‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ closes the franchise with reflection, not fear | The Haunted Column

‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ feels like saying goodbye to an old friend. When ‘The Conjuring’ first hit theatres in 2013, it redefined what a studio horror film could be. It wasn’t just about jump scares—it was about atmosphere, dread, and the very human stories tucked inside the hauntings. Over the years, the franchise grew into a sprawling universe with spin-offs like ‘Annabelle’ and ‘The Nun’, but at the heart of it all were Ed and Lorraine Warren, played so memorably by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. This final film is less about scaring its audience out of their seats and more about closing the Warrens’ journey with grace.

Set in 1986, ‘Last Rites’ follows the couple as they step out of semi-retirement to investigate the infamous Smurl haunting in Pennsylvania. A cursed mirror becomes the centre of the terror, tormenting the Smurl family while pulling the Warrens’ own daughter Judy into danger. The setup has all the hallmarks of a classic Conjuring case, yet the tone feels different. Instead of escalating the horror with each act, the film takes its time to reflect on who the Warrens have become—and, in a way, who we’ve become as fans who have travelled alongside them for over a decade.

Those expecting the unrelenting chills of the first two films may leave slightly disappointed. The scares are there, but they’re familiar, almost telegraphed. You can sense when a shadow is about to stir or when a figure will lunge from the dark. Director Michael Chaves shifts the focus from relentless fear to something softer, leaning into the emotions of age, legacy, and the desire for peace. That choice makes this chapter feel more personal, even if it’s not as terrifying as what came before.

What the film does well is remind us of the road already travelled. Judy, now grown up and with a life of her own, feels like a marker of time passing—not just for the Warrens, but for us who remember her as a child in earlier films. Ed, still recovering from his heart troubles in ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’, and Lorraine, weary of the endless battles with darkness, are no longer the indefatigable demonologists of old. And while the entity in ‘Last Rites’ wreaks its havoc, it doesn’t carry the same weight as Bathsheba in ‘The Conjuring’ or Valak in ‘The Conjuring 2’. Those villains weren’t just frightening—they were unforgettable, tied deeply to families whose struggles we cared about. That emotional connect, so strong in the Perron case and the Enfield haunting, is harder to find here.

Instead, the anchor of this film is Ed and Lorraine themselves. When they appear on screen, there’s a sense of calm, almost a reassurance that they will save the day no matter how bleak things look. And that is the essence of why this franchise worked for so long—it was never just about the demons, it was about the people fighting them.

In the end, ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ doesn’t deliver the most terrifying story of the series, but it does deliver a heartfelt farewell. It closes the circle with a sense of peace, reminding us that horror isn’t always about what makes us scream—it’s also about what makes us care.

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