Conjuring: L'heure du jugement

The 9th film in The Conjuring Universe and the intended finale of the saga so far, The Conjuring: Last Rites starts on a rather promising note and even features a strong first half but soon heads downhill after that to finish as another underwhelming chapter in the series. Definitely no match to the first two films but certainly an improvement over the third, this latest entry settles for a lot less than what was up for grabs.

Directed by Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona & The Nun II), the story finds the Warrens taking on one last case that forces them to confront an evil from their past. Chaves never really was the right choice to helm the main stories but he does get some things right before resorting to cheap thrills. The film takes a slow-burn approach that patiently guides us towards the finale that proves to be downright forgettable.

The first two films directed by James Wan had that vintage quality, old-school flair, foreboding atmosphere & effective scares that heightened the experience. This one borrows bit of that for the build-up but fails to capitalise on it later in the story. Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga remain the glue holding this picture together and their warm chemistry helps keep things afloat for the most part but the film needed more on all fronts.

Overall, The Conjuring: Last Rites brings the Ed & Lorraine Warren journey full circle and gives them a proper send-off with its radiant epilogue but for a climactic chapter, it is disappointing without doubt. Add to that, like most instalments in the franchise, the jump scares are bland & predictable, lacking in intensity, and also devoid of the ingredients that made its predecessors stand out. In short, a lacklustre finale of The Conjuring saga.

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.

"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!"

First off, the based on a true story tagline is like that one friend who tells you that he met a extremely good looking girl and that she was extremely down for him the whole night, but in reality, these two just had a coffee and talked about the economy or smth the whole night, maybe she slightly striped her feet upon his knee or something but... that's it.

These film are overly-exaggerated pieces of HALFWAY real events, and I don't mean that by scenario or concept, I also mean that by performance and cinematography. When you look at a film like The Exorcist from 1973, it roughly cuts fast, it is very slow paced for today's standards, the camera holds itself long, not many effects or anything, the whole horror is made by build-up and performances... it's the simple things. Lightning and Sound-Design are top tier and makes you feel unease. Here, we have so much of it, and it still feels flat. Why? Because they don't know how to CREATE and USE tension. It is a tool to boost emotional development of the characters. It is also a tool to increase our feeling of unease for example. And to anyone who says, The Exorcist was the first film and is hella old, they can't just redo that all the time, you don't get the point.

Veronica, a Spanish horror film, made in I believe 2013, falls into this category of great reality-inspired horror. It is terrifying because it doesn't hold or loses its tension, it does neither of that. It just FLYS by, and what we care for, is her psychological well-being and the survival of his brother. We gotta care, and know that THESE characters aren't safe, these films don't play anymore with psychological fears of the human mind that are deeply rooted in our nature. Recently I watched and film from France, Spoorlos, or The Vanishing. Without context, there's a scene where a character lies in an tomb alive. That was scary and made me feel uneasy, it made me sick for minutes. Same with claustrophobic environments, they just want to scare us with LOUDNESS and unexpected things. And that is the main problem.

There are a few scenes where that feeling gets transported, for example when someone looks around and see's a demon in silent darkness, or when someone suddenly starts to throw up glass and blood, these scenes are great, especially the second one catched me, but that is made by the performances of her and everyone standing beside her.

Conjuring's Final isn't bad by any means, but It is so exaggerated in its simplicity of that makes sense. It's not bigger, it's not more intense, it's just overly-more exaggerated in the way it pays-off its scenario. The actual characters, especially the Main Cast, they deliver well and the chemistry of Lorraine and Ed is again what makes this film halfway good. I just think they're chemistry and love is perfect and felt through every scene of these films, especially in this one.

I enjoy it for what It is, but looking back, the first Conjuring was something that still gave you shivers weeks after watching only by thinking about it...

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.