One of the most well-known horror movie franchises in modern history, “The Conjuring” began with its first entry back in 2013, so it was no surprise when the alleged final film, “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” got so much attention when it was announced and released this year.
Based on the real cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren, demonologists who took on paranormal and possession cases for the Catholic Church in the 1970s. Each movie is based on a different case, from the Perron family haunting of 1971 in “The Conjuring” to the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson of 1981 in 2021’s “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It”, which was the first court case in which the defense claimed innocence due to demonic possession. Other films in the cinematic universe include “Annabelle”, “The Nun” and “The Curse of La Llorana”, with a total of nine entries that have since grossed over $700 million. So it was no surprise when “Last Rites”, the fourth addition to the series, came out that it was highly anticipated.
The Warrens started their paranormal investigation upon which the latest and allegedly final movie in the Conjuring universe is based in 1977. As in previous films, Lorraine (Vera Farmiga of “Bates Motel”) is an alleged clairvoyant, which means she claims to be able to see into the future and see pieces of the past. Ed (Patrick Wilson of “Insidious”) doesn’t have any supernatural abilities, but he is a firm believer in the supernatural, confessing that his childhood home in Connecticut was haunted. He also says that when he would bring up his experiences, his father would say, “There is a logical explanation for everything,” and would drop the conversation. Director Michael Chaves returns after directing three other films in the franchise, including “The Nun II”, clearly at home with these iconic protagonists, but arguably with fewer fresh takes.
“I feel like the older movies were better because they were new [with ideas],” Justin Cajamarca (12) said. “This new one felt like a repeat of the other movies.”
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” is also a bit more violent compared to other entries, as it focuses on the infamously bloody Smurl haunting, which took place over the course of 15 years in the 70s and 80s in Pennsylvania. Heavy topics such as sexual assault and animal abuse, in addition to the typically spooky set pieces for which the cinematic universe has become famous.
In the opening scene, in particular, Lorraine has a stillbirth in a flashback sequence, hinting at the fact that their daughter, Judy, is a miracle baby. This was a very heavy topic that had fans in shock in the theaters. Yet another heavy topic they showed in the movie was suicide. In one of the scenes, a priest hangs himself on screen, and while 2018’s “The Nun”, for comparison, only showed its hanging momentarily, “Last Rites” shows everything in one scene, leaving nothing to the imagination and triggering anyone who’s lost someone to suicide, not to mention repeating beats from previous movies.
“I felt like this one was too predictable,” Columbia Heights resident Alicia Schulz said. “Whereas the other ones got me [with scares] I wasn’t expecting, [“Last Rites” did not].”
Another downside of this latest attempt at rekindling horror magic was the theatrical experience. When my friends and I sat down, we saw two children walk in who looked younger than first graders. We were all surprised, but we focused on the movie. The movie started, and after the aforementioned first scene, I felt really uncomfortable, and my heart was beating really fast. I looked at my friends, and they seemed to be doing fine, but in the end, I left the theater before the movie ended. I couldn’t sit through it due to how graphic it was.
While some might see this kind of intense gore and believe “The Conjuring: Last Rites” definitely went above and beyond to live up to what the fans wanted, this is certainly not the same franchise that even the faint of heart fell in love with back in the 2010s. At the same time, it also relies on the same kind of derivative jump scares and plot twists that made the first entries feel fresh. Now, it just feels, well, dead.
