The Conjuring Last Rites Review: A Sentimental Goodbye Built on a Shaky Foundation

With The Conjuring: Last Rites, Warner Bros. closes the book on one of the most successful horror franchises of the past decade. Across multiple films and spin-offs, audiences have followed fictionalized versions of Ed and Lorraine Warren, portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. This final installment tries to deliver both supernatural scares and an emotional farewell. It succeeds in moments, particularly in giving the leads time to reflect on their shared journey, but it also highlights just how strange it is that a billion-dollar franchise was built around two real-world charlatans who made their careers exploiting fear and embellishing the truth.

The film centers on a haunting inspired loosely by the infamous Smurl case, with the Warrens drawn into one last battle against demonic forces. This is familiar ground for the series: a cursed object, a family in peril, and the Warrens putting themselves at risk to save innocent lives. Director Michael Chaves crafts the story with a mix of sentimental flashbacks and familiar haunted house tropes. The film leans heavily on nostalgia, revisiting key moments from earlier entries and emphasizing the bond between Ed and Lorraine.

Wilson and Farmiga remain the heart of the series. Their chemistry is undeniable, and their performances elevate material that could otherwise fall flat. Farmiga brings her usual gravitas to Lorraine, making even the most outlandish dialogue feel grounded. Wilson, who also directs one sequence in the film, imbues Ed with warmth and humanity. Together, they carry the film and give it an emotional core.

Last Rites looks polished and the cinematography makes good use of shadows and muted color palettes, while the set design maintains the series’ trademark blend of period detail and Gothic atmosphere. The jump scares, though predictable, are staged effectively. One sequence involving a haunted mirror recalls some of the series’ better set pieces, with reflections moving just out of sync with reality. Still, none of the scares feel particularly new. After so many entries, the bag of tricks is limited, and the audience can often see the setup coming.

The biggest problem with The Conjuring: Last Rites is not just its reliance on clichés but its foundation. The Warrens, in real life, were not noble paranormal investigators risking themselves for others. They were opportunists who exaggerated or fabricated accounts of hauntings, building a reputation on stories that never held up under scrutiny. Their files were more marketing than evidence, and their so-called expertise has been debunked countless times. The fact that an entire horror empire grew out of their myth-making is remarkable. It is also unsettling, since the films present them as heroes when the truth is far less flattering.

In that sense, this finale feels almost like a magic trick. It asks viewers to weep for the Warrens as noble warriors against evil while sidestepping the fact that their legacy is built on lies. The emotional weight of the story only works if you buy into the fiction that they were what the movies claim they were. For those who know the history, the sentimentality rings hollow.

That said, there is still entertainment value here. The pacing, while occasionally bloated, keeps the story moving, and the film never drags for too long. The scares may be predictable, but they are competently executed. As a farewell to Wilson and Farmiga in these roles, the movie delivers a satisfying curtain call. Fans invested in the fictionalized versions of the Warrens will likely find enough here to justify one more trip to the theater.

The Conjuring: Last Rites is not the strongest entry in the series, but it does its job as a finale. It closes the door with sentiment and spectacle, reminding audiences of the journey so far. Yet it also unintentionally underscores how bizarre it is that Hollywood has spent more than a decade mythologizing two professional grifters. As a piece of horror entertainment, the film is competent if uninspired. As a legacy, it is a strange monument to the enduring power of good acting, slick production, and the willingness of audiences to embrace a haunting tale, even when it is built on a shaky foundation.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The Conjuring: Last Rites is in theaters, September 5th, 2025.