The Conjuring universe takes up a weird space in modern horror. It is a unique franchise in the sense that the films take inspiration from true events, but the marketing attempts to imply that those events are the actual bulk of the story, which couldn’t be further from the truth. To make nothing of the polarizing legacy of the film’s real-life paranormal investigators: Ed (Patrick Wilson) & Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga). Not only are the accounts of the Warren family, and their supposed brushes with supernatural activity, debated about (to put it mildly), but the family also has their own share of dark family (open) secrets that call their character and integrity into question. This, from the purview of Warner Bros, makes it necessary for the studio to purge the nuance and controversy involved in the Warrens’ story, to provide a sanitized dramatization that fits nicely within the current horror movie ecosystem. There doesn’t have to be a sliver of truth behind any of these films, just lore, and you can branch the lore out and go wherever you want with it.
Movies like Annabelle and The Curse of La Llorona have padded out this cinematic universe, with Warner Bros creating a modern Universal Monsters for themselves. But as far as the films that started this all off, The Conjuring: Last Rites seems poised to give a conclusion to the stories of Ed & Lorraine specifically. And at this point, I think it’s fair to say that Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson have done as much with this property as they can, and it’s likely time for these two talented actors to move on to other projects. The thing is, however, if-and-when the Warrens are fully removed from the story, who knows what wacky places the studio is bound to send the story to next. For we should expect there will be some temptation on the studio’s part to keep making movies, and dollars, in this universe.
As for the Conjuring films themselves, there seems to be an agreed-upon consensus on those films, one I agree with as well, that the first two films are some of the best popcorn flicks of modern horror, replete with good performances and great directorial work from James Wan. But the 3rd film, the one where James Wan relegates himself to producer rather than director, is a snoozefest. Well bad news, but Michael Chaves, who helmed 2021’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, is back as director. Oof. Via the final trailer, we can see what these hooligans are up to in their supposed final chapter, and what ghastly spirits they may come across:
Admittedly, this at least looks more exciting than the previous film. It’s worth noting that The Devil Made Me Do It can be considered a “Covid movie”, which almost assuredly hampered its production and limited what the film could give us in the final product. Here, Last Rites appears to be competently shot, with an array of vivid and horrific setpieces. It’s not quite at the level of what James Wan showed to be capable of in this universe, at least based on the footage in this trailer, but it’s a step in the right direction and will likely play well on a big screen. The premise of the film centers on the famed, and hotly contested, Smurl Hauntings of the 1970s and 80s. If we’re going to exercise artistic license and divorce these films from the logic & facts of the real world, then it is sound storytelling to make this case a full-circle moment for the fictitious Warrens. Establishing that this demon is the same as the first demon the Warrens ever encountered, and underlining their failure to combat it in that past moment, sets up an interesting journey of redemption and overcoming trauma. In addition to the idea that such horrific events, occurring years apart, can be used to strengthen the bond between Lorraine and Ed.
Ultimately, however, we could be re-living the life cycle of The Nun II (2023). Another movie, also directed by Chaves, with an excellent trailer, but an underwhelming final product. Chaves’ filmography hasn’t lent itself the benefit of the doubt, a catalog that also includes the lackluster The Curse of La Llorona (2019). Perhaps these movies are just tailor-made for lively trailers, because there you can just focus on moments. Last Rites’ unsettling setpiece, a woman trapped within a wall of mirrors, and her terrifying doppelganger showing up in one of those mirrors, is the type of visual wizardry and terror that sells this type of movie. But will the film have a story that adequately supports these moments? Or will the film begin to fall apart in the most human scenes, the ones that don’t rely on special effects and loud noises?
The Conjuring: Last Rites plans the franchise’s curtain call (Right?…. Right??!!) on September 5th, 2025.
