The Conjuring: Last Rites review – Ed and Lorraine’s story comes full circle

The Conjuring: Last Rites is the final movie in the lucrative horror franchise; one that takes the story of ghostbusters Ed and Lorraine Warren back to where it began, then gives them a fitting celluloid sendoff.

The Conjuring is the highest-grossing franchise in horror history, with the core movies – as well as Annabelle and Nun spinoffs – banking more than $2 billion worldwide.

It all began by focusing on Ed and Lorraine Warren, a real-life married couple who investigated the paranormal, and were both celebrated and ridiculed for their efforts.

James Wan and his many collaborators through the years turned their spectral adventures into big-budget horror movies that delivered consistent scares, but also focused on the love that bonded the Warrens together. Last Rites now concludes that story, via the infamous Smurl haunting.

Judy Warren’s origin story

Warner Bros.

But before the film gets into that, Last Rites kicks off with a prologue that concerns the birth of Ed and Lorraine’s daughter Judy. Which gets ghostly, as you’d expect.

The year is 1964, and the Warrens are interviewing a young woman whose father heard voices, then hanged himself in his antiques store. “There’s something in there,” says the daughter, and inexplicably, heavily pregnant Lorraine investigates the back room alone.

Her burgeoning powers lead Lorraine to a mirror, and when she touches the glass, something happens that causes her child to be born prematurely, and still.

But Lorraine cradles the infant, prays to “please bring my baby back,” and miraculously, their newborn Judy returns from the dead. Though she too is cursed with her mother’s powers of second sight…

What is The Conjuring: Last Rites about?

The movie then jumps 12 years ahead to 1986, while the location becomes West Pittson, Pennsylvania, where the Smurls are a large and happy family living beneath steel mills in the suburbs.

But that joy dissipates when the Smurl grandparents gift their granddaughter a mirror – the same mirror – which is when their troubles begin.

It starts with simple stuff like a telephone wire pulled and a candle mysteriously blown out. Then dad levitates and his mother-in-law gets pushed down stairs (off-camera though, so that one might be an excuse).

As is tradition in Conjuring movies, a creepy doll does creepy stuff, while the haunting turns more serious when their teenage girls dispose of said mirror, and one of them starts coughing up glass and blood.

They tell their story to the local news, and receive widespread national attention, which in turn alerts the church, and eventually the Warrens…

Ed and Lorraine have called it a day

Warner Bros.

But Ed and Lorraine are in semi-retirement, largely due to Ed’s heart troubles. Meaning they spend their days giving lectures about their work to near-empty classrooms, where the only questions concern Slimer and the ghostbusters.

But that allows Last Rites to tell a story of domestic bliss between the scary bits, with grown-up Judy now dating former cop Tommy, Tommy wishing to marry Judy, and Lorraine supportive of his plan, but Ed not so sure.

Indeed, this Conjuring is really funny, through the awkward scenes between Patrick Wilson’s Ed and Ben Hardy’s Tommy, the pair unsure how to behave around each other, but united by their love for Judy.

While they figure those complicated feelings out, something more sinister pulls Judy towards Pennsylvania, most notably during a wonderfully contrived sequence where she tries on a wedding dress in a mirrored room, and discovers she isn’t alone.

The Warrens vs their final foe

Warner Bros.

So 1 hour and 10 minutes into the movie, those twin story strands merge, first with Judy and Tommy heading to West Pittson, then Ed and Lorraine following in hot pursuit.

Trouble is, thanks to that prologue, we’re way ahead of the Warrens, meaning the audience has to watch them go through the motions before they realise what the evil spirits want.

But what follows are some decent set-pieces in and around the Smurl house, as Ed, Lorraine, Judy, and Tommy all variously do battle with the mirror monster.

The action includes a memorable new iteration of Annabelle, something horrible happening to a dog, and the central tenet of the movie – “don’t run” – playing into proceedings, and bringing the Warren story full circle.

Is The Conjuring: Last Rites good?

Warner Bros.

Last Rites does little different to previous Conjuring movies, featuring as it does a house, a family, a haunting, a bunch of jump scares, and the Warrens swooping in to save the day.

But as ever, it’s crafted with great skill and care, from the beautifully recreated period setting – I recognised many of my own toys from 1986 – to sound design that envelopes the audience in terror, particularly during scenes spent in the Smurl attic.

But what sets these movies apart from similar fare is the strength of the relationship between Ed and Lorraine Warren, played to perfection by Wilson and Vera Farmiga.

They ground the movies, tug on the heartstrings, and help lend credence to the unbelievable – Last Rites is ultimately their story, and one that gives the Warrens the ending they deserve.

The Conjuring: Last Rites score: 3/5

The Conjuring series concludes with a solid entry that isn’t as exciting or scary as previous efforts, but delivers effective drama, and a touching finale.

The Conjuring: Last Rites is in cinemas now, and you can check out our ending explainer, plus when to take a bathroom break during the movie. Alternatively, head here for our list of best horror movies ever.