The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) review – A soulless end to the saga

Welcome to Knockout Horror. I think it is about time we spend a couple of hours celebrating everyone’s favourite paranormal investigation charlatans the Warrens as today we are reviewing The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025).

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room

Can you believe, we are 9 entries deep into the Conjuring universe? That’s just insane! Is there any other series that has become so synonymous with the term Hollywood Horror? Are there any other potential fraudsters on the face of the planet so glorified as the subjects of these films?

I know it’s a contentious issue but, let’s be honest here. The Warrens might have brought a lot of attention to paranormal investigations but they did a lot of harm to it, as well. They made a hell of a lot of money by potentially exploiting people who simply needed help.

Hell, this movie even addresses the controversy at the end in almost a plea to the viewer to not judge them too harshly. Like the producers are saying “Come on guys, do you know how valuable this franchise is? Just let us have this one!“.

One thing you would quickly notice if you browsed the review section on Knockout Horror is the distinct lack of Conjuring related films. In fact, even a deep dive would only uncover reviews for The Curse of La Llorona and Annabelle Comes Home.

I’m really not a fan of this type of horror and so I exercise something of a “can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” philosophy. I do understand why people enjoy them, though and the good news is that The Conjuring: Last Rites is more of the same.

Here we go again… For the last time (Apparently)

The story follows Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) taking on one last case. Ed has some serious heart problems and the doctor is worried that an encounter with the supernatural is going to make him stroke out. Hence, he has entered into an early retirement.

“This is like listening to a remaster of an album you quite liked 20 years ago. It sounds pretty much the same but you realise that maybe it was never as good as you remembered.”

The only problem is that there is a needy family just begging to be taken advantage of so the pair decide to dust off the old crucifix for one last jobber.

The family at the heart of the haunting live in Pennsylvania and have just moved into their dream home. Unfortunately, it just so happens to be infested by a merciless demon. The Warrens don’t want to help at first but the death of a friend convinces them that this is really serious so they change their mind.

It sounds like I am being facetious but that really is the story. It’s one last ride to wrap up the series. With this in mind, The Conjuring: Last Rites could best be described as director Michael Chaves “playing the hits”. Everything that you might expect from one of these films is present and accounted for.

We have a few flashbacks to the past, a few scenes of familial bliss to paint the couple as wonderful people, and a supernatural side story to set up the payoff. It is painfully familiar and ultimately derivative. If you are looking for something original and different, you are in the wrong place.

This is like listening to a remaster of an album you quite liked 20 years ago. It sounds pretty much the same but you realise that maybe it was never as good as you remembered.

A mercilessly padded plot and laborious runtime

Meandering in at a painful 2 hours plus, this movie feels mercilessly padded. There is so much home-life stuff from both of the families at the centre of the story. Whether it is dinner around the table with lots of noise and minor supernatural happenings. Or the Warrens realising that their 30 plus year old daughter is probably old enough to marry now. It’s just so boring.

“Meandering in at a painful 2 hours plus, this movie feels mercilessly padded. There is so much home-life stuff… It’s just so boring.”

It dilutes what works about these films. Let’s be honest, however you may or may not feel about the Warrens, people who watch the Conjuring movies are watching for them. They are the heart and soul of the franchise and the glue that binds each film. They both take a big time back seat here thanks to the familial focus. That will leave a lot of people wanting.

It takes a long time for The Conjuring: Last Rites to go anywhere, too. There’s a few minor scares here and there but supernatural shenanigans play second fiddle to familial droning.

The producers of these movies are convinced that throwing in a supernatural scene every 5 minutes will keep people interested. It’s like jangling your keys to a baby but I really feel as though the audience has grown out of it. That might have worked 15 years back but we have seen all the tricks now and know how they work. It’s all so predictable and unoriginal.

The bulk of the horror is made up of jump scares, a lot of loud noises, predictable appearances from a few series favourites, and the odd new demon here and there. It all seems very tacked on and unsatisfying as far as this series goes.

“The producers of these movies are convinced that throwing in a supernatural scene every 5 minutes will keep people interested. It’s like jangling your keys to a baby.”

Even if I don’t enjoy these films I can appreciate what they do well. Last Rites is the weakest entry by far with respect to that retro supernatural horror vibe and unsettling atmosphere that was such a strong point of the previous entries.

A formulaic but serviceable send-off

On the plus side, this is a decent looking film. While Chaves doesn’t manage to capture that true-to-era retro vibe that Wan was so good at.Last Rites is still very well made with some shot setups that work really well as far as this type of horror goes.

There’s plenty of shadows to hide spooky things in and shots that put you into the shoes of the characters. I am sure series fans will appreciate cameos from some of the Warren’s haunted items, as well.

Acting is solid, as always. Wilson and Farmiga are excellent as The Warrens and bring a lot of likeability to the otherwise controversial couple. I thought Mia Tomlinson was very good as the Warren’s daughter Judy, too. This is a big cast and it’s quite surprising how decent everyone is across the board.

Once the horror gets going in earnest, it’s probably enough to satisfy series fans. If you enjoy Hollywood horror, it’s exactly what you should expect. Sure, it is predictable and derivative but fans of these types of movies already know that.

The parts where Last Rites fails are in the build up and the gradual slow burn tension that makes the culmination of the stories all the more scary and interesting.

This does feel like an actual full stop to the Warren’s story. I can’t see them making another movie after this unless it is a prequel. There’s a passage at the end addressing the controversy of the couple and an ending that feels pretty final. Is it a fitting finale for one of Hollywood’s most successful horror franchises? Probably not but it’s a serviceable effort despite my complaints.

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