It’s surreal that one of Hollywood’s best marital portraits comes courtesy of a horror franchise.
“The Conjuring: Last Rites,” the fourth film in the saga (not including “Annabelle” and “The Nun” spinoffs) reunites us with Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga). The paranormal sleuths ain’t afraid of no ghosts, but through it all, they remain a loving, healthy couple.
Awww!
This time, we get to know their adult daughter, an addition that not only expands the canvas but offers another Warren of consequence.
Oh, and there’s some first-rate scares along with the kind of plot holes genre fans know too well.
The movie opens in the 1960s, when a very pregnant Lorraine nearly loses her child after a supernatural encounter. Baby Judy survives and grows up with Momma’s curse. She, too, can sense spirits in her midst.
Newcomer Mia Tomlinson plays the adult Judy, a fully-formed character complete with a doting beau (Ben Hardy) eager to impress her folks. Their love story is a key part of the film, and it’s treated with reverence.
The Warrens are officially out of the sleuthing business as we reunite with them in the 1980s. That’s partly due to Ed’s worrisome heart condition. His ticker flares up whenever the story requires it, wouldn’t ya know?
They’re dragged back into the muck when a Pennsylvania family runs into a relic with ties to the Warrens’ early years. Retirement will have to wait.
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“Last Rites” shouldn’t exceed the two-hour mark like it does, but the film proves engrossing from start to finish. The screenplay may be another committee effort, but it packs enough warm exchanges and cultural nods to keep our attention.
A few groaners still slip by, including one that helped goose the marketing campaign – “it’s like nothing we’ve seen before,” or a derivation thereof.
Sorry. We’ve seen plenty of these haunted horrors before. And so have the cinematic Warrens.
James Wan explains why THE CONJURING: LAST RITES is the final installment:
“We don’t want to be doing this 20 movies down the line, where we’ve driven the franchise into the ground. We love the idea that we’re going out with a big bang whilst everyone’s still loving the world.” pic.twitter.com/mkmGdHc4Bp
— Bloody Disgusting (@BDisgusting) August 25, 2025
One minor quibble? This paranormal couple seems unprepared when the ghosts make their presence felt. Aren’t they ghostbusting veterans by now? They often look like rookies, frozen with fear.
A few horror sequences offer big scares, while others feel generic. Credit Michael Chaves for giving even the weaker moments some bite, but we’ve been spoiled by “Sinners” and “Weapons.”
This sequel doesn’t reinvent the genre. It marinates in our expectations, but the focus on the family makes everything richer.
That’s doubly true for Hardy’s character, who must not only fend off evil spirits but win over a couple who have seen it all.
Literally.
It’s a sweet touch in a horror movie that brims with warm embraces. Chaves balances those disparate tones with surprising grace. It may look easy, but it’s not.
Wilson and Farmiga retain their stellar screen chemistry, and their parental love for Judy is palpable. Horror movies always thrive when we care about the main characters. That’s the secret to this saga’s success.
“Last Rites” suggests this is the end of the road for the ghostbusting Warrens. The final moments offer a graceful coda, one that can only be marred by one thing – overwhelming box office success sparking a fifth installment.
HiT or Miss: “The Conjuring: Last Rites” puts the emphasis where it belongs – the married couple that launched the franchise.