‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’: A Final Haunt With Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga and Familiar Jump Scares

Alci Rengifo

Even summoning the dark one can grow mundane after a few rounds. “The Conjuring: Last Rites” feels like an appropriate final chapter for one of the most popular horror franchises of the last decade. Its heroes are a little older, even their offspring are all grown up, and all that’s left is for the demons they battle to go for one last hurrah. It’s all sort of goofy of course and this movie’s best moments are the less supernatural ones, where Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga get to play with the more domestic side of their characters. Parapsychologists Ed and Loraine Warren were real, controversially so, and the heart of this series has always been in letting them feel a little more human than your average movie demon hunters.

“Last Rites” opens with another glimpse into the Warrens’ younger days. It’s 1964 as they investigate the case of what seems to be a haunted mirror. When confronted by the malevolent force in the object, a pregnant Lorraine goes into labor and nearly loses their baby daughter. Cut to 1986 and after many of their famous cases, the Warrens are on the college lecture circuit. They are semi-retired, particularly since Ed has been having some heart issues. Judy (Mia Tomlinson) is grown and dating Tony (Ben Hardy), who doesn’t have a real sense yet of her parent’s work. Over in industrial Pennsylvania, the large Smurl family seems to be living a regular working class existence, until the mysterious mirror from the prologue appears in their home. Soon enough terrifying things begin to occur. Horrific occurrences coincide with Judy beginning to show signs she shares Loraine’s psychic powers. Eventually, the Warrens will be led to the Smurls home for a showdown with demonic forces.

It’s been quite a run for the franchise launched by the original “The Conjuring” in 2013. Eight other films followed when you count the spinoffs including the “Annabelle” and “The Nun” movie series. When James Wan made the initial films, their instant appeal lay in how they combined contemporary jump scares with the style of classic ‘70s horror in their aesthetic. By basing it on the Warrens, there was also an element of the kind of narrative more associated with true crime even if these movies wildly exaggerate the supposed hauntings investigated by the real couple. Director Michael Chaves, who helmed the previous “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” sustains the rich sense of atmosphere and now nods at ‘80s horror. Cinematographer Eli Born gets to play with the look of vintage videotape, at times to effectively eerie effect, as in a scene where someone pauses a home video to find a hidden presence. 

Aside from the strong style, much of “Last Rites” is a quirky balance of expected, sometimes recycled, scares for “Conjuring” fans and a more engaging domestic side to the screenplay by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. The main haunted family become background players we barely get to know. There’s Janet Smurl (Rebecca Calder) and husband Jack (Elliot Cowan), their daughters Heather (Kíla Lord Cassidy) and Dawn (Beau Gadsdon) and grandparents (Kate Fahy and Peter Wight). Their purpose is really just to give a series of inciting incidents with the unnamed demon. The daughters get wrecked by visions, at least one bloody episode, and Jack levitates in bed. A quick montage shows how their case became a media item, complete with the actors being digitally inserted into real clips from a Larry King segment of the time. The key lesson learned is that the paranormal assaults get worse every time you try to dump the possessed mirror. Chaves’ apparitions will satisfy popcorn audiences even if they repeat a now overdone trope of demons manifesting as elderly people with evil grins. 

At least the Warrens have a more personal, urgent reason to get involved when Judy starts to get haunted by the demonic presence. This ties the story to the more intriguing sections concerning Ed having to face his health issues and the annoyed feeling of being a father watching his daughter get swept away by Tony, who proposes to Janet after dating for only a year. Wilson and Farmiga again demonstrate why the Warrens have become endearing horror heroes. They play their roles with a welcome sincerity and even maturity, never overdoing it, even when facing terrors from the beyond. Farmiga understands that she is more effective by evoking tension over just looking shocked every time she has one of those pesky visions of blood overflowing a kitchen sink. It is also endearing to see them as older parents and realize we have been watching these characters grow since 2013. Judy and Tony are also very likable and also a likely replacement for the retiring Warrens if this movie proves to be a hit and another title gets greenlit. Someone has to keep watch over the pair’s famous museum of cursed objects.

“Last Rites” is not one of the best “Conjuring” movies but proves to be a decent enough exit for Wilson, or at least Farmiga, who has made it known this is her last adventure as Lorraine. The final showdown at the Smurl home feels too familiar with all of the screeching and jump scares that practically announce themselves. It all threatens to get rather comical when the final battle boils down to a spinning mirror. The demonic villain doesn’t even get a name or valid reason to target the Warrens’ offspring. Yet, the main characters carry it through and there is still devilish fun in the way the end credits roll over news footage of the real Warrens and the Smurl case. Whether you buy into the “true” story or not, this version of the couple has been fun to follow through dark corridors. As a final outing, “Last Rites” feels made for the fans who won’t mind some of the same old tricks as long as they are with Wilson and Farmiga.

“The Conjuring: Last Rites” releases Sept. 5 in theaters nationwide.