Written by Andrew Daume
Over the weekend, I watched the latest and final installment of The Conjuring series, titled The Conjuring: Last Rites. If you aren’t into horror or are a newcomer like me, here’s a quick breakdown. These films are based on the true events of paranormal investigators (not “ghost hunters” …), Ed and Lorraine Warren. This married couple traveled around the world between the mid-1960s and the mid-80s, investigating demonic supernatural occurrences.
This series of movies focused on the Warrens’ four biggest cases for these films, while spotlighting their family and the people in their lives. This series brought household horror names to light, such as Anabelle the possessed doll and The Nun.
Full transparency, I haven’t watched any of the former movies, so take everything with a grain of satanic ritualistic salt. That being said, I watched a plot summary on YouTube 20 minutes before the previews started, and I attended the premiere with a die-hard Conjuring fan, so there was almost no Conjuring lore I missed.
(Spoilers ahead)
My personal thoughts on this movie are primarily positive. This is the franchise’s last installment, so I expected a big finale full of multiple spirits, brilliant cinematography, and a paranormal climax that caused at least some screaming in my theater. I didn’t exactly get that, but I got some impressive production, decent jump scares, consistent acting, and hair-raising moments to remember. The film begins with a heartwrenching hook, showing the tragic history of Judy’s birth, as she was stillborn but clung to life after a demonic presence brought about by a creepy mirror. I was hooked at this point, thinking Judy was going to be shown battling with the demonic mirror throughout the movie, and I wasn’t exactly wrong.
The film then slows down to spend the first hour doing double duty of establishing how Ed and Lorraine are retired while Judy and her new lovable yet relatable boyfriend, Tony, stumble into an accidental yet wholesome proposal. There’s a subplot throughout the movie working to establish Judy and Tony as the next heirs to the Warrens’ family business. This subplot does a good job of setting up any sequels so Warner Bros. can keep its IP alive, but it does undermine the sentimentality of Ed and Lorraine’s retirement.
The meat of the story lies within a family that’s going through paranormal torment after unknowingly buying the haunted mirror that haunted Judy at the film’s opening. Everything from puking up broken glass to classic exorcism bed-floating to being chased by a disappearing axe-murderer. This B plot effectively pulls my heartstrings just enough to get me wishing for their safety. A priest comes to help the family, but soon runs into more trouble than the holy spirit can get him out of. So it’s up to the Warrens and Tony to scare the sin away yet again. Judy “ending up” at the haunted house out of coincidence after seeing a vision is a bit too coincidental, but the Warrens need some motive to come out of retirement, so this reason will do.
The climax of the film checks all the boxes for the series. Possession, illusions broken up by jump cuts, devilish mirror images of our protagonists, and the return of everyone’s favorite haunted doll, Annabelle. Not to mention the blood, so so much blood. We then learn that the demons originated after a husband murdered his wife and his mother with an axe centuries ago. This is when I thought the demon trio would mirror the Warren trio, especially given there’s a literal mirror and the genders line up too. I was wrong, and this opportunity to make the Warrens see themselves on the other side was overlooked. The Warrens and demons have a screaming match, and Judy ultimately wins by conquering her fear of the other side, showing her exorcising talents all while increasing the likelihood of a fifth entry to the series. After a quick finale that feels a bit too “love will save us,” we get a nice epilogue montage to send Ed and Lorraine into retirement. As the credits roll, the real-life Warrens are given a montage of their own, showing their history and topping off this series with a neat bow.
As I wrap this review up, I would like to give credit to all the hard-working people who produced this film. As someone who’s studying cinematic production, I have noticed many details that I don’t think I would have otherwise if I hadn’t been studying this cinematic field. The cinematography was breathtaking here. How depth of field was used for emotion was quite masterful, and the way lighting was used to convey more than just mood was clever. One standout scene using a projection of a giant Annabelle doll was specifically scary as it used an inconsistently blinking flashlight to repeat jumpscares of the same thing without losing the fear factor. It also highlights how this film’s CGI consistently looks convincing, and I repeatedly questioned if things were CGI or practical, which is good! The pacing of the film was a little sluggish to start, resulting in the second half feeling rushed, and I felt like the mirror ghost trio was underused. There was little fighting with them, but on the other hand, overusing them could’ve made them feel more like a supervillain team than a demonic entity. The sets are impressive, and the amount of fake blood (or real…these filmmakers put their everything into their art) is mostly convincing, albeit overdramatic when one injury spawns a bloodspill akin to a full kitty pool.
I would give this film a 3½ out of 5, and a personal recommendation for those wanting to get into the spooky season through a slightly mindless yet engaging night at the theatre.
The Conjuring: Last Rites made $401 million during its theatrical run so far, making it the biggest Conjuring movie, and it had the third biggest horror movie opening ever.
