Film Review: The Conjuring: Last Rites

Over a decade ago the rise of cinematic universes meant that studios were shuffling around finding ideas and stories that they could convert into one for themselves. There is one cinematic universe that has defied the odds and has an actual conclusion, as of now anyway. The Conjuring was not meant to become what it is today. Filmmaker James Wan crafted a chilling story based on true accounts and events of the Warren’s case files. Ed and Lorraine Warren were paranormal investigators and they helped countless families and people with possession and other supernatural forces. Each film has focused on different cases with the spin-offs more focused on the demons and entities. We have reached the final case that the Warren’s worked on with The Conjuring: Last Rites.

It goes all the way back home in the fourth and final instalment in the series. Filmmaker Michael Chaves has worked on the franchise for long enough now to understand the core themes and concepts that make these films work. The key theme is family. Ed and Lorraine Warren were real people who had real problems in their day-to-day lives. They had a daughter, Judy, and this film sees Judy grown up and ready to settle down. The problem is that she has a similar calling, or ability if you prefer, of her mother where she can sense and feel spirits and other spectral forces. The family is torn between a normal life and the paranormal, and the story brings them together in quite possibly one of the most chilling cases they ever encountered.

The conjuring mirror has been adapted into other forms of fantasy and media, but that mirror is based on a real mirror which is connected to Judy Warren. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson return as Lorraine and Ed Warren, bringing the warmth and heart of the story together, with Judy being played by Mia Tomlinson in her first major film role. The film is very much about Judy with little focus on the family that is being haunted by the mirror. Tomlinson excels at balancing the innocence and maturity of Judy as she accepts the engagement of her boyfriend, Tony played by British actor Ben Hardy. Tony is understanding and acknowledges the unusual lifestyle the family has and accepts it unconditionally, which provides some great moments when he meets her parents. The family angle is what the film focuses on the most and this is where the film really does shine.

The horror elements are there but they are more minimal than past films and their spin-offs respectively. There are some creepy and unnerving moments in the film but they come a bit later on as the plot progresses. The consequences and ramifications of the Warren’s lifestyle come to the forefront as their beginning also becomes their end. They are getting older and can’t do what they used to do, and that brings us to a melancholic conclusion where they must literally fight their own demons. The ending is almost perfect and the scares are built up to a great climax. It is a shame that we may not see anymore stories between the Warren’s, but the spirit of their work lives on in these Conjuring films.

★★★★☆

4/5

Final Verdict:

The Conjuring: Last Rites honours the Warren’s with dignity and love. It has been refreshing seeing a real-life couple portrayed on screen in a horror franchise get the ending they deserve. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have such a great bond and wonderful chemistry which lifts up the story and allows it to balance alongside the horror elements really well. Everyone who made this film brings to life the Warren’s final case in a way that carefully wraps up their legacy. If you ever wondered if demon’s and or demonic entities exist, all you need to do is look at what they accomplished and what they had to sacrifice to help the families that were suffering. The Warren’s were real life heroes and Last Rites reminds us that with grace and finality.

Thanks for reading today’s blog!

Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions