For a movie that needs to be another scary entry in a series built on horrific elements, an update on one of cinema’s most enduring and happily married couples, and a wrap-up of sorts to a Universe that has spanned decades and dealt with multiple demons, I had a bit of a sly grin on my face once all was said and done. While the idea of being revolutionary or even all that innovative isn’t really on the table for The Conjuring: Last Rites, the 4th Conjuring film and the 9th overall installment in The Conjuring Universe (not counting Last Rites director’s own debut film, The Curse of La Llorona), I couldn’t help but admire seeing this as a film that chose to go out on its own accord, thus settling universe of these cinematic efforts as a whole. Now, as several boogeymen have shown us, never say never, but for the time being, The Conjuring: Last Rites does all it can to retain the emotional core that has propelled these films from the start, while also making sure things still go bump in the night.
This time around, the film is set in 1986, and we’re back dealing with both what Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) are up to, while simultaneously learning about the Smurl haunting. With the Warrens, while they have attempted to calm down their paranormal investigations, they do have the case of the maturing child to look into, as their daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson) is now an adult, and a part of a serious relationship with Tony Spera (Ben Hardy), who is looking to propose.
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As is always the case with The Conjuring films, a dual narrative emerges, with a lot of time being spent focused on the Warren family. Regardless of how much of this resembles actual life (the real Judy was more or less living with her grandmother most of the time, because of how busy her parents were traveling around the world), the choice to root this series in the lives of an incredibly secure couple who genuinely love each other makes for such a heartfelt horror franchise that I’d have to wonder what a standalone feature focused on a few months where it was all slice of life issues to contend with rather than supernatural ones would be like.
Of course, this is a horror film, and not an easygoing one either. With Hardy’s effectively played Tony serving as something of an audience surrogate to help remind us of what can be experienced by those not already in the know, this is a film full of evil demons, jumpy moments, cryptic messaging that turns dark, a mirror you won’t want to look into twice, and of course, sweet little Annabelle just waiting in the shadowy corners of the film. Whether or not this is the scariest entry or one that relies on what these filmmakers already know works, it’s not exactly a film that isn’t working at pushing the tension and delivering on the horrific spectacle of all kinds.
With the main subject of this film being the Smurls, there certainly is room to terrify audiences one more time via this franchise when it comes to hauntings based in some level of reality. Keeping them as the subjects in mind, we have Janet and Jack Smurl (Rebecca Calder and Elliot Cowan), and the rest of the family, who all live in a home in Pennsylvania that has been supposedly inhabited by a demon for over a decade. The early goings on with the Smurls, as we see it, allow for plenty of creepy moments and effective jolts for us to understand some kind of threat at play. Allowing that to bleed into the Warren’s lives is expected to a point, but it is a good way to keep all of the characters at play in some way.
Director Michael Chaves and the writers have moved this entry back from the sort of case-of-the-week approach found in ‘The Devil Made Me Do It,’ and, as a result, build a fourth entry that feels in sync with the series at large, but also more effectively scary because it has more personal stakes in mind this time around. Naturally, this all builds towards a scare-heavy finale that pulls out all the stops, providing extra time for the power of prayer to overcome the evils within. Still, at least this feels earned thanks to the time spent building up this iteration of our lead characters, as well as those they interact with.
For their efforts, Farmiga and Wilson are once again bringing all they need here. The two embody this cinematic take on the Warrens so effectively that one can’t help but feel a sense of calm knowing these two are so committed to their work as well as each other. The rest of the cast provides what is needed. Tomlinson is relatively new to performing in features, and having to take over a role that has already been covered a few times, she does well as Judy, with the potential to take the reins down the line if necessary. I also always seem to appreciate how most of these Conjuring films have some big family to deal with, and the actors all seem to correspond with each other in a way that makes them feel believable as a unit.
With a big case to take on, further looks that take us into the interior lives of our heroes, and enough effort from a production design standpoint to once again deliver on period horror uniquely, there’s plenty to like about The Conjuring: Last Rites. It does what’s needed to bring a sense of finality to the series, which is appreciated, but doesn’t try to oversell that angle either. It’s a new Conjuring film, and the familiarity with the Warrens, let alone the choices of how to scare an audience, render the movie both oddly relaxing yet exciting in ways completely fit for what’s been offered through these movies from the start. Time will only tell if those frightening feelings will ever emerge again.
The Conjuring: Last Rites opens in theaters and IMAX on September 5, 2025.
