Farewell, The Conjuring: Last Rites Marks the End of an Era
The Conjuring: Last Rites feels like it’s finally ending this part of the series. It’s saying goodbye to a franchise that loves creepy and old-fashioned scares. Things like swing sets that moves on their own, floors that creak, toys that turn on by themselves and doorknobs that rattle. Looks like it’s time to close the door on this chapter.
Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson came back to play as Ed and Lorraine Warren, who were the real-life paranormal investigators. In this story they were faced with a kind of evil they never encountered before. Set in the suburbs of Pennsylvania 1986.
The movie called “Last Rites” is part of the same universe as “The Nun” and “Annabelle.” It has a pretty decent ending. It was a personal story about the Warrens and their daughter, Judy, with a new paranormal problem that makes a family freak out. It ends on a hopeful note love and family, and even a wedding But before that, demons creepy noises.
The writers David Leslie Johnson McGoldrick, along with Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing worked with director, Michael Chaves to create what the series is known for. A Sweet family filled with laughter combined with bloody surprises.
This time the an evil item is a big wooden mirror with carvings of three kids. It’s given as a gift during a girl’s confirmation. And surprise, it’s haunted. The mirror causes family members to float, yanks phone cords, and make dolls even more terrifying.
The movie is set in the 1980s, it’s filled with music from that time. Howard Jones and David Bowie, the Cult and even some jokes about the Ghostbusters movie. You also see big shoulder pads, clip-on ties and huge glasses, just like in that era.
The story starts in 1964, with a young Ed and Lorraine Warren investigating that haunted mirror. But then Lorraine, who’s pregnant, goes to labor when her water breaks, and their daughter Judy is born.
Fast forward to the 1980s, and Ed and Lorraine had decided to stop ghost-hunting. Since Ed seemed to have suffered from a heart attack. Their daughter Judy, played by Mia Tomlinson, seemed to have inherited her parent’s gift of sensing evil. She even has a boyfriend, but Ed warns him, “Our family is not like other families.”
This gives the movie a chance to make a wedding dress shopping scene pretty spooky, and maybe a little blood in the sink too. The series had always taken ordinary things and made them terrifying, but maybe it’s gone a bit too far now, especially with that possessed waterbed last time.
Earlier a character’s death, seemed to have connected the Warrens to the family with the haunted mirror. Ed says ominously, “It found us.”
There’s too much reliance on thunderstorms, quick flashes of monsters grinning, and a slow build to the big battle. That drags in parts, how many music boxes do we really need to watch turn...? And Ed Warren with all his experience, probably should know the right prayers to banish demons by now.
Still, you can’t help but give Ed and Lorraine Warren credit. When so many horror movies now focus on politics, race, or over-the-top violence, they’ve always loved the simple creepy stuff, creaking floors,ticking clocks and shadows in the dark. It’s time to say goodbye but also to celebrate this husband and wife team and their haunted basement.
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