The Conjuring: Last Rites

Story: Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) are enjoying retirement, until a chilling case in a remote Pennsylvania home draws them back into the darkness. The haunting isn’t just another possession… it has a terrifying link to their daughter, Judy (Mia Tomlinson).


Review: The fourth movie in the Conjuring universe, also touted as the finale, is a slowburn horror that burns a bit too slow. It stays loyal to the Conjuring template— big family in a haunted house, creepy attic, and eerie musical toys delivering solid jump scares—but it takes far too long to get to the point. Overloaded with ambition, the uneven pacing may not rob its tension, but it makes the experience more exhausting than terrifying. At 2 hours and 15 minutes, the final instalment feels bogged down by its heavy-handed emotional drama.

Overstuffed, this time around the demonic spirits haunt not just one home but two -- the Warrens and the Smurl family. The story shuttles between these two parallel tracks until they converge in an extended climax. The fear element persists but it gets overshadowed by the family drama.

The film’s standout moment arrives when Lorraine urges her daughter to confront her fear rather than run from it—a rare instance of emotional resonance that cuts through the gloom. It tugs at the heartstrings but ultimately leaves you wishing the rest of the film carried the same force and emotional weight.

Conjuring in 2013 put an end to campy horror with its atmospherics and storytelling. It added depth and different dimension to the genre. With horror upping the ante this year through films like Weapons, The Conjuring’s final chapter struggles to reinvent itself or recapture the suspense and fear of its original.

The film brings together the cast from previous instalments for a moving scene that lingers long after the credits roll. While successful franchises often find a way to resurrect themselves—much like the demons here —perhaps it’s time for The Conjuring to finally bid its farewell. Why risk diluting a brand that reinvented the genre and brought a touch of class to horror?

Please note: Do not step out for too long during the break and miss out the post interval scene.