135 minutes, opens on Sept 4
★★★☆☆

The story: The year is 1964, and aspiring demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren have taken on their first case. It proves to be a pivotal moment in their professional and personal lives, culminating in the birth of their only child, Judy. 

The sinister dread of the first case casts a pall that haunts the rest of the supernatural horror film taking place in the 1980s, and sets the stage for the final instalment of The Conjuring universe being very much a family tale centred on the Warrens.

The Warrens – who are based on real-life figures and are played as adults by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga – have effectively retired from paranormal investigations in favour of raising their daughter. Judy (Mia Tomlinson) is now in her early 20s and bringing home her first serious boyfriend, Tony (Ben Hardy).  

Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, the Smurl family find themselves haunted by a cursed mirror – the same one involved in Judy’s birth.

Inevitably, their paths will dovetail, but only in Last Rites’ final act. Up till that point, the story splits its time between the torments of the Smurls and the everyday domesticity of the Warrens. But the juxtaposition only adds to the creeping suspense of the horror. 

Do not expect the highs of The Conjuring (2013) and The Conjuring 2 (2016), both game changers of the horror genre. Still, it helps that American director Michael Chaves – who helmed previous outings in the franchise, including The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) and The Nun II (2023) – makes inventive use of camera angles, sound and lighting design, and pacing to keep viewers on their toes. 

The on-screen magic between Wilson and Farmiga, both accomplished actors in their own right, continues to be the beating heart of this franchise, as it has been since the original movie 12 years ago. 

Tomlinson does not quite have the same emotional gravitas. Nevertheless, she is a positive addition to their dynamic and mostly manages to hold her own. There is a solo sequence of her in a bridal shop that might make viewers avoid mirrors for the rest of this decade.

British actress Mia Tomlinson in The Conjuring: Last Rites.

PHOTO: WBEI

Hardy turns in a surprisingly strong performance that rounds out the family dynamic. He shines in scenes with Wilson, as their characters bond over being all-American men trying to support and protect their better halves from supernatural threats. 

Fans will enjoy the cameos and Easter eggs sprinkled throughout Last Rites, the fourth and final main Conjuring film and ninth instalment in the wider cinematic universe. But there is plenty here for newcomers to sink their teeth into as well.

Hot take: Last Rites brings the story of the Warrens to a fitting end, with a loving exploration of the power of family that also manages to provide a healthy dose of jump scares and jitters.

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