The Conjuring movies have been some of the best the horror genre has had to offer since the franchise began in 2013. With Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga), the supernatural stories have had a grounding element. We’ve watched their relationship through the trials and tribulations their cases have brought. With The Conjuring: Last Rites, the couple’s daughter, Judy (Mia Tomlinson), joins their case — one that began before she was born.
Michael Chaves returns to direct Last Rites after The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. His ability to genuinely scare and build tension throughout is excellent. We’re riveted from the first moment, which sees Ed and Lorraine working a case in 1964. It involves a mirror that, upon first glance, is nothing suspicious. Lorraine is pregnant with Judy, and a direct interaction with the mirror leads her to give birth early. Judy is stillborn for a minute, and it’s heartwrenching to watch.
We have to keep that — and the mirror — in mind when the film fast-forwards to 1986. Ed and Warren no long take any cases, and Judy is now an adult in a serious relationship with Tony (Ben Hardy). But the case of the mirror, which is now haunting and attacking the Smurl family in Pennsylvania, is far from over, and is perhaps the most personal the Warrens have ever faced.
Whether or not you’ve ever believed the Warrens’ cases have any “true story” merit, The Conjuring films have had me invested since the first film. Last Rites very much feels like a proper send-off for the couple and their family. And while there are nods to previous films, some in cameo form, it remains focused on the story it’s telling. Catching up with the Warrens and watching how their lives — including Ed’s heart problems — shape their decision-making is naturally woven into the script by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick.
The Conjuring: Last Rites Is Full Of Tension & Effective Jump-Scares
The horror film works so well because of the personal slant. We want to know what happens to the Warrens, especially to their daughter. Knowing less about the family going into the film is best, but that doesn’t take away from the feeling of gnawing fear we have whenever she, like her mother, sees a vision. A lot is going on, but it never feels that way thanks to good pacing, which starts to slow a bit after the hour mark but returns to form shortly after.
And even after so many films, Last Rites knows how to scare us. Some of the more horrific elements and jump-scares are expected, while others are definitely not. It’s a nail-biting fear that is delicately built. Patience is required for a good payoff, and Chaves understands that. As the film oscillates between the Warrens and the Smurls, it develops its growing tension in a way that the ending feels more terrifying. It’s a proper crescendo of a horror that allows space for smaller scares while laying the groundwork for bigger ones.
The Horror Film’s Cast Delivers Intense Performances
As a story about the Warrens first and foremost, Last Rites is not only a good send-off, but it brings everything full circle. The film asks what would make the Warrens stop helping others; the answer is Judy, but there are layers to that, especially as she was kept away from the majority of the horrific things her parents saw and worked on. Judy seeing visions like her mother puts her in the line of fire, but it’s only here that she begins to fully understand the full breadth of her parents’ work.
Judy fits perfectly into The Conjuring franchise. Obviously, it’s her link to her parents that makes us care for her even more, but that’s helped immensely by Mia Tomlinson’s performance. She expresses a range of emotions that let us in on Judy’s mindset, even when she keeps her parents at arm’s length to ᴀssuage their growing worry.
Last Rites is not only a good send-off, but it brings everything full circle.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are still at the top of their game, instilling a sense of gravitas into the Warrens’ journey. They have excellent chemistry as always, but it’s the way they convey their many emotions — from concern to fear to loving adoration — that cements their performances. Ben Hardy as Tony is a nice addition to the film, acting, in some way, as a stand-in for audiences relatively new to the franchise. He brings a sincerity to his role and a sense of humor that balances the scarier and more intense moments.
It’s rare for a final film in a horror franchise to deliver character development, a chilling story, and a satisfying ending for the characters. The Conjuring: Last Rites does all three. As a farewell to the Warrens, Chaves balances the terrifying with the heartfelt to great effect.
