The fourth and final installment of “The Conjuring” films, “The Conjuring: Last Rites” definitely improves upon the last movie, and brings many concepts full circle to neatly close out the adventures of the Warrens.
According to IMDB, the film had an estimated budget of $55 million, and on opening weekend, made $84 million The film now sits at $161 million, making it a profitable film.
The beginning of the movie does an amazing job of creating an emotional connection to Judy Warren, as it shows scenes involving her near-stillborn birth. Through four films, the audience is already very connected, making these scenes hit even harder.
The directors did a good job at establishing context, as I had not rewatched the films before seeing this one, and didn’t feel like anything was being missed.
The first case the Warrens took prompted Lorraine to have Judy very early, and almost cost Judy her life. They then ran away from the case, and eventually moved on with their lives. The demon, however, was always aiming to get back at the Warrens, and through hauntings of the Smurl family, was able to draw them back.
Mirror Demon, the villain and main source of horror, does a good job at doing so. Everything brought onto the camera which could be used as a scare, is used as a one.
Hiding under multiple different facades lies a truly evil entity. The Mirror Demon has it out for the Warrens and simply toys with the Smurls to lure them back to its place.
The hauntings of the property are used by the Mirror Demon as puppets to cause mayhem in the Smurl house, tormenting an entire family through multiple different spirits. Annabelle also makes a return appearance and is as scary as ever.
The movie does a good job playing on the backs of Ed and Lorraine, as they are the stars of the series. Lorraine has her own battle with the Mirror Demon to find out what it truly is, and with Ed’s help, they decide to finish what they initially ran away from.
However, it does shy away from this plot near the middle of the film, where it focuses more on Judy, the Smurl family and Judy’s love interest, Tony Spera.
One of the lowlights of the film is Tony, who has to try and impress Ed. He proposes to Judy after knowing her for less than a year. T
Judy has a good character arc and definitely gets put through the wringer as she is the main target of the Mirror Demon.
With how heavily the movie leans into the weight of the characters and cleans up all the story points, it all comes together to feel like an appropriate ending to the series. While not as traditionally scary as the first two films, this closed the book neatly on a great series.
