'The Conjuring: Last Rites' Review

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Release Date: 09/05/25 [Cinemas]

Genre: Horror. Mystery. Thriller.

MPAA: Rated R.

Distributor: Warner Bros.

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The Verdict: A Must-See

When the original The Conjuring came out all the way back in 2013, I was just getting out of High School and at that time I wasn’t heading out to the cinema very often - especially not for a horror film. Oh, how the times have changed and The Conjuring, as well as The Conjuring 2 became a mainstay in my horror favorites. Now sitting at ten films in the universe that James Wan built, with numerous spinoffs and a third film that honorably tried to tweak the tried and proven formula, but failed to capture the essence of what came before. The Conjuring: Last Rites isn’t a perfect horror film, nor does it surpass the original or its sequel, however it understands what this universe is and delivers sharp scares, horrifying imagery and that James Wan’ atmosphere we desire. 

While I mention Wan, since he played a hand in the universe as a whole and the story here, Director Michael Chaves has undeniably gotten better with each new entry in this franchise. Unlike the third feature, this is Chaves first entry that feels exactly like what The Conjuring should have felt like in his previous outings: The Nun II, The Devil Made Me Do It and the unofficial The Curse of La Llorona. Taking place primarily in the 80s, the film doesn’t try to prod you with 80s references (apart from a Ghostbusters pull and a song to get us into the decade shift) and that’s much appreciated these days when everything seems to want to bring that nostalgia of the yesteryear.

After four films we have a wonderful kinetic relationship between Ed and Loraine depicted on screen and for those worried, no Ed does not have to save Lorraine from behind a locked door as he has numerous other times. Anytime Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga share the same screen together, I am fully absorbed into their family drama and their supernatural hardships. But unlike the past few main titles in the series, this film is focusing not only on Ed and Loraine, but on their daughter Judy (recast since the last time we saw her). We’ve gotten a little bit of Judy in the past with an entire Annabelle feature spun around her as the victim in the narrative. 

Mia Tomlinson is terrific as the recast Warren daughter. I thoroughly enjoyed her becoming more of an important figure in these films and her fasttracked romantic relationship with Ben Hardy’s Tony feels remarkably authentic and sweet. This leads to a fun dynamic between the vastly different renting styles of Ed and Lorraine when it comes to their daughter. Tony takes on an assistant archetype when we get into the actual case later in the film, while Judy is quite literally at the center of it all - right behind her parents. 

For those that didn’t get a chance to see the third Conjuring film and was wondering if it’s a necessity - it’s really not beyond knowing that they have since retired and Ed has an ongoing heart issue keeping them from taking on cases. 

This might very well be the bloodiest Conjuring to date, in that I mean there is a lot of blood on screen when the others have been almost entirely devoid of red, but don’t expect a The Descent level of carnage. The feature’s biggest drawback is its decision to have the paranormal threat ultimately be a demonic mirror, assisted by multiple vengeful spirits with haunting appearances and a CGI disaster relating to a being of the past. 

The Conjuring: Last Rites is a solid horror film, a satisfying finale and among the top within the universe. While the demonic entity here is no match to Annabelle or The Nun, there’s still a lot of fright to be had and in turn a lot of scary fun.

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