Written by Ian Goldberg And Richard Naing And David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick And James Wan
Directed by Michael Chaves
Lorraine: "Ed, there's an evil here. Something I've felt before."
Last week, I did a rewatch and review of the previous three movies in this successful horror franchise. It was time for the final chapter and oh boy, did this one really do it's level best to go out on a bang for the Warrens.
Once again, we're thrown into a case. The one that would be the last for Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga). Also, funny story before this particular case in question, we'd see the paranormal pair doing the lecture circuit and avoiding the real reason why they were no longer taking on cases.
Of course it had to do with Ed's health, something which now the much older Judy (Mia Tomlinson) also addressed. In the previous movies, Judy was very much a background character. In this one, she's effectively co-leading with her parents as her own supernatural powers (same as Lorraine's) came to the forefront.
On top of that, Judy had a lovely fiancé named Tony (Ben Hardy), who was generally a bumbling sweetheart with a nice backstory about being a former cop. His scenes with Judy and her parents were actually some of the strongest in the movie and I'm happy to report, the movie ended with Judy and Tony actually getting married.
As for the case itself, it was the Smurl family, which saw parents Janet (Rebecca Cowan) and Jack (Elliot Cowan). Their house was possessed and the eight people that lived in the house all had their own demonic encounters. Naturally the press took an interest and the Warrens themselves came out of retirement to check it out.
This case definitely felt like it was the most personal for the Warrens. Lorraine learned more about the demons and murder, Ed and Tony tried to remove a cursed mirror and Judy herself was terrorised by a rather familiar doll. While the Smurl case had more to it than what the movie covered, a large chunk of the haunting was depicted here before offering a sense of closure to the series.
- In flashbacks to 1964, Ed and Lorraine were played by Orion Smith and Madison Lawlor respectively.
- Characters such as Carolyn Perron (Lili Taylor), Cindy Perron (Mackenzie Foy), Peggy Hodgson (Frances O'Connor), Janet Hodgson (Madison Wolfe) and David Glatzel (Julian Hilliard) also appeared during the end of the movie.
- Standout music: Benjamin Wallfisch provided the score for this movie.
- Chronology: Mainly set in 1986 Pennsylvania as well as the opening 1964 flashback.
The Conjuring: Last Rites not only felt like an ending to this part of the franchise but it could've been the end of the whole franchise. It's certainly a good place to end Ed and Lorraine Warren as protagonists but I'm sure this also just laid the groundwork for a new Annabelle movie in due course.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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