The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) – Movie Review

The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) – Movie Review

Title: The Conjuring: Last Rites
Director: Michael Chaves
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Mia Tomlinson, Ben Hardy
Genre: Horror / Thriller / Supernatural
Runtime: ~2h15m

Introduction

The Conjuring: Last Rites is billed as the final main chapter in the saga of Ed and Lorraine Warren—the paranormal investigators whose cases have formed the core of The Conjuring universe. Released September 2025, this installment promises both horror and emotional closure. It brings back familiar faces (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) and introduces new dynamics with their daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson) and her partner Tony Spera (Ben Hardy). The film weaves together a haunting case and family legacies in a bid to offer a send-off that balances scares, sentiment, and supernatural stakes.

Plot Overview (Spoiler-Light)

The movie opens with a prologue flashing back to early events in Lorraine Warren’s life, establishing a strong emotional core and a haunting vision tied to a mirror.

We then move forward: Ed and Lorraine are semi-retired, trying to enjoy life when a new case drags them back. There's a haunting in remote Pennsylvania with strange possessions, mirrors, apparitions, and unexplained violence. Parallel to this, the narrative tracks the Smurl family—a real-life case renowned for its intensity.

Meanwhile Judy Warren is grown and has a fiancé, Tony, who is somewhat unprepared for this world of demons and exorcisms. The film alternates between the Smurl haunting, the Warrens’ past, and Judy’s personal journey. Eventually all threads converge in an extended climax where family, faith, horror, and past reckonings collide.

What Works Well

1. Strong Performances, Especially by the Leads

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson remain the heart and soul of the series. Farmiga, in particular, brings gravitas to Lorraine—her emotional scenes feel earned. Wilson’s Ed is more vulnerable than in earlier entries, at times torn between protector and believer.

Mia Tomlinson’s Judy adds a fresh perspective: someone born into a family legacy of paranormal work, trying to balance a normal life with inherited burdens. The chemistry between Judy and Tony (Ben Hardy) has moments that lighten the tension, sometimes too much, but overall the new cast members help broaden the story’s emotional stakes.

2. Emotional Core and Family Drama

One of the major strengths is how Last Rites emphasizes the family. The film doesn’t just hinge on horror scares; it leans into what it means to live with fear, legacy, faith, and loss. Scenes where the Warrens reflect on past cases, or Judy grapples with her identity, provide genuine emotional weight. For longtime fans, the nostalgia and sense of closure are meaningful.

3. Visual & Atmospheric Elements

The cinematography (Eli Born) employs handheld shots, surveillance camera effects, old home video aesthetics—all of which give certain scenes a raw, unsettling texture. The mirror sequences are among the most visually striking: distorted reflections, shadows that lie in wait, and mundane settings that shift to something uncanny.

Benjamin Wallfisch’s musical score supports this atmosphere: haunting organ tones, low strings, intermittent silence followed by sudden crescendos. These help build suspense and make certain jump scares land effectively.

What Falls Short

1. Pacing and Structure

A frequent criticism is that the film takes too long to get into its core horror elements. The first half is heavy on setup: family drama, internal conflict, and parallel plot lines. This slow burn works sometimes, but often it feels overextended. Meanwhile, the horror elements—possession, demonic vision, etc.—are delayed, meaning tension builds unevenly.

When the film does shift into more intense horror territory, it sometimes feels rushed—scenes that could have been more horrifying are packed together, reducing impact.

2. Dependence on Franchise Tropes

Last Rites leans heavily on things the Conjuring universe is known for: haunted mirrors, creepy toys, attics, evil spirits revealed via distorted reflections, etc. The downside is that many of these feel familiar rather than fresh. Some of the antagonistic apparitions and possessions feel like placeholders rather than deeply terrifying entities.

Fans of the earlier films might find themselves waiting for something new that never really arrives. When the movie does attempt innovation, it sometimes undercuts itself by reverting to what’s known to work (jump scares, loud visuals).

3. Emotional Drama Sometimes Overshadows Horror

Because the movie is intent on providing a farewell, there’s a lot of emotional content—matters of legacy, parental expectations, the burden Judy carries, etc. While this adds depth, it also means that in places the horror is muted. The emotional drama occasionally slows down the momentum and can reduce the fear factor.

For some viewers, the balance shifts too far toward “family and faith” storyline, at the expense of truly scary supernatural horror. Some of the more menacing threats are foreshadowed but never fully realized.

Comparative Analysis to Earlier Films

  • The original The Conjuring (2013) remains the gold standard for many: tight pacing, dread-building, minimal yet powerful visuals. Last Rites matches some of this in style, but not always in execution.

  • Subsequent entries expanded scope, scale, and spectacle; Last Rites tries to bring both spectacle and intimacy, with mixed success.

  • Compared to The Conjuring 2 and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, this film leans even more on the emotional arcs. Some may find it more satisfying from a character perspective; others may miss the unrelenting horror of earlier installments.

Key Scenes & Highlights

  • The opening prologue (early Lorraine’s vision) sets an emotional tone and delivers a strong visual shock.

  • Mirror hauntings are some of the strongest elements—using distortion and reflection to build both fear and metaphor (mirrors as portals, mirrors as broken family legacy).

  • The confrontation with supernatural forces during the climax—when all story threads collide—provides some of the film’s most intense horror moments as well as emotional catharsis.

  • Judy’s arc: her journey from reluctance to embracing her family’s work is one of the most emotionally satisfying parts of the movie.

Overall Verdict

The Conjuring: Last Rites is a bittersweet farewell to Ed and Lorraine Warren’s cinematic journey. It may not be the scariest or most original entry in the franchise, but it delivers enough emotion, nostalgia, and visual style to serve as a fitting conclusion. If you go in expecting horror shock after shock you might be disappointed—but if you’re willing to accept a blend of fear, family, faith, and closure, there’s much here to appreciate.

Rating Suggestions

Here are approximate ratings based on different perspectives:

Aspect Rating (out of 5)
Horror / Scares 2.5-3.0
Emotional Impact 4.0
Acting & Character Work 4.0
Visuals & Atmosphere 3.5-4.0
Overall Enjoyment for Franchise Fans 4.0

Final Thoughts – Who Will Like It & Who May Not

  • Franchise loyalists will likely enjoy this: seeing the Warrens one last time, the callbacks, the emotional closure.

  • If you're drawn to horror that unsettles and surprises, especially with long, slow dread, this film has moments you’ll like—though you might feel those moments are too few.

  • If you prefer horror with constant tension, high stakes from early on, or novel monsters/visions, you may find Last Rites underwhelming.

  • Families, faith-oriented viewers or those who care about legacy and relationships might resonate more strongly with the film’s heart.

Conclusion

The Conjuring: Last Rites doesn’t redefine horror, but it makes a bold attempt to close a long-running story with coherence, warmth, and a measure of lingering dread. As horror finales go, it opts for emotional honesty more than pure terror. For those who’ve journeyed from the first film, this is more than just another haunted house—it’s a final rite of passage.

If you like, I can format this into HTML for WordPress with headings, meta description, etc., or include spoiler-heavy section you can toggle.

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