'The Conjuring: Last Rites' Review: A Worthy Send-Off For Ed and Lorraine
- Seb Jenkins
- Sep 3
- 3 min read
By Seb Jenkins - September 3, 2025
The Conjuring: Last Rites brings a new supernatural case to the big screen, a case that will call time on the careers of the infamous Ed and Lorraine Warren.
The Conjuring is one of the most successful, celebrated, and downright scary horror franchises of the 21st century. Billed as the ninth and final instalment in The Conjuring universe, The Conjuring: Last Rites was always going to conjure a unique buzz of its own. Remember, this is a franchise that has grossed a combined $2.2 billion from a budget of just $208 million! It may be nightmarish for audiences, but Warner Bros have regular sweet dreams about The Conjuring. The big question was: would it live up to the demons that came before it, or would Last Rites fizzle out like a scream in the night?
The Conjuring: Last Rites continues the dramatisation of supposed real-life events in the lives of paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). In previous instalments, the Warrens have tackled Satanist spirits haunting the Perron family, an Enfield poltergeist at the home of the Hodgson family, and demonic possession in the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson. Not to mention all the shenanigans with Annabelle and The Nun along the way! This time, the dynamic Warren duo becomes a trailblazing trio, as daughter Judy Warren (Mia Tomlinson) joins the crew.
The ninth instalment opens with a promise: Last Rites is a retelling of the case that ended the Warrens’ careers. But that is not where we start. The film opens ominously in 1964, where we follow a young Ed and Lorraine as they experience their first-ever demonic squabble. Unfortunately, the ghostbusting couple are about to be thrown into something even more terrifying… parenthood! Fast forward to the 1980s, and Judy is all grown up, but a spirit Ed and Lorraine thought they had left in their past is not done with the Warrens yet. Not by a long shot.
A Celebration of the Horror Legacy
The Conjuring: Last Rites is, above all else, a celebration. A celebration of one of the most beloved horror franchises of all time. A celebration of the real-life Ed and Lorraine Warren, and their pioneering work in paranormal probing. A celebration of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who have dedicated 12 years of their lives to embodying these characters. And, most of all, a celebration of gut-wrenching, blood-chilling, scream-swallowing horror! The Conjuring will forever be the king of the jump scare, and Last Rites is no different.
The first two Conjuring films were commended for their ability to build storylines with expert pacing. Jump scares were not thrown in for cheap screams, but surgically intertwined to create an unsettling rollercoaster of palpitations. We got to sit with the affected families and witness the horror through their eyes. The characters were fleshed out, and loved all the more for it. The demons were genuinely scary, and the twists memorable. While they were undoubtedly gutsy, raw horrors, they had the clever precision of critically acclaimed thrillers. A lot for Last Rites to live up to, and a burden that was slightly too much for The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
This time around, the expert pacing is back. With a run time of 135 minutes, we get to spend more time immersed in the personal lives of Ed, Lorraine, and Judy, making the horrors they embark on all the more unnerving. Even the side characters of Judy’s boyfriend, Tony Spera (Ben Hardy), and the haunted Smurl family are well-written and superbly acted. Last Rites brings the audience to a simmer in a way that only The Conjuring can, before allowing things to boil over at the perfect moment in what serves as a fitting last hurrah for Ed and Lorraine.
Unfortunately, the only demon preventing a good film from becoming a great one here is the ending itself, which falls a little flat and certainly far short of the clever storytelling we have come to adore.
Final Verdict: A Chilling but Familiar Farewell to the Warren Legacy
The Conjuring: Last Rites is an enjoyable – yet horrific - trip down memory lane for fans of the warrens, but the climax perhaps falls into the scariest category of all – samey. Ultimately, it’s an entertaining watch and a must-see for fans of the franchise, offering satisfying closure to a 12-year journey of ghosts, ghouls, and demons.
'The Conjuring: Last Rites' releases in cinemas September 5
Want more film reviews? Check out more content on our website Film Focus Online!
