evil in this final chapter of The Conjuring universe. Executive producer Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona) returns to direct after helming the previous installment as well as a spin-off sequel, The Nun II. Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and executive producer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick provide the screenplay. Johnson-McGoldrick also worked on the story along with the previous franchise director and producer, James Wan (Saw, Saw III, Dead Silence, Insidious: Chapter 2, Malignant, M3GAN).
Once again, Patrick Wilson (The Phantom of the Opera, Prometheus, In the Tall Grass) and Vera Farmiga (Orphan, Bates Motel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters) portray the fictionalized versions of real-life paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, respectively. Mia Tomlinson joins the cast as Judy, the Warrens’ daughter. Rounding out the major cast is Ben Hardy as Tony, Judy’s boyfriend.
In this entry, Ed and Lorraine are roped back into investigating a haunting after it begins to affect their daughter Judy and their personal lives.
Where are the Warrens?
While the real-life Warrens remain controversial figures, their cinematic counterparts are quite delightful. This is in large part thanks to the amazing chemistry Wilson and Farmiga share. Even at some of the previous entries’ lowest points, one could always rely on a scene between the two actors to be electric and give the film some life back. In The Conjuring: Last Rites, the two spend a lot of the film apart from each other. Not for any major reason, but often they are just in separate rooms, or if they are together, then they aren’t necessarily the focus of the scene. Outside of the start and end of the film, Ed and Lorraine feel like afterthoughts.
Instead, most of the film focuses on their daughter. Judy is a character we have seen grow over the course of the films, but she’s always more of a tertiary character outside of the spinoffs. This sudden shift to putting her in the focus isn’t entirely unwelcome, as it is good to see her treated like a character for once. However, this comes across as trying to set up a potential spinoff with Judy rather than giving Ed and Lorraine a satisfying closure. Thus, the film’s emotional core is no longer Ed and Lorraine’s relationship. It becomes about their relationship with their daughter. It’s an odd change to make in a final film. It’s at odds with what the rest of the series is about and how it functions
Circling around to the performances themselves, they are passable. Wilson and Farmiga slide back into these characters very easily. And they are good in the roles, yet the film doesn’t give them much to do. Consequently, they do come across as somewhat bored. It’s not entirely their fault, but this whole movie has such a sleepy energy. As for the newcomers, both Tomlinson and Hardy are not very compelling. This is mostly on the script, but still, neither one is very believable or enjoyable to watch on screen.
We Have The Conjuring at Home
The Conjuring films have never had the most exciting plots. They are fairly standard haunted house films, except for 2021’s The Devil Made Me Do It. Last Rites is no different. However, this newer movie breezes past all the actual haunting business and the family being haunted. There’s little explanation of what is doing the haunting or why. Now, leaving the supernaturally unexplained can be a good thing, but you must give the audience something to latch onto. Here, it only provides a few creepy faces and a backstory delivered offhandedly ¾ of the way into the movie. It’s a haunted house film that isn’t interested in the haunting or the house. It’s just set dressing. To a degree, that has always been true of The Conjuring films, but now more than ever, the mask is off.
All the haunting elements are just worse versions of what was done in the first two films, specifically The Conjuring 2. There’s no attempt to add anything fresh. Instead, it just rushes through the major plot beats and haunting elements found in the second film. It’s a clear sign that no one involved in this film really wants to be here. Everything is performative. And yes, after three main entries and numerous spin-offs, it must be a challenge to find ways to keep things exciting. Haunted house narratives typically have a set of tropes they hit on, although there is a good bit of room to maneuver around in that space. There are ways to make it exciting and fresh. Yet, at every turn, Last Rites opts for the boring and safe choice.
Glacial Pacing
To reiterate, this film has a sleepy energy and terrible pacing. The Conjuring: Last Rites starts with an extended sequence of the Warrens’ first case and how that impacts the birth of their daughter. It’s an effective way to set up the stakes and the only time the film has any energy. After that, it jumps to the present day, where we get a few sequences of a family being haunted, with minimal time being spent on them. Most of the time is spent on the relationship between the Warrens and the haunting in the background. The Warrens and the haunting don’t fully collide until the final act. The film does get some energy back, but by that point, it’s too little too late. It feels like a total misunderstanding of these films’ appeal.
The Verdict on The Conjuring: Last Rites
The final film in The Conjuring franchise is a major disappointment. It lacks so much of what made the earlier entries pop. And when it does hit on those elements, it’s rushed and poorly done. Last Rites is a lifeless, dull, and poor way to end this once exciting film series.
Score 1.5/5
The Conjuring: Last Rites is playing now in theaters!
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