Expediente Warren: El último rito

I went into this flick hoping for a grand send-off. What I got was a limp, recycled mess that felt more like a bad spin-off than the franchise's finale. The setup had promise, but the movie just dragged until the halfway point. By then, I'd already checked my watch 2 times.

The screenplay? Paper thin. Characters exist just to be spooked, and the scares are predictable jump-outs you can see a mile away. There's no tension, no atmosphere, just loud bangs and cheap tricks. At this point, you can practically set a stopwatch to when the next door will slam.

And then there's Michael Chaves. Let's be real-this isn't his first stumble. La Llorona was weak. The Devil Made Me Do It barely felt like a horror movie. The Nun II was a snooze. And now here we are again, same bag of empty tricks. He confuses loud noises for scares and speed bumps for suspense. If James Wan built this house of horror with care, Chaves has turned it into a carnival ride running out of batteries.

Who in their right mind thought that hey let's give the guy who delivered 3 trashes in a row another story to butcher? Perfect for a franchise closer.

Sure, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga do their best, as always. Their chemistry still works, but they can't carry a whole movie on their backs. A "heartfelt farewell" means nothing when the movie itself can't even scare a nervous teenager in a dark theater.

"This film is easily skippable. It has only one scene that's good at best, and even that feels like an accident in an otherwise poorly directed production. The rest is just over two hours of mind-numbing boredom, dragged down by sluggish pacing and characters you won't care about. It's just plain bad, not 'so bad it's good' funny, and for a movie trying to be a thriller, it is absolutely NOT SCARY!"

The movie has a slow build-up but lacks interest in developing the story of the demon, or it had a rushed ending with a lot of questions not being answered. As the movie has a few sequels, we expect more as an audience. For me, The Conjuring 2 is still the best, with a perfect build-up and living up to the characters. It was a shame to see such a good story turn into another "fast food" movie.

Would Say the movie was quite Okay. I was there to get scared but instead it was all goosebumps due to the Prayers being told by Ed Warren. The story was fine, some peak moments also exist. Best thing was the climax where they pulled out a GOTG vol.1. Overall the point is I enjoyed the Movie. A nice end to the franchise.

Let's get one thing straight: technically this movie works. If you want a night of pure scares, if you want to be shaken, frozen in your seat, and jump at every shadow on the way home.. this movie delivers. In 4DX, people were literally walking out disheveled, laughing nervously about how they "almost died." The atmosphere is there. The sound design is oppressive. The possession sequences are cold and terrifying. For raw horror execution, this is still the best franchise of the decade.

And that's exactly why the disappointment stings so much. Because when you peel back the scares, the story is garbage.

Last Rites was marketed as the Smurl case, which in real paranormal lore is one of the nastiest, longest, most infamous hauntings ever tied to the Warrens. This could have been the darkest Conjuring yet. Instead, the Smurls are basically window dressing. Their nightmare is pushed into the background so the script can revolve around... a haunted mirror. Yes, a mirror. The entire plot boils down to Ed, Lorraine, and Judy Warren holding hands in front of some cursed glass.

The result? We don't get The Smurl Haunting. We get Warren Family Values.

Fans wanted horror first, casefile first. What we got was a forced farewell story, sentimental, glossy, more about "love conquers all" than the true nightmare they promised. And that's frustrating, because the film had the perfect chance to go bold. Imagine a version where the Warrens are finally out of their depth, forced to admit they can't control what's happening. Imagine a film that actually leans into their controversial legacy instead of polishing it. That would have been a legendary ending. Instead, we get a Hallmark conclusion with some jumpscares.

Ed and Lorraine are treated once again as untouchable heroes, which is laughable when you know the real history behind them. The studio has turned two very questionable figures into horror superheroes, and by film four it feels like we're just watching brand management instead of a story.

So here's the bottom line: yes, it's scary. Yes, it's better than 90% of horror in 2025. But if you came for the plot, if you were hoping the infamous Smurl case would finally be given the full terrifying treatment, you'll leave frustrated. The Conjuring started as top-tier horror storytelling. Last Rites ends it as just another franchise movie, big on chills, empty on substance.

We wanted fear rooted in a real case. We got a haunted mirror and a love story.