“The Conjuring: Last Rites” closes out the Warrens’ franchise with a grim, haunted finale that leans on real history for its spine. Directed by Michael Chaves and co-written by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, the film follows Ed and Lorraine Warren’s final investigation as they chase a mirror tied to the Smurl haunting. It is a story built on the true case, and it plays that truth straight through its darkest turns.
Trailer, via Warner Bros..
The Smurl Family and Their Mirror
The film opens in 1964, when Lorraine Warren collapses during a vision of an entity, loses her unborn child, and prays it back to life as Judy. Twenty-two years later, the Smurl family moves to West Pittston, Pennsylvania, and brings with them the antique mirror that started it all. Jack and Janet Smurl live with their four daughters — Dawn, Heather, twins Carin and Shannon — and their dog, Simon. John gifts Heather the mirror for her confirmation ceremony, and shortly after, a kitchen ceiling light crashes down, narrowly missing her.
The Warrens’ Retirement and Judy’s Gift
Ed Warren’s heart condition forces the couple to step back from investigations, though they keep lecturing. Judy, meanwhile, grows increasingly sensitive to psychic visions, and she panics at dinner. Lorraine calms her with a childhood rhyme about shutting oneself off from the supernatural. Dawn and Heather try to get rid of the mirror, but the spirits of an elderly woman, a younger woman, and an axe-wielding man keep returning.
Father Gordon’s Search for Help
Unable to reach the Warrens, Father Gordon seeks the Diocese of Scranton. The demon attacks him there and drives him to suicide. At his funeral, Judy learns from a vision that he died while investigating the Smurls. She secretly travels to Pennsylvania to look into the case on her own.
A Cast That Holds the Weight
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga anchor the picture as Ed and Lorraine, reprising roles they have carried across nine films. Mia Tomlinson plays Judy, while Ben Hardy appears as Tony Spera, her boyfriend and eventual husband. Rebecca Calder and Elliot Cowan play Janet and Jack Smurl, and the supporting Smurl daughters — Kíla Lord Cassidy as Heather, Beau Gadsdon as Dawn, Molly Cartwright as Shannon, and Tilly Walker as Carin — round out the family’s terror.
Steve Coulter plays Father Gordon, and Peter Wight and Kate Fahy appear as Grandpa and Grandma Smurl. John Brotherton is Brad Hamilton, Paula Lindblom is Victoria Grainger, Leigh Jones is Abner, and Grace Kemp is Nellie. The real Tony Spera and Judy Warren make cameo appearances at Ed’s birthday party.
Cameos From Across the Franchise
Lili Taylor and Mackenzie Foy return as Carolyn and Cindy Perron from the first film. Frances O’Connor and Madison Wolfe return as Peggy and Janet Hodgson from the second. Julian Hilliard returns as David Glatzel from the third. James Wan makes a cameo as well, joining Natalia Safran, whose husband Peter Safran owns the Safran Company, as guests at Judy’s wedding.
The Real Case Behind the Film
The Smurl haunting is a documented case, and the film leans on it heavily. The antique mirror, the family’s terror, and the spirit attacks all trace back to the real investigation. This grounding in reality gives the film a weight that purely fictional horrors often lack, even when the scares grow loud.
What Works and What Doesn’t
The film’s strengths rest on its cast and its historical foundation. Wilson and Farmiga deliver the quiet dread that defines their partnership, and Tomlinson holds her own as Judy. The Smurl family’s terror is genuinely unsettling, especially when the spirits target the children.
Where the film stumbles is in pacing. At 136 minutes, it runs long, and some stretches drag as the Warrens watch from afar rather than engage directly. The middle section, where Judy investigates on her own, loses momentum compared to the opening chapters.
The Final Stretch
The climax brings the Warrens back into the fight, and the film earns its ending by tying together Judy’s visions with Father Gordon’s fate. The payoff lands because the setup has been honest, even when the execution stalls.
By the Numbers
- True Case: The film draws directly from the Smurl haunting, giving its horrors a documentary weight.
- Lead Performances: Wilson and Farmiga anchor the picture with their usual quiet menace.
- Supporting Cast: The Smurl family, led by Tomlinson and Hardy, delivers genuine fear.
- Pacing: The middle section drags, stretching the runtime beyond what the story needs.
- Cameos: The franchise callbacks add warmth but occasionally break the tension.
A Mixed But Honest Close
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” is not the best film in the series, but it is a fitting end to it. It respects the Warrens’ legacy by making their final case about loss, prayer, and the limits of human intervention. The scares are real, the cast is strong, and the ending earns its weight.
Score: 5.4 of 10.
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