LAST CALL: THE CONJURING LAST RITES:

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES closed the Conjuring franchise and took the weekend Box Office by storm, but is it any good?

The Conjuring: Last Rites delivers another thrilling chapter of the iconic Conjuring cinematic universe, based on real events. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reunite for one last case as renowned, real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren in a powerful and spine-chilling addition to the global box office-breaking franchise.

Farmiga and Wilson star alongside Mia Tomlinson and Ben Hardy, who portray Ed and Lorraine’s daughter Judy Warren and her boyfriend, Tony Spera, as well as Steve Coulter returning as Father Gordon, Rebecca Calder, Elliot Cowan, Kíla Lord Cassidy, Beau Gadsdon, John Brotherton and Shannon Kook.

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES topped the weekend Box Office, going on to the second largest opening of a horror film since IT and the largest of the franchise. $83 million domestic is a great take, but worldwide it made $187 million, and cements the Conjuring Franchise as one of the most profitable in film history.

Now, keeping all this in mind, there often comes a time when a journalist must separate their personal convictions from their professional integrity. It’s necessary to remain objective when reporting. Entertainment news, however, and reviewing entertainment properties, is a different world all together. When reviewing a movie or TV show or book, one can’t help but be influenced by their personal interests, and as a result many reviews are skewed by that. We can’t help it.

Luckily for me the disconnect I have between the reality behind the Conjuring movies, and the movies themselves, is helped along by a steady dose of THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN. As a result, I’m somehow able to suspend disbelief when watching a CONJURING MOVIE. The stuff on screen is fake, and so was the stuff the Warrens allegedly investigated during their heyday. Yeah, I’m able to enjoy the films in this franchise because I know it’s all a ruse, that it’s no different than professional wrestling, and hey, I LOVE pro wrestling.

I went into THE CONJURING: LAST RITES not expecting much, which made my walk of shame to my car after a little better. The previous entry into the franchise, THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT, was a bore fest at best. LAST RITES is a better film, but it’s just as plodding and predictable as the previous. I found myself checking the time often during its four hour run time—wait… what? It was only two hours and fifteen minutes? My experience seemed like it was longer. And let me reiterate, my opine here isn’t influenced by the crappy people used for the source material. I enjoy and like most of this franchise. The original CONJURING was in my top three the year it came out. But, like with many horror franchises, each successive entry was weaker than the previous. When the prequel to ANNABELLE gets more attention than the previous movie, that shows you how uneven this franchise has been. 

CONJURING: LAST RITES does have its moments, don’t get me wrong. There are some genuinely frightening moments, and it’s filled with the expected jump scares and random demonic imagery. The problem is, it seems like all this imagery is just an Easter basket filled with Warren-Verse eggs, indiscriminately thrown about to get chuckles from the audience members familiar with the films. Now, I’m certain if you have an attachment to these movies that you will enjoy this, but to me it was random bullshit with no connection to this film’s story. 

LAST RITES does give us closure on the fictional Warrens, but also leaves the door open for more case studies by their daughter and her husband. And with this entry making a butt-load of money, I’m certain we’ll see Judy Warren in future films. If you are fan of the paranormal, especially the “ghost hunting” side of it, you’re sure to enjoy this film and you’ll likely revisit on binges of the franchise. I, on the other hand, found it to be forgettable and I’m hoping this is the last time we see the white-washed Warrens on screen. 

With all this being said, I don’t think I have to tell you THE CONJURING: LAST RITES did NOT make my top 10 of 2025.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.