The Conjuring: Last Rites Review

As fictionalized versions of real life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have fronted a lucrative horror franchise that has largely punched above its weight class off the strength of their performances and undeniable screen chemistry. The real Warrens were controversial figures, but the Warrens of the “Conjuring” universe have been like a ghost-hunting, demon-exorcising Nick and Nora from “The Thin Man.” The films follow a strong enough formula and the leads are watchable enough that these spooky adventures could continue on for as long as audiences can stand.

But after three mainline films and five spin-offs, a finale has arrived. “The Conjuring: Last Rites” tackles the dramatized tale of the last case the real Warrens ever worked. It’s laudable for this franchise to exit stage right before awkwardly overstaying its welcome, giving fans one last outing with the Warrens while bringing their arc full circle. At 135 minutes, “Last Rites” is the longest entry thus far, having to establish a new case, a case from their past that ties to it, and a lot of heavy lifting to flesh the family out now that their daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson) is a grown woman.

While the movie does a fine job sending off the Warrens, it lacks some of the charm of its predecessors, and in the end, feels more like a comforting rerun than an exciting new horror effort.

Though the thrust of “The Conjuring: Last Rites” takes place in 1986, with Ed and Lorraine functionally retired from taking on new cases, it opens in 1964, with the case the couple was working on the night their daughter Judy was born. It’s a thrilling prologue that expands upon Judy having the same sensitivity to the paranormal that her mother utilizes to help people. (Madison Lawlor and Orion Smith make the most of their scant screen time as a pitch perfect younger Lorraine and Ed.) But from there the film splits into two tracks. One, following the Smurls, a family of eight sharing one small house that is terrorized after they bring in a cursed mirror last seen in the prologue, from the one case the Warrens were too spooked to solve. The other, showing what semi-retirement looks like for the Warrens.

Lorraine is happy to put the more exciting part of their career behind her, more focused on helping her daughter shut out the darkness she’s had to fight for decades. Ed still has fight in him, but after his heart issues manifested in “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” he has to take things easy. At one point, we see him nearly have a heart attack from a particularly spirited ping pong match against Judy’s boyfriend Tony (Ben Hardy) and it creates much unease about what might happen to him whenever the Warrens do eventually take on the Smurls’ case.

On the Smurls’ haunting side, a lot of the set pieces feel like artful retreads of the last few films, but with such a big family, it’s impressive how the disparate experiences interweave and how the number of inhabitants of the house exponentially compound the fear and despair and general strife they encounter. But the time we spend with the Warrens, while moving and engaging, begins to drag. At times, there’s smart suspense around delaying the inevitable, while at others, it feels like we the audience are just spending as much time as we can with our faves before they leave us forever. Couple that with all the Easter eggs and call backs to the rest of the universe — plenty of “Annabelle” whether you want her or not — what could be somber begins to feel almost celebratory. It is both a gift and a bit of a curse.

For all of director Michael Chaves’ skill, with this being a fourth film in the franchise, there’s not quite as much room to surprise and delight the viewer. Watching “The Conjuring: Last Rites” with an active audience familiar with the series, the reliable formula feels like seeing a magic trick after being taught how it’s done. Every jump scare set-up was met not with clenching and tension, but a knowing kind of excitement, like seeing a beloved band and hearing a familiar riff before they launch into one of their biggest hits. As such, the scares feel less, well, scary, and more like cozy callbacks. No matter how much otherworldly spookiness has occurred on the set of “The Conjuring” films, at this point, the movies feel more like episodes of someone’s comfort show, the kind you stream on repeat no matter how many times you’ve seen them.

There’s an early scene where Ed and Lorraine give a lecture, like we have seen in the prior films, but when the lights come up, the audience is revealed to be a handful of youths all itching to make “Ghostbusters” references and jokes about the paranormal. When the scene occurs and Ed laments no one taking things seriously anymore, it seems like it might be a thesis statement. Perhaps in earlier drafts, “Last Rites” had a little more boldness and bite as counter-programming to irony-laden, meta-horror.

But instead, the seriousness on display is largely about the emotional arcs of the family members and the love story of Ed and Lorraine seeing Judy find the man she’s going to spend the rest of her life with. And that’s fine! It makes for a pleasant viewing experience. It’s just a minor bummer that the heartstring tugging and sentimentality isn’t better weaved with the thrills and chills and charm that made these movies so fun in the first place.

“The Conjuring: Last Rites” premieres in theaters on September 5.