The Conjuring: The Last Rites gives the chills and a satisfying conclusion to the solo Conjuring films! The movie’s director is Michael Chaves who previously directed the third entry into the series, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021). The story is by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick who also had story and screenplay duties on the third Conjuring movie. Producer and director of the first Conjuring film, James Wan, also gets story credit. The screenplay is by Johnson-McGoldrick, Ian Goldberg, who wrote the screenplay for the Conjuring Universe film, The Nun II (2023), and also Richard Naing is part of the writing group and also worked on the second movie of The Nun. This covers the very beginning of the paranormal investigations by Ed and Lorraine Warren in 1962.
This was followed by the first Conjuring (2013) movie by their case involving Annabelle. Then, the case with the Perons in 1971. Next, The Conjuring 2 (2018) opens in 1975 with the Warrens investigating the Amitville murders that raised their profile. It introduced The Nun and focused on the Enfield poltergeist in London, 1977. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) is set in 1981 with the first demonic possession trial that involved Arne Johnson. It is 1964, Young Ed (Orion Smith) and Young Lorraine (Madison Lawlor), how is pregnant, are meeting with a woman at an antique shop. Lorraine. She mentions that her grandfather at the shop was hearing voices. The woman had stopped by the shop and finds her grandfather has died, hanging himself!
She continues, “Something changed, I could feel it.” Chills started running through me here. Ed and Lorraine turn to the store room. Lorraine reassures Ed and then walks into the dark room. She walks past dolls and masks. Several clocks tick and then one clock strikes the hour and everything goes quiet! Lorraine walks up to a covered object and pulls off the white sheet. It is an antique long mirror with carvings of three babies at the top. Lorraine introduces herself and she is told by a voice, “I feed on your fear”! She reaches out with her fingertip and the mirror cracks. Lorraine sees a demonic reflection of herself, fearful images and then her baby going into labor! Ed races with Lorraine in his car through the rain. They reach the OB emergency room, it is a difficult birth with blood on Lorraine’s belly, the doctor encourages her to push.
Then, the lights go out. Lorraine looks over the doctor to the darkness in the hall. Lorraine gives birth, but there is a problem with the baby. She screams to hold her baby and repeats, “Please, bring her back.” The baby starts to cough and then cry. The nurse asks about the baby’s name and Lorraine says, “Judy Warren.” I love the sinister mixed with the hope of a birth. A similar scene was in the supernatural horror movie, The Seventh Sign (1988). Then, we get home movies of Judy growing up, taking her first steps and riding a merry-go-round with her mother, now played by Vera Farmiga, and father with Patrick Wilson back as Ed Warren. Vera Farmiga returns as Lorraine Warren and last appeared as the character in The Nun. Wilson also appeared in that film and also returned for another franchise film, Insidious: The Red Door (2023) which he also directed.
As a young girl, Judy goes up crying to her mother and tells her that she can’t make the terrifying visions go away. Lorraine has her calm, face to face, reciting a nursery rhyme, “Lucky Locket” from 1842. This calms Judy and runs through the movie with her focus on the story. We move then to 1986. We see the suburbs of West Pittston, Pennyslvania. Then, to the house of the Smurl family, a large family of eight, with the young girls running around, twins Carin (Tilly Walker) and Shannon (Molly Cartwright). Walker was in the sci fi show, Neuromancer. The is the first film for Cartwright. There is the grandfather, John (Peter Wright) comfortable in his lounge chair in the chaos. Also there is the grandmother, Mary (Kate Fahy). Sisters, Heather (Kila Lord Cassidy) and Dawn (Beau Gadson) arguing while entering the kitchen. Cassidy played Anna O’Donnell in the thriller, The Wonder (2022). Gadson played Young Princess Margaret in the drama show, The Crown.
Then, we have the mother, Janet (Rebecca Calder) at the center of the family. Calder was Mrs. Adam in the horror movie, The Cursed (2021). The father, Jack (Elliot Cowan), enters the house after driving up from work. Cowan played Lewis Pirenne in the sci fi series, Foundation, adapting Isaac Asimov works. Lastly, is their dog, Simon. Heather is worried about getting her hair ready for her confirmation. Her mother, Janet, of course calms her down and helps with Heather’s hair. At the confirmation, Jack is busy using his video camera to record Heather. The Smurls are a regular large family with activity going on, but a strong family unit. Later, at Heather’s birthday party, she is shown her present, a mirror that Grandpa got at a swap meet. This is the antique mirror with Warrens complete with the tiny crack made by Lorraine! The evil is not destroyed and is ready to take more innocents!
A cake is brought out and Heather is about to blow out the candles, but they snuff out before she can do so. The lights go out and a ceiling light falls knocking over Heather and giving her a cut to the head! There is text explaining that the Warrens have retired. This was after a heart attack, Ed suffered in 1981, with the events of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021). It is stated that this was the last case of TheWarrens. This moves to a church where the Warrens are giving a lecture about the supernatural. The audience scoffs comparing them to Ghostbusters. A students asks Ed why they retired. Lorraine answers that they are still making presentations and planning on writing a book. Later, at a restaurant, they discuss the lecture with Judy (Mia Tomlinson) now an adult. Thomlinson played Anne Bonny in The Lost Pirate Kingdom (2021) documentary series. She brings up the heart attack that had her parents stop their investigations. Ed is busy talking with the waiter. Lorraine notices Judy silently whispering the “Lucky Locket” rhyme!
Five Antique Mirrors out of Five!
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