If this were a vampire movie you could say that it’s a little long in the tooth. However, this is a horror film, but it’s the fourth one in a character-based franchise that has a steady track record. The Conjuring: Last Rites has a couple of nice atmospheric scares, some cheap jump scares and a truck load of nostalgia. The film is also a victim of The Conjuring Universe. These movies want to have their cake and eat it too. It’s the ‘based on a true story’ label that only four of the nine films under its umbrella can rightfully claim. Fans of the franchise will welcome Last Rites, but horror movie fans would’ve seen it all before.
Last Rites is about the final case that Lorraine and Ed Warren supposedly assisted with in a physical manner. Ed is ailing from the heart attack he suffered in the previous film. Their daughter is in a serious relationship with a guy, and aware that her abilities are similar to her mothers. Unfortunately, she is more easily freaked out by the ghosts and physical actions that the more enthusiastic spirits attempt. Lorraine is having stronger visions that involve her daughter and a presence that appears to be stalking the family.
Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, the Smurl family has been going through the ringer. All eight family members have been abused or haunted in some way. They’ve been to the local media and have had the church bless the house to no avail. The haunting is supposedly caused by a creepy mirror that the Smurl family purchased at an antique market. Alas, that mirror also played a role in the Warrens first case, where Lorraine had a difficult pregnancy. Fast forward 20 something years and their daughter feels compelled help the Smurls, reuniting all of the Warrens with the mirror.
Last Rites did have a couple of nice, soft ethereal scares. It’s the distorted zombie man in the black corner that you see for just a second. One of the characters has a severed green hand on their shoulder and the long cord of the kitchen telephone is pulled by something we can’t see.
The film uses the fake-out technique more than it did in previous entries. A priest sees the people from a room disappear. Lorraine has the kitchen sink fill with blood. Their daughter has a panic attack where a witch is under her wedding dress. They all don’t really happen within the context of the story and are side visions, or a cul-de-sac that only slow the story down. It’s fake action that certainly didn’t happen in whatever vestiges remain in a supposedly true story.
This is one of the tent poles in The Conjuring universe because its story has the Warrens themselves, and as such, it’s supposedly ‘based on a true story.’ However, it doesn’t feel real. The first film in the franchise felt like a documentary. The second one was certainly a film, but it was quite entertaining. The third one was a slightly above average horror film. The Conjuring: Last Rites is also a slightly above average horror film. However, the first film established such a high bar that it inadvertently cursed anything that followed it.
It’s worse than the curse of every-other-Bond film being not as entertaining as the one before it. Instead of audiences not knowing if this entry would be good or not, it’s a slow crunch towards boredom and irrelevance. Horror franchises that live in the cheesy world of jump scares, immortal boogeymen and teenage thrills don’t have this issue. The basis for The Conjuring is supposedly rooted in non-fiction, audiences want to believe. Fictitious films that had supposedly real demon totems as the macguffin, makes the mainline films in The Conjuring less enjoyable.
The mirror that serves as the plot device in Last Rites is as believable as the painting of the nun. It’s spooky and creative yes, but they don’t produce the same amount of dread. Factor this in with the added family sentiment and series call backs to previous films and Last Rites is more of an obligatory curtain call than a celebratory scary end the first phase of this universe.
The Conjuring: Last Rites comes across as more of a spring board for future films than as an enjoyable, stand alone movie. Her daughter is a capable ghost hunter too, what if she were the main figure in future films? This could allow the franchise to run into the 90’s and beyond. Audiences have already blurred the line between the films and have accepted The Conjuring Universe to be mildly scary with somewhat interesting characters, albeit in a predictable set of circumstances.
The Conjuring: Last Rites is rated R for violence and gore.
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