The Conjuring: Last Rites – Review (4/5)

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES is the final chapter in James Wan’s franchise about Ed and Lorraine Warren. And it ends on a high (and quite nostalgic) note, so you’ll want to watch it. Read our full The Conjuring: Last Rites movie review here!

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES is out in movie theaters worldwide with the final chapter about Ed and Lorraine Warren. Fortunately, it offers a story that feels back on track. And it’s always good to end on a high note.

THE PREVIOUS MOVIE OF THE FRANCHISE

Check out our review of chapter 3: The Devil Made Me Do It >

In other words, even if you weren’t too crazy about the previous movie in the franchise, you’ll want to watch this fourth and final chapter. Sure, there are other movies in the franchise, but the core The Conjuring movies are ending with this one.

Continue reading our The Conjuring: Last Rites movie review below. Find it in US theaters from September 5, 2025.

Judy Warren is at the center

For their final case, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) are in Pennsylvania. It’s the Smurl family’s home, and the year is 1986. Before we get that far, we meet Ed and Lorraine on one of their first cases in the 1960s.

And yes, the experience of The Warrens in the 1960s will tie into this latest case. It should also be said that the opening scene shows us a very pregnant Lorraine, so for The Conjuring: Last Rites, we see the birth of Judy Warren, as she is the key.

Of course, Judy Warren has already played a huge role in several movies in The Conjuring franchise. Not least stories involving Annabelle… and most stories in this franchise do ultimately involve that demon doll or a nun.

In this fourth chapter about Ed and Lorraine Warren, their daughter Judy Warren (Mia Tomlinson) is now a young adult woman. She even has a boyfriend, Tony Spera (Ben Hardy), and is very happy.

However, she has her mother’s talents and struggles with keeping visions at bay.

The final case of the Smurl Family

Getting back to the Smurl Family, this was what made The Conjuring: Last Rites work so well for me. Mostly, because it brought this core franchise back to a classic family and their house.

This was what made the very first The Conjuring such a powerful story. You feel for the family and want them to get help. Again, the same was the case with the sequel.

The third movie took a legal turn with a killer that claimed to be possessed (hence the subtitle of The Devil made Me Do It), and I much prefer the family angle. Life for the Smurl Family is very loud with eight people and Simon the dog living together.

We have the parents, their four daughters, and the patriarch’s parents, all living under the same roof. It’s a small house, where love is bountiful. And again, so is the noise level, but that is to be expected.

For the eight Smurl family members (or nine, if you include the dog, and I always do), life is about to take a violent turn as something sinister and malevolent has gotten inside their house.

Watch The Conjuring: Last Rites in theaters

This is the ninth entry to The Conjuring universe, and it’s a veteran of the franchise and its spin-offs at the helm. The director of The Conjuring: Last Rites is Michael Chaves, who previously directed The Curse of La Llorona, The Conjuring 3, and The Nun 2.

Producers on The Conjuring 4 are still James Wan and Peter Safran, who have been labeled the franchise architects. Writers of the story for this fourth chapter about the Warrens are Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing, and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick.

The story is the brainchild of David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick & James Wan, based on characters created by Chad Hayes & Carey W. Hayes.

And yes, this final story has a lot going for it. Not least thanks to the cast, which includes a few characters returning for the story. Plus, I don’t want to give away spoilers, but the final part of the movie is clearly a big goodbye to the franchise.

LOOK OUT FOR SHANNON KOOK AND STEVE COULTER

The two have been in all four movies alongside Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, portraying as Drew and Father Gordon respectively >

That’s when you need to really keep your eyes open, if you want to catch all the cameos of characters and actors from the previous installments. It’s a real trip down memory lane, and most of the key people do show up.

It’s quite nostalgic. It certainly was for me, but I was also (still am) a huge fan of that very first The Conjuring movie. As someone who is not a big fan of religion, this is no small feat. If you loved that first movie, then you’ll enjoy this one too.

For the record, it may be “Ed and Lorraine Warren”, but we all know these movies are really all about Vera Farmiga’s Lorraine. She’s the one with the gift. In the world of horror, she is, in all practical matters, a real-life Final Girl.

The Conjuring: Last Rites is out in theaters and IMAX® in North America on September 5, 2025, and internationally beginning September 3, 2025.

Details

In Theaters: September 5, 2025
Director: Michael Chaves
Writers: Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Mia Tomlinson, Ben Hardy, Shannon Kook, Steve Coulter