The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) – A Fitting but Fractured Franchise Farewell
Hello, movie lovers! After the scorching survival of The Lost Bus, I'm stepping into spectral shadows with The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025), the fourth mainline entry in James Wan's haunted-house saga, directed by Michael Chaves (The Nun II). Reuniting Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as the iconic demon-hunting Warrens, with Mia Tomczak stepping up as their daughter Judy, this "final" case promises closure amid the creeps. Horror isn't my jam—I've dipped into the first two Conjuring flicks but recall zilch beyond jump scares—but zero expectations led to a middling ride: strong visuals early, but a disjointed dual-narrative drag. It's a 5/10 from me—respectable send-off for fans, skippable for skeptics like me. Let's exorcise the details.
The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) - Hauntings and Heartstrings, Unevenly Entwined
Full disclosure: supernatural spookfests rarely land for me—they feel more formula than fright, heavy on atmosphere over meaning. Last Rites hooked me initially with its moody cinematography: desaturated palettes, flickering candlelight, and wide-angle dread that paints 1970s suburbia as a pressure cooker. But then it splits into dual tracks—a Warrens family vignette of domestic normalcy (Ed's health woes, Judy's budding independence) clashing with a fresh haunted-house possession tale—that don't gel until late. The 10-min horror bursts (demonic whispers, levitating beds) jolt amid the slice-of-life lulls, creating whiplash: one beat you're in cozy kitchen chats, the next a family's unraveling via a cursed mirror entity. It's ambitious to weave legacy closure with new scares, but the disconnect confuses more than it captivates. Fans get emotional callbacks and a poignant epilogue; casuals like me? Meh, with visuals carrying the load.
The Plot: Demons and Domesticity in a Divided Tale
Set in the late 1970s, the Warrens—aging paranormal pros Ed (Patrick Wilson) and clairvoyant Lorraine (Vera Farmiga)—tackle what they vow is their swan song: aiding the Harper family, whose rural home harbors a malevolent force tied to a antique mirror unearthed during renovations. As possessions escalate—scraping walls, inverted crosses, a child's eerie drawings—the Harpers (led by a skeptical dad and frantic mom) spiral, drawing the duo into ritual rituals amid Ed's creeping heart issues. Intercut is the Warrens' home front: daughter Judy (Mia Tomczak), now a teen, grapples with her inherited "gift" while the couple confronts mortality and marital strains. The threads converge in a climactic convergence of hauntings—mirror demons bleeding into family lore—but the early bifurcation feels like two pilots mashed up, delaying the dread payoff. No spoilers, but the "last rites" motif delivers a tender, faith-fueled finale that honors the franchise's roots.
Performances That Conjure Credibility
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga remain the franchise's unholy anchors—Wilson's Ed a weary warrior masking frailty with folksy grit, Farmiga's Lorraine a beacon of serene steel, her visions vivid and visceral. Their lived-in rapport sells the toll of decades demon-chasing, with quiet moments (bedside confessions) hitting harder than the horrors. Mia Tomczak shines as Judy, evolving from wide-eyed kid (in Conjuring 2) to reluctant heir, her arc adding generational stakes. The Harper ensemble (including a standout possessed turn) amps the terror tropes, but it's the Warrens' warmth that grounds the goosebumps.
A Franchise Finale That Fumbles the Fusion
Chaves (helming since Conjuring 3) amps the visual flair over Wan's subtle dread, leaning on practical effects and period polish for a glossy haunt. It's a bridge to spin-offs like The Nun, teasing Annabelle ties without overcommitting, but the split-focus dilutes the dread—less unified than the original's Enfield poltergeist punch.
Ratings and Critical Reception
The Conjuring: Last Rites sits at 6.3/10 on IMDb (from 52,000 votes), with fans forgiving the formula for "emotional closure" and "solid scares." Rotten Tomatoes is mixed: 59% critics (182 reviews), a "rotten" dip for the franchise citing "bland story" and "unimaginative terror," though audiences buoy it to 78% for the "frightful, fitting send-off." It opened to $84M domestic on a $55M budget, and worldwide box office is $473M.
A Minor Critique
The tonal ping-pong—cozy family filler to frantic hauntings—feels like two films fighting for screen time, stretching the runtime without building dread. Tighter integration could've unified the unease.
A Solid Swan Song for Scream Queens (and Kings)
The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) wraps the Warrens' saga with visual verve and veteran heart, Farmiga and Wilson's chemistry a comforting constant amid the mirror-madness. The dual-story split confounds, but the early cinematography and late catharsis satisfy franchise faithful. At 5/10, it's enjoyable enough for a one-off haunt—better than my foggy recall of the originals, but no game-changer. If possessed houses are your potion, exorcise it; otherwise, pass the holy water.
What did you think of Last Rites? Fitting finale or franchise fatigue? Drop your thoughts in the comments, and suggest a film for my next review—less ghosts, more grit? If you enjoyed this, like, follow, and share to banish the boredom. Thanks for reading—see you at the movies!
