A few days before I saw “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” a friend of mine asked me about my plans for the weekend. I told her that I planned to see the film, and I was excited. When she asked me why I was excited to see yet another entry in the generally-middling “Conjuring” series, I blurted out, “They make such a cute couple!” “They” of course being Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, respectively. These fictionalized tales of their cases sell themselves on demon- and possession-related horror, not charming family dynamics. Yet whether by design, by accident, or by default, the Warrens as characters are what this series does best.
Take the opening scene, set in 1964. Ed and a pregnant Lorraine investigate the usual demonic element in the basement of an antiques shop. Lorraine insists on snooping around alone, with minimal light, and of course jump scares abound. The demonic presence causes Lorraine to go into labor early, and Ed rushes her to the hospital to give birth in a room without electricity. It looks like the baby doesn’t survive, and the darkened room is full of tears. I’m not talking about the delivery room with the parents and doctors – I’m talking about the theater full of moviegoers. This scene, its characters, and its actors have been so engaging that the audience has become way more invested than they should in a movie that a few minutes earlier was easily dismissible as schlocky horror. And then the baby survives, and at my screening it made for one of the most deafening crowd reactions I’ve ever heard. Yes, I rolled my eyes a little, since daughter Judy Warren has been a character in other, later-set “Conjuring” movies, so I could guess how the scene was going to play out, but also yes, the cheering was infectious and it was an undeniable mark of a sequence well-done.
The rest of the film takes place in 1986, after the movie “Ghostbusters” has come out, and the Warrens are seen as jokes living in semi-retirement. Judy (Mia Tomlinson) is ready to take her next step in life, introducing her parents to her boyfriend Tony (Ben Hardy). Ed and Lorraine, like most parents, are conflicted about letting their baby go, but also know that she can’t be their baby forever. Tony, for his part, is sweet and dedicated, if occasionally awkward. I seriously thought about recommending this movie to my horror-averse mother just for the family scenes. But I couldn’t, because darker subject matter has to butt its way in. Unlike most parents, Ed and Lorraine also have to worry about lingering traces of demon possession in their daughter, which they aren’t eager to foist upon the unsuspecting Tony.
To add to the drama at home, the Warrens are desperately needed in small-town Pennsylvania. A family recently came into possession of the world’s creepiest mirror – the same artifact that caused problems for the Warrens in the opening scene – and are now being unsurprisingly haunted. Cue every cheap spiritual horror trope like unexplained bumping sounds and things moving when they shouldn’t, as well as every cliché surrounding old heroes taking on one last mission. Judy and Tony are willing to help for the first time ever, but Tony doesn’t know the first thing about demons and Judy may be compromised as an instrument of the mirror-demon.
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” is a tale of two conflicting tones. The loving, charming, occasionally-eccentric Warren family make for delightful “straight” scenes, but they aren’t going to sell tickets without some kind of supernatural payoff. The horror scenes, while necessary for the movie’s appeal, are often drab and even more often the result of stupidity (I know demon possession is a hard pill for non-believers to swallow, but still…). I’m swayed enough by the Warren family to give the movie a mild recommendation, but only because the main characters all make for cute couples.
Grade: B-
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” is rated R for bloody/violent content and terror. Its running time is 135 minutes.
“Caught Stealing” is rated R for strong violent content, pervasive language, some sexuality/nudity and brief drug use. Its running time is 107 minutes.
Robert R. Garver is a graduate of the Cinema Studies program at New York University. His weekly movie reviews have been published since 2006.
Last Update: Sep 08, 2025 10:20 am CDT
