The Conjuring franchise, as we know it, the James Wan-created horror juggernaut that launched a thousand nightmares, is coming to an end… or at least, that’s the promise of the title of this iteration, the Michael Chaves-directed The Conjuring: Last Rites. The series was inspired by the real-life demonological escapades of Ed and Lorraine Warren, the married couple notorious for controversial investigations into hundreds of purported cases throughout the United States. Their careers were such a goldmine for stories that this series is currently the most profitable horror franchise of all time, despite the Warrens’ most famous investigation, in Amityville, being a mere footnote (pictured in, but not the focus of, The Conjuring 2). Last Rites concludes the Warrens’ careers with a strong set-up for potential future outings and great family work and performances, but it shortchanges the scares and pacing. Exactly when the franchise should deliver its most memorable baddie, it fumbles forward with its least developed antagonist yet. Part of the franchise’s success stems from the influence of Wan himself, who also created both the Saw franchise and the Insidious franchise (which also stars Patrick Wilson but otherwise has no relation). Like the Insidious movies, the Conjuring franchise centers on the family dynamic, which works twofold. First, they build off a fictionalized version of the Warrens’ own supernatural-fighting-family mythos (the real-life Ed Warren has had serious claims posthumously leveled against him), which is a uniquely buzzy premise. Additionally, family dynamics are central to the crises as well, since most of their cases involve families beset by supernatural forces. Finally, The Conjuring and its spin-offs have developed an eerily memorable coterie of supernatural baddies. Valak (Bonnie Aarons), the nun-cosplaying demon, the eerie Crooked Man (Javier Botet), the Annabelle doll, and others are all memorable, beautifully designed nightmare fuel. In short, that’s a lot of legacy and many characteristic elements to live up to in this final outing.
‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Sees the Warrens Face One of Their Oldest Foes

The Conjuring: Last Rites begins with a glimpse into the Warrens’ first case. Young Lorraine (Madison Lawlor) is pregnant with Judy, but still investigates a harrowing haunting with young Ed (Orion Smith) in tow, centering around an eerie mirror. She touches the mirror, which cracks, and sees a frightening vision. The pair leave to deliver their baby, and they fear her survival until the infant starts to cry following a bout of prayer. Fast forward to 1986, and the Warrens are effectively retired from the demon-hunting circuit. Now at the twilight of their careers, Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) are done, thanks partly because of Ed’s history of heart problems, and partly because an army of powerful, inhuman spirits thinks of nothing other than killing the Warrens. It’s a stressful job! When Jack (Elliot Cowan) and Janet (Rebecca Calder) Smurl take in a new mirror, it triggers an increasingly frightening set of supernatural experiences. The Warrens get roped into the case, despite the increasing unease of their now-adult daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson) and her recent fiancé, Tony (Ben Hardy). The Warrens have to help the Smurls in a case that seems increasingly tied to their very first, and which might prove to be their last.
‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Is Full of Great Performances, Setting Up a Potential Spin-Off

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson in The-Conjuring-Last-Rites
Image via Warner Bros. 

While Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga started the Conjuring franchise out as seasoned performers, they’ve nonetheless grown as the series has evolved. Each iteration has allowed them to demonstrate a little more weariness from years at this terrifying job. Vera Farmiga gives one of her most nuanced performances yet as the pair’s clairvoyant. Her powers have always taken a toll on her (the first Conjuring alone begins with ample references to a traumatic past case and its effects on her), and the series makes it clear throughout that coming into direct contact with supernatural evil takes chunks from your being each time. Farmiga still capably handles the characters’ absolute psychic exhaustion here, amplified by her concerns over daughter Judy’s own increasing clairvoyance. Patrick Wilson provides a largely stoic strength to Ed, here challenged by the physical toll such stress has taken (an interesting contrast against Lorraine’s psychic erosion). Stubborn, stern, well-meaning, but frustrated with limitations, Wilson excels here, while his chemistry with Farmiga is as strong as ever, reflecting the believable comfort of a decades-long relationship. As daughter Judy, Mia Tomlinson brings warmth and believable courage while contending with the confusion and fear that come with her growing powers and supernatural threats. It’s a strong performance, particularly in the finale when the Warrens’ circumstances are wildly escalating. She has a strong dynamic with Ben Hardy, who plays her fish-out-of-water beau who’s pretty foreign to this world but who wants to learn the rules for his love of Judy. The two have great chemistry, and there is certainly spin-off potential for the two that could be a route forward should James Wan want to take it. On the topic of spin-off potential, it’s also worth noting that, as young Ed and Lorraine, Orion Smith and Madison Lawlor capture their older counterparts’ energies perfectly and are at times their spitting image.
‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Is Lacking in Decent Scares and Threats

Compared to the excellent franchise-starter The Conjuring and its higher-octane follow-up, The Conjuring 2, Last Rites is a much slower affair. If it truly is the finale for the Warrens (and that’s highly suspect, as there’s a lot of mileage left in the franchise and because, well, money talks), it makes sense that much of the film needs to wrap up family stories as much as demonic or ghostly threats. Still, it’s the longest film in the franchise… and unlike the second longest (The Conjuring 2), you feel it here. It takes a long time to really get started, and once it finally gets going, there are still considerable lulls between scares. There are some genuinely great frights, including an Annabelle all-timer and some inspired jump scares and set pieces; however, the threat at the core of the film remains underwhelming. There are a multitude of threats, all distinct and well-designed and performed, but there’s a key demonic figure behind it all that Last Rites plays coy with. We see promising glimpses in its sparking eyes in the shadows, and in how it incites fear in the characters, but ultimately, it’s kept too mysterious. Part of the fun of the Conjuring franchise is, as discussed before, the coterie of supernatural menaces. Valak has both a memorable visage and a killer creature performer at its heart in Bonnie Aarons. The goat demon of The Nun II is unforgettable and will put you off farms for life. And who could forget good ol’ Bathsheba? The franchise is beset by haunting antagonists that commonly have something distinct and drawn out in their appearance and M.O. And yet, the demon in this supposedly final film is inexplicably under-explored and largely seen in its central form in brief glimpses and shadows. Much is said of the danger it poses, but Last Rites fumbles an incredible opportunity to deliver another horror icon.
‘Last Rites’ Is Michael Chaves’ Best Conjuring Movie, but it Falls Short of James Wan’s Entries

Mia Tomlinson as Judy Warren in The Conjuring: Last Rites
Image Via Warner Bros.

What Last Rites gets most correct is its family dynamics, hearkening back to the first film’s initial moments and providing a strong thread throughout the series. Farmiga, Wilson, and new and returning characters all pull this off brilliantly. It also pays off the effects of Annabelle Comes Home on the Warren family and Judy’s fledgling capabilities, setting her up for an interesting character arc. There are seriously scary moments, memorable visuals, and some strong set pieces that might well be remembered alongside the first film’s hide and clap game or the sequel’s Crooked Man jump assault. Still, it’s relatively slow and comparably light on scares (compared to the first two) for a supposed franchise-ender. What’s worse is that the big bad is built up and repeatedly teased, but wildly shortchanged in its reveal of the central antagonist. It’s a much better film than director Chaves’ other Conjuring entries, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and The Nun II, as well as his non-Conjuring Conjuring movie The Curse of La Llorona, but it still ultimately falls short of the James Wan-helmed franchise starters. The Conjuring: Last Rites starts haunting theaters on Friday, September 5.

The Conjuring: Last Rites

Last Rites is a fine standalone horror outing, but a subpar Conjuring franchise topper.

Release Date

September 5, 2025

Runtime

135 Minutes

Director

Michael Chaves

Writers

David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Ian B. Goldberg, Richard Naing, Carey Hayes, Chad Hayes, James Wan

Pros & Cons

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as as good as, or better than, ever, worn away but courageous as ever in great performances.
Mia Tomlinson is stellar and complex as Judy, with nascent star potential and an interesting range within the film.
There are a few standout segments and scares that looked great on the screen and proved memorable and frightening.

As a whole, Last Rites is less scary than the franchise’s best outings, and much slower in pace such that the length is unavoidably felt as it plods along.
There are several supernatural antagonists, and while some get a strong treatment, the most important one is heavily teased but inexplicably underdeveloped in its reveal.