“The Conjuring: Last Rites” ends the franchise in terror

A woman reaches towards a mirror, although she can sense that something evil lies within. In the eerie silence of the room, a whisper of cold air sends chills down her spine. Her finger grazes the mirror, her heartbeat the only sound in the quiet. Suddenly, her body seizes with pain as she is rushed to the hospital in early labor. 

The doctors scramble to save both her own and the child’s life while lightning cracks from the thunderstorm outside. Something else is wrong though, she feels it in her bones. Between heavy pants and strained groans, she realizes she is right. In the corner of the hospital room lies a demon with malevolent intentions, hiding in the shadows, watching.  

Right from the opening scene, “The Conjuring: Last Rites” starts with a bang. As a self proclaimed horror movie expert, I have consumed and enjoyed countless films of the genre, but none have even come close in competition with the love I have for this supernatural universe. 

This specific movie was filled with all the great things of its predecessors— ghostly foreshadowing visions, terrifying history to explain the hauntings, and action packed surprise scares to get your heart racing. 

There were quite a few fundamental differences too, however. “The Conjuring: Last Rites” had jumpscares very frequently, with slightly less anticipation. The film also showed the physical form of the entities more so than usual, as these demons generally selectively make their appearance in entirety. 

Most importantly, the ending, which I won’t spoil of course, exorcised the demon rather unconventionally; although I’ll let you find out for yourself why I say that.

“The Conjuring: Last Rites” was the fourth and final installment in “The Conjuring” film series. The first movie was released in 2013 and over the course of many years to now, the franchise has built such a strong relationship with its viewers. The story created an intricate plotline with continuous underlying lore and developed incredibly lovable characters that fans just don’t have the courage to say goodbye to yet.

Overall, “The Conjuring: Last Rites” was a great ending to this amazing movie series. I would rate it a four out of five, mainly taking that point one off because I’m bitter that it was the final edition. I absolutely recommend this to be your next watch, as long as you don’t get scared easily.