‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ – Review
In the early 2010s, a new kind of horror arrived to shake audiences to their core. James Wan’s The Conjuring (2013) took the supernatural genre to terrifying new heights, grounding its chills in the lives of real-world paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. With powerhouse performances from Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, it became a cultural phenomenon, igniting a sprawling horror universe that has terrified audiences for more than a decade. Now, after years of demonic hauntings, cursed artefacts, and sleepless nights, the saga comes to an end with The Conjuring: Last Rites, a chilling, deeply emotional finale that sends the Warrens out on a high (and horrifying) note.
In 1986 paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) travel to Pennsylvania to vanquish a demon from a family’s home.
Picking up after the events of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Last Rites plunges the Warrens into what would become their most controversial and devastating case: the infamous Smurl Haunting. This case, rooted in the ordeal of a large, devout Pennsylvania family besieged by a violent demonic entity, proves to be both the Warrens’ ultimate trial and their undoing.
Director Michael Chaves, a veteran of the franchise, returns to helm this climactic chapter, and he doesn’t hold back. He cranks the fear factor to maximum, layering atmosphere, dread, and jolting scares into a film that feels both old-school in its gothic sensibilities and fresh in its visceral execution. Chaves makes it clear from the opening moments that Last Rites is not for the faint of heart.
One of the film’s most striking storytelling choices is its prologue, which takes audiences back to 1964. Here, a younger Ed and Lorraine come face-to-face with evil in a way that forever changes the course of their lives. Lorraine, pregnant with their daughter Judy, is forced into labor under horrifying, otherworldly circumstances that feel ripped straight from Rosemary’s Baby. The sequence is harrowing, blending body horror and demonic imagery in a way that sets the tone for what’s to come.
This haunting origin not only raises the stakes but also gives the film a thematic anchor: Lorraine’s enduring belief that light can overcome darkness. It’s a belief that guides her through the decades, and one that will be put to its ultimate test in the Smurl Case.
As always, Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are the emotional heart of the film, and their performances here might be their finest in the series. Last Rites doesn’t just focus on their battle with the supernatural — it also addresses the passing of time, the toll of decades of fighting evil, and the sobering realisation that their mission may finally be over. Their chemistry has always been the bedrock of these films, and here it reaches a poignant, bittersweet climax.
Adding fresh tension to the narrative is Mia Tomlinson as Judy Warren. Now grown, Judy is grappling with both her clairvoyant inheritance from her mother and the emotional burden of being raised in a house where demons were part of daily life. Tomlinson plays Judy with a mix of vulnerability and determination, and her on-screen dynamic with Farmiga adds layers of generational weight to the story. Judy’s romance subplot injects a flicker of hope into the darkness, but when the entity at the heart of the Smurl Haunting sets its sights on her, the film ratchets the terror to unbearable levels.
Horror fans will find plenty to feast on here. Chaves escalates the scares with relentless precision: oppressive atmospherics, skin-crawling jump scares, and nightmarish possession sequences. By the time the third act rolls around, the film goes full tilt into shocking territory, with a possession scene so violent and unhinged that it ranks among the franchise’s most disturbing set pieces.
What elevates Last Rites, however, is that it doesn’t settle for cheap thrills. Every scare carries weight, every scream comes tethered to character stakes. The horror is not just about survival; it’s about legacy, family, and the terrible price of standing against evil.
After over a decade of terrors, The Conjuring saga fittingly concludes where it began: with the Warrens. Last Rites honors their legacy, balancing its popcorn-horror thrills with a genuine emotional resonance that makes its final act both terrifying and heartbreakingly beautiful. This isn’t just another entry in the franchise: it’s a sendoff to the characters, the performers, and the fans who’ve followed this universe since that first eerie clap in the dark.
The Conjuring: Last Rites is a grand finale worthy of the Warrens’ legacy. Chaves delivers a film that is scary, shocking, and unflinchingly intense, but also deeply human at its core. Wilson and Farmiga shine in what may be their last outing as Ed and Lorraine, and newcomer Mia Tomlinson ensures that the Warren legacy feels alive for a new generation. Horror doesn’t get more satisfying than this.
Image: Warner Brothers Pictures
