The Conjuring: Last Rites – A Farewell Fit for the Warrens

Judy Warren steps out of the shadows in the Warrens’ final case.

Review: The Conjuring: Last Rites

So we are finally talking about what’s supposed to be the last of The Conjuring films. Like many successful franchises, The Conjuring spawned entire offshoots with Annabelle and The Nun. I’ve never been big on The Nun series—it always felt like a forced tie-in to The Devil Made Me Do It. But with Last Rites, we get something closer to a farewell tour, a “last dance” for Ed and Lorraine Warren that could have been titled just that.

This chapter shifts its focus to Judy Warren, a character often sidelined in earlier entries. Unless you dug into Annabelle Comes Home with Mckenna Grace, Judy probably never felt like much more than the kid left with a babysitter while her parents fought ghosts. Here, though, Judy and her new boyfriend Tony finally step into the frame. It’s 1986—Ghostbusters is already out, the satanic panic is raging, and the Warrens’ work is increasingly seen as outdated or laughable. That time period, with video games and music videos stealing the cultural spotlight, gives the movie a great backdrop.

At its heart, Last Rites ties Judy back to Annabelle while centering on a blue-collar Pittsburgh family haunted in the shadows of industrial America. As a lifelong Steelers fan, I got a kick out of the setting—even if the team wasn’t the juggernaut of the ’70s, the steel curtain vibe is still alive in the film. The hauntings hit the kids, the dog, and eventually the parents before the Warrens are dragged into what becomes their “last dance” case.

Thematically, the movie makes it clear: just because you’re ready to be finished with the supernatural doesn’t mean it’s finished with you. That common haunting truth carries this final act of the Warrens’ story. The film also doesn’t shy away from Ed’s health issues and Lorraine’s survival past him, making the family bond and their legacy feel more personal.

As always, the Conjuring franchise delivers strong atmosphere. The cinematography still plays with misdirection and tension—classic James Wan DNA, rooted in Japanese and Korean horror aesthetics of the ’50s and ’60s. Angles, hands on doors, bodies hovering—these beats may not be new, but they’re still cleanly executed. The makeup and set design are top-notch, and the soundtrack grounds us squarely in the ’80s. One thing I’ve always appreciated about the series is how each entry reflects its era musically, from ’70s rock in the first film to London punk in the second. Here, the 1986 soundscape locks us into time and place.

We even get some surprise returns from familiar faces across the Conjuring universe—enough to give the film that nostalgic, curtain-call energy. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson once again embody the Warrens with warmth and gravitas, reminding us why this franchise connected in the first place.

Is it scary? Not really. Is it the best Conjuring film? Definitely not. But The Conjuring: The Last Rites is a fitting conclusion, one that finally pulls Judy Warren out of the margins while closing the book on Ed and Lorraine. As someone who’s followed these films since 2013, I can say the Warrens gave us far more than we expected when they first walked into that haunted Rhode Island farmhouse.

Rating: 3 out of 5 – not the strongest entry, but a proper farewell to one of modern horror’s most enduring franchises.

—Travis Brown, Horror Movies Uncut