The Conjuring: Last Rites

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) are enjoying retirement, until a chilling case in a remote Pennsylvania home draws them back into the darkness. The haunting isn’t just another possession… it has a terrifying link to their daughter, Judy (Mia Tomlinson). The fourth movie in the Conjuring universe, also touted as the finale, is a slowburn horror that burns a bit too slow. It stays loyal to the Conjuring template— big family in a haunted house, creepy attic, and eerie musical toys delivering solid jump scares—but it takes far too long to get to the point. Overloaded with ambition, the uneven pacing may not rob its tension, but it makes the experience more exhausting than terrifying. At 2 hours and 15 minutes, the final instalment feels bogged down by its heavy-handed emotional drama. Overstuffed, this time around the demonic spirits haunt not just one home but two – the Warrens and the Smurl family. The story shuttles between these two parallel tracks until they converge in an extended climax. The fear element persists but it gets overshadowed by the family drama.

The Conjuring: Last Rites is the final release in the hit horror film franchise that debuted in 2013 with The Conjuring. The films explored stories of real-life couple Ed Warren and his wife Lorraine Warren, who were pioneers in the supernatural community back when their findings were often mocked by the scientific community. The final film in the franchise explores a very different and dramatic tone while also bringing back some classic filmmaking techniques of the franchise. The film has more drama than expected, but the last act picks up the pace enough for a good send-off. The film begins in 1864 as young Ed and Lorraine have begun taking new cases while expecting their baby, Judy. The first encounter with this demon puts their baby at risk, and they decide to never return to the case, but years later, after Judy has grown up, it shows up at another house among the Smurl family. However, after Ed suffers due to health complications, the Warrnes decide to stay away from the field and stick to sharing their knowledge through teaching.