Well, it has been a year for horror movies. First, Sinners? Follow that up with Weapons? What an incredible run, and it’s not even October yet! (Yes, I reviewed both of those. Yes, you should click the links and check out my thoughts.)
But for the average horror-movie fan, no brand hits as hard as The Conjuring. After all, the first one revived the horror genre. (I’ve got some thoughts on that in an upcoming post. I also reviewed the first 3 Conjuring movies altogether in a post last year.) The sequels and spin-offs have dominated the box office. And with The Conjuring: Last Rites, they promised a fitting and final stop for Ed and Lorraine Warren.
Admittedly, I had high expectations going in, but I tried to temper those. After all, despite the success, The Conjuring is still another jump scare franchise. That’s their bread-and-butter. For me, it won’t ever be as good as Weapons or Sinners, which are more plot-oriented and suspense-building. I do love a good jump scare!
Unfortunately, this movie… Well, let’s get into it.
Good
Let’s start with the good.
Initially, there are some really great scenes. A few of the jump scares are effective, and the character-building is really well-done. This series (not including Annabelle or The Nun spinoffs; puke!!) always does a great job at the first half of their movies. Even Conjuring 3, which I just rewatched, builds up the family dynamic incredibly well. This movie is no different.
Apart from the jump scares sprinkled throughout the first half, there’s one great cinematic shot. The family dynamic is still present, and they build up the daughter’s storyline and character like an expert writer. Sure, she’s been in the movies before, but this movie really banks on her character in a new way. And that’s a good thing!
My biggest plus from this movie is Judy Warren’s character. The daughter is well-written, well-acted, and I love the dynamic between her and her mother. (Shameless plug: It reminds me of my own series, starting with The Misery House, and Kaia Woods–Naomi Woods. If you know, you know.)
Welp. That’s all I got. Let’s really get into it now. I’ll get my knives out. (Excited for that Knives Out 3 movie coming, am I right?)
Bad
A few things I won’t pick on or detract points for: 1) The insistence that each movie is “the most terrifying case of the Warren’s career.” Alright, fine. 2) The missing “it factor” that the first 3 movies have. It’s hard to explain. And 3) The convoluted, messy action scene at the end. Moving on…
My first issue is this movie (and the series at large) has a bad habit of teasing something and then it doesn’t come to any fruition. In this case, it’s Ed Warren’s heart issues, which begin in movie #2, evolve in movie #3, and come to a head here. But that climax is… anticlimactic, despite all the build-up. Because of this, the ending has no weight. There’s no moment where I thought, “Oh my gosh! This character might actually die!” It suffers from the Marvel issue where nobody ever dies, and so nothing ever really matters.
Oh, did I mention there’s on real villain? Big dissapointment there, especially after Conjuring #3 gave us the franchise’s best bad guy.
I have other things to nit-pick (see: the first paragraph of this section), but I want to address my big issue: There’s no thematic connection between this and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. (I just rewatched it. Trust me on this.)
What do I mean? Well, in the 3rd movie, there are some incredible lines, such as “We must be careful how our obsessions are passed to our children.” That absolutely connects with Judy Warren and her mother. It would’ve been an amazing tie-in for this movie, one that’s poigant and impactful, but honestly… There’s no connection! (Or if there is, it gets lost behind a dozen mediocre jump scares.)
This movie fails to feel like an extension of the last one. I don’t have an issue with the plot or marketing, even, but it’s the writing. This needed to feel like a Part 2 to the 3rd movie (being the Part 1.) They had so many good threads to connect and left them hanging.
Overall
I already know what you’re thinking: But… the opening flashback! And I get it. I loved that part of the film. But it fails to connect this movie to the prior one, and that’s really what they needed. (Besides better jump scares, a better villain, and less focus on the family being haunted.)
So yeah. I’ve got issues with it. Overall, it’s not a bad movie, but it’s undoubtedly the worst of the main Conjuring franchise. I’m giving it a 6.7/10.
As for the next one? I’d be fine with an Ed/Lorraine prequel. I’d also be cool with a Judy Warren sequel. But apparently, they’re making a TV show instead, and that’s a major bummer. Oh well. I’ll just watch Weapons again, I guess. And wait patiently for Insidious 6.
David Kummer 