Written by: Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mia Tomlinson, Ben Hardy
Rating: [4/5]
The time to say goodbye to beloved characters always comes around, and as audience members, we can only hope for a worthwhile conclusion. Something we thankfully receive for our favorite probable-charlatan demon fighters, Ed and Lorraine Warren. With Last Rites, not only does it incorporate their daughter, but it also creates a strong send-off for this couple with this final terrifying case.
Having fully retired from investigating demonic possessions, Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farminga) now spend their days giving lectures, which have minimal attendance. When a family in Pennsylvania encounters demonic presences from an antique mirror in their home, a priest attempts to enlist the Warrens. Despite initially not wanting to involve themselves, the fear of them encountering this demon back when their daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson) was a baby draws them in.
After two strong entries into the Ed and Lorraine stories in the Conjuring films, we began to witness some diminishing returns with the third entry: The Devil Made Me Do It. The franchise had appeared to lose its fastball. Therefore, having a fourth entry elicited some doubt as to what they had left in the tank, but thankfully Last Rites ends our time with the Warrens with a bang. While the third film struggled because of the addition of the law and the error in trying to add a certain validity to this work rather than the fantasy it has continually proven to be, we get a return to form here.
While the scares and the visual presentation of these films have always delivered quality, what has set these films above other possession films always lied in the relationship between Ed and Lorraine. The love they have for each other never disappoints, and this final entry heavily involves their daughter Judy, further making this a family affair. We also get Judy’s boyfriend, Tony (Ben Hardy), involved in the mix as he tries to ingratiate himself mainly to Ed. With him fairly ignorant of what he’s getting involved with in this family, seeing everything that transpires in this film through his eyes makes for quite the comedic viewing experience.
With this being a Conjuring film, we receive the typical fare of a family dealing with the evils of a demon looking to wreak havoc, but the core of the Warren family remains as they must all work together this final time to vanquish something they should have finished many years ago. The demon involved put such a fright in the hearts of Ed and Lorraine in their youth, and considering the damage it manages to inflict in this narrative, it makes sense why it would serve as essentially the “final boss” of these films.
As we progress through the film, we receive the standard formula we can come to expect with these films, where it starts with the family getting haunted across various nights, their outcry for help, and then the Warrens stepping in to do what they do best. We just need to see what innovative scares the director will bestow upon us to frighten the characters and audiences alike. We definitely get some decent ones, including my personal favorite involving Judy trying on her wedding dress in a room full of mirrors. Bone-chilling stuff and it demonstrates this franchise delivers the best of the jump scare formula out there. They are not necessarily doing anything too different from general horror fare, but they just do it well, especially when considering the emotional components that have built up
It remains incredibly impressive just how much Patrick Wilson and Ver Farmiga have taken these characters and completely made them their own. By the end of their careers, it’s most likely the roles they will be most remembered for, and on their final outing as this controversial couple, they knock it out of the park once again. From displaying the love emanating between them and the incredible stress these situations place upon them, we see these two in action once again. The addition of Mia Tomlinson with Judy taking on a much larger role in the story worked wonders as well. She stepped right in and fit like a glove, allowing this to not center just on the married couple but also on the daughter in this final go-around.
Delivering everything you could possibly want from the final film of a solid horror franchise. Last Rites course corrects from the somewhat disappointing third entry to end the tales of Ed and Lorraine Warren with a bang. Bringing on a nasty demon and various forms it utilizes not just the poor family in this house but also the Warrens allows this last film to shine as a valid entry in this now-complete quartet of films demonstrating some of the best work ever done in the demonic possession subsection of the horror genre.
Films with Josh 
