The Conjuring: Last Rites Review

Illustration by Nick Latham

The (final) “Conjuring” movie crept into theaters this September, though we all know horror franchises rarely stay buried as long as the box office keeps proving profitable. I would not be surprised if the series pumped out at least a few more movies and spin-offs. Nevertheless, as a fan of some of the earlier movies, I had to see it on the opening weekend. “The Conjuring” has certainly left its mark on the horror industry. It’s shaping up to be a classic in the same way that “Scream” or “Halloween” are. In addition, the series did something new in the horror genre by forming a cinematic universe within its films, proving that an interconnected world could be successful in more than the superhero genre. With this legacy formed, I was especially interested to see how the final film compared to the rest and how it compared to other horror movies of the year.

This movie was done in a very different way than the other “Conjuring” movies, and I’d say it was refreshing. You always get a peek into the life of the Warrens, the main ghost wranglers of the film, but in this film, the story follows their personal lives and stories for a good portion of the run time. It dives into the Warrens’ relationship with their daughter and even looks into their daughter’s relationship with her boyfriend/fiancé, who is introduced in this story. This storyline falls side by side with the story of the family being haunted in their home by the villainous ghosts. Personally, I liked their choice to do this. They did not show the typical buildup of the haunting and slow realization of the family being haunted, like they normally do. I feel this is because the creators knew that we’ve already seen the typical denial and the slow signs of hauntings over and over in the previous film. They effectively showed the family’s turmoil of living with these spirits, without overdoing it. I also appreciated that this family did not feel like they were stupid. Typically, horror movie characters are just dumb and make you want to yell at your screen, but this family actually did everything right. They even tried to destroy the artifact that brought the spirits into their house right from the start. This made the spirits seem that much scarier and deadlier. 

I can see how the choice of story structure could be something to dislike about the film; however, as there were lulls in the horror aspects of the movie and scenes that trailed on. For instance, the longer scenes where you see the Warren father getting to know his daughter’s boyfriend. If you are someone who came for just a horror film, and not for a “Conjuring” series completion film, these scenes can drag on.

Speaking of the horror aspects, I believe the “Conjuring” movies always do scares right, and this film was no exception. From the first to the last film, I love the way they create chills down my spine. The costume design and prosthetics of the spirits in this film were impressive, scaring me even without the jump scares. One of the scenes I found impressive was one in which one of the main characters was in a dressing room trying on wedding dresses. It was clear that there was a monster or spirit under her dress. There was a shot that showed her slowly pulling back her dress to reveal what was under the fabric. Even though you knew there was going to be a jumpscare right when that cloth ended, the sound design and prosthetics still got me and made me jump in my seat.

Truthfully, I thought the film was well-paced and a decent film up until the third act. The third act is when both story lines merge together to show the whole Warren family helping out the family that is being haunted. The explanation of the haunting and the main demon of the film was thrown into the plot very quickly without much elaboration. In addition, they built up this demon to be something big, bad, and incredibly powerful. It portrayed the strongest spirit of any other creature depicted in a Conjuring movie, even killing off a character that was a series regular in the franchise. They even pushed the fact that this was the last case they ever did for a reason: that the demon was truly evil. Yet, the way they beat it in the end was through their family bond and love. It felt cheesy and the demon was defeated way too easily after the buildup of the film. The last fight scene also felt a little silly, the way they depicted the ghostly artifact spinning around in a circle and floating rapidly. It felt as though they had more scenes planned for this final battle and just had to cut them for run time, as the movie was already over 2 hours. 

After the final battle with the demon, the movie cuts to an end scene where we get to see Warren’s daughter getting married to her fiancé, whom we met in the film. In this wedding, the audience is filled with past actors of the series, even going back to the mom who was possessed in the first film. It was a happy ending for the Warrens after all they had been through, and a fun easter egg for fans of the series. I did enjoy seeing the characters finally at peace; however, once the movie was over, I realized that it was a bit disappointing as a final instalment to the franchise. I don’t regret seeing the movie, but of all the films in the series, I do think it ranks the lowest in my book. This also reflects in the Rotten Tomatoes scores, as it is ranked the lowest at 57%. Again, the film was not bad in my opinion, but it did not measure up to the original, which landed an 86%. I think the flaws of the movie were even more apparent to me after seeing the film “Weapons” in the same week —another horror movie released this past summer that was incredibly done, with a score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.

To wrap up my thoughts, I think the film is worth a watch to complete the series and the storyline created about the Warrens, especially if you are a fan of the “Conjuring” series. On the other hand, if you’re not a fan of the series and just want something scary to watch, I’d say there are better horror movies to see this week in theaters than this one. Overall, it serves as a decent send-off for longtime fans, but for casual horror viewers, it might not pack enough punch to stand out among this year’s stronger releases.