“The Conjuring: Last Rites” is a supernatural horror film, the ninth movie of The Conjuring film series. The story starts with a flashback to a demon that the investigators had dealt with a long time ago. It then splits off into two separate storylines, with the Smurl family being haunted and rather domestic scenes intertwined with rapidly growing tension within the Warrens’ family.
The film was written by Ian Goldberg and directed by Michael Chaves. Ian Goldberg was a co-showrunner and a writer for “Fear the Walking Dead” (2015). Many of his most well-known creations are within the horror genre. Michael Chaves is known for his involvement in The Conjuring universe and The Curse of La Llorona. The paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, are played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Ed and Lorraine’s actors had come back to play their roles for the last time.
Positive: The type of jump scares that are used are very purposeful, such as isolating victims to create specific character arcs within the main story and leaning into the demonic elements. The way Ian Goldberg had written the story was captivating. The throwbacks to “The Conjuring” were nostalgic, specifically the basement and Lorraine having a major role in the eventual banishment of the demon. It was enjoyable the way that they made the investigators seem more human. They gave them more realistic flaws compared to the previous movies. The fiancé having a major part in the story was wonderful; he added domestic issues without making them the main point.
Negative: The movie was more gory than it was scary, as it felt like a slasher film rather than a supernatural mystery. The storyline was good, but the execution could have been better. The ending felt a little bit rushed. It was somewhat underwhelming for the ending of such a legendary film series. The beginning after the flashback was rather slow; there was a lot of world-building.
It’s a great movie that really ties all the lore together; it is absolutely worth watching. It officially came out on Sept. 5, and it is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at home as of Oct. 7. It has not had any time to win any awards yet. However, it had the second biggest opening weekend for any horror film worldwide.
