The Conjuring: Last Rites? Steven says 2/5

Ed and Lorraine’s story comes to an end in The Conjuring: Last Rites, wrapping up the Warrens’ final case. On paper, it sounds like a powerful goodbye to one of the most iconic horror franchises of the past decade. In reality? The film is a lifeless send-off that feels more like a whimper than a scream.

Back in 2013, The Conjuring completely changed the game. It was fresh, terrifying, and honestly revolutionary for mainstream horror. But as the years went on, with endless spin-offs and underwhelming sequels, the universe slowly lost its shine. Especially after The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (still the worst of the bunch, and I’ll die on that hill).

To its credit, Last Rites is better than The Devil Made Me Do It. But “better” doesn’t mean good. The pacing is a mess. It felt like an overlong first act that skipped straight into the finale, with nothing in between. No real buildup, no suspense, just boredom. The movie leans hard on jump scares, most of which had my theater laughing instead of screaming. There was one scare that didn’t even get a reaction from the audience at all, which kind of says it all.

The marketing promised the classic “haunted house, haunted family” setup this series loves to push, but the Warrens don’t even step foot in the house until the last thirty minutes. Nothing happens… and then suddenly everything happens at once. It’s a jumbled structure that left me totally uninvested.

If there’s one thing this franchise has always nailed, though, it’s casting. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are the soul of these films, and they continue to deliver here even when the script doesn’t. They deserved a stronger final chapter than this.

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