As the ninth (and allegedly final) movie of “The Conjuring” universe, “The Conjuring: Last Rites” provides a sense of closure for fans. Before we get into “Last Rites,” there is key background information about “The Conjuring” universe that needs to be provided.
The first “Conjuring” movie was released in 2013, starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren, characters based on real-life demonologists who investigated over 10,000 cases of alleged paranormal activity from the 1950s to the 1980s. The first film in the franchise follows the Warrens as they arrive in Rhode Island to help the Perron family, who experienced paranormal activities in their house shortly after moving in. “The Conjuring 2” then follows the infamous Enfield case, and “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” is loosely based on the murder trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson. Throughout the series, the Warrens cope with their own personal struggles, including Ed’s heart problems, which continue in “Last Rites.”
In “Last Rites,” the Warren family, now including their daughter Judy Warren (Mia Tomlinson) and her fiancé Tony Spera (Ben Hardy), travel to Pennsylvania to help the Smurl family in their final paranormal case. The Smurl family has been tormented by what seems to be a demon after one of the daughters is gifted an antique mirror for her confirmation ceremony. Together, they work as a family to defeat the spirits of a husband who killed his wife and her mother, only to find out there’s a twist.
With such a popular franchise releasing more and more movies over the years, the storyline and references can become stale. “Last Rites” has everything that “The Conjuring” movies have. Mashable mentions things like, “Real footage of the Warrens spliced with that of Wilson and Farmiga. Eerie music boxes and cursed dolls from yesteryear. A happy family being terrorised in the night […] A family dog who makes the audience nervous for its safety. Menacing notes scrawled with the words ‘Miss me?’” The reappearing themes can be beneficial at times, but over time, they can also seem redundant. For some fans, this felt like a sentimental closing of an almost perfect series. For others, it felt bland and like the writers were phoning it in.
“Last Rites” aims to provide closure to fans, offering an epilogue of sorts on the Warrens, showcasing their lives through flashbacks and a glimpse of their future as they become grandparents. However, the movie, despite being the supposed final one, felt like it was setting up for Judy and Tony to continue the Warrens’ legacy. However, this would be a departure from the detailed biographical storytelling because while the real-life Judy continues to run her parents’ organization, the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), and serve as a paranormal investigator, there aren’t any major cases she has worked on that compare to those her parents have handled.
For die-hard and newer fans alike, “Last Rites” does a beautiful job of closing Ed and Lorraine’s story while opening up the possibility for continuing the story with the next generation. Overall, the legacy of the Warrens and all they did deserved an amazing ending, and that’s exactly what “The Conjuring: Last Rites” did.
