At this point, watching a new Conjuring film feels less like entertainment and more like attending a mandatory family reunion—everyone’s tire and no one really wants to be there.
As a supposed finale, The Conjuring: Last Rites should resonate emotionally. But, really, you’re just waiting for Warner Bros. to finally say, “Okay, that’s enough.”
The Conjuring: Last Rites is about Ed and Lorraine Warren facing their “final” demonic battle where they help the Smurl family face-off against a haunted antique mirror that’s been terrorizing them for months. The Warrens themselves encountered this mirror as rookie ghostbusters when Lorraine was heavily pregnant. Their investigation led to an induced labor with her pushing out a baby in the hospital while a demon terrorizes her in the delivery room.
Visually, the movie tries hard to echo Wan’s original gothic style. But atmosphere without originality quickly becomes wallpaper. You recognize the tropes, but they no longer have the power to unsettle.
But really, it’s more about watching Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga cash their checks while pretending to see ghosts in badly lit hallways. Imagine Scooby-Doo without Scooby, or even the sandwiches. That’s the level of absurdity here.
The death of common sense
It’s baffling to see a family of eight stay in a haunted house (for months!) where the lights are either dimmed or turned off completely. What, are they trying to save money? Apparently, demons don’t scare the living crap out of the Smurl family as much as the light bill.
And while we’re at the subject of common sense, why do you always investigate alone? You already know something could be waiting for you up there, or down there, or over there but you still want to check it out by yourself. What the hell is wrong with you?
A thoughtless wholesale of jump scares
If you ever wanted to experience a horror movie directed entirely by a haunted toaster programmed with “play loud noise when camera pans left,” congratulations—you’ve found it. Every scene feels like a cut-and-paste of the previous Conjuring installments, except this time the ghosts look tired too. Even the demons seem to be phoning it in.
Performances: Veterans carrying the weight
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga remain the heart of the series. Wilson’s Ed is still equal parts skeptic and protector, while Farmiga’s Lorraine maintains a fragile balance between vulnerability and strength. Their chemistry is undeniable, and their performances elevate even the weakest material.
But even they can’t disguise how flat the script has become. Their characters, once layered and compelling, now feel like archetypes repeating the same beats. Lorraine sees something terrifying. Ed reassures her. The cycle repeats.
The Warren fatigue
Remember when the Warrens were compelling characters with an aura of mystery? Yeah, now they’re just paranormal influencers desperately clinging to their subscriber base. “Smash that rosary, hit subscribe, and join us on Patreon for bonus exorcisms!”
Lorraine spends most of the runtime gazing dramatically like she’s posing for a horror-themed perfume ad, while Ed clutches his chest like he’s not sure if it’s demon possession or just cholesterol.
While we’re at it, the Warrens are also on the verge of becoming empty nesters and they both look like they don’t know what to do with each other once their daughter gets hitched.
Direction and atmosphere: Shadows without substance
Visually, the movie tries hard to echo Wan’s original gothic style. There are plenty of wide shots, flickering lights, and oppressive shadows. But atmosphere without originality quickly becomes wallpaper. You recognize the tropes, but they no longer have the power to unsettle.
The pacing, too, is uneven. The buildup lingers, the middle sags, and the climax rushes toward a predictable conclusion. It feels like the filmmakers were checking boxes rather than crafting a story with genuine momentum.
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Last rites, first snores
As a supposed finale, The Conjuring: Last Rites should resonate emotionally. This was a chance to close the book on Ed and Lorraine with real gravitas, to reflect on the cost of their battles, or to give them an ending worthy of the franchise’s legacy. Instead, the film treats the “last rites” more like a clearance sale: “Everything must go! One last exorcism, one last haunted artifact, one last excuse to drag audiences back.”
By the end, you don’t feel scared—you feel conned, like you’ve been trapped in a séance where the only spirit summoned is the ghost of better horror films.
Final judgment
The Conjuring: Last Rites isn’t unwatchable. It has moments of craftsmanship, a still-strong central cast, and a visual style that at least tries to evoke the earlier films. But as a capstone to one of horror’s most successful modern franchises, it falls short.
Instead of innovation, it offers repetition. Instead of closure, it offers clichés. Instead of genuine horror, it offers loud noises in the dark. What began as a groundbreaking horror film has ended as a pale echo of its former self. The Warrens deserved a final chapter that honored their journey. Instead, they got a contractual obligation dressed up as a haunting.
Is this the scariest Conjuring yet? Absolutely. Scary in the sense that studios will keep resurrecting this corpse of a franchise until the Ouija board itself files a restraining order. If this is truly the “last” one, may the series rest in peace.
Verdict: 2.5 out of 5 crucifixes.
The Conjuring: Last Rites is now showing in cinemas.
