Conjuring: The Last Rites — A perfect ending to our beloved horror franchise?

Nothing ruins a few good nights' sleep quite like a solid horror movie—especially when it's based on a true story. That being said, brace yourselves, because we're all about to lose some sleep as director Michael Chaves returns with the ninth and final instalment of The Conjuring Universe franchise to kick off this spooky season.

Our beloved paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, are back for their last adventure to face the greatest nemesis of their careers—this time joined by their supernaturally attuned daughter, Judy.

The movie has made a promising start with the franchise's biggest opening weekend in its debut and has grossed over $244 million worldwide in just five days. Despite the box office success, the bigger question remains: Does this movie live up to the soaring expectations of fans who have grown up watching the Conjuring series evolve?

The story begins in 1964, when the Warrens have just started their work as paranormal investigators, and they come across a mirror in an antiques shop possessed by a demon. After touching the mirror, Lorraine has a vision and suddenly goes into labour. The baby is stillborn but revived after Lorraine's desperate prayers.

The story then jumps to 1986. The Warrens have now retired due to Ed's frail heart condition and are travelling across the country, giving sparsely attended lectures. And the baby we saw earlier has grown up to be their daughter Judy, who has inherited her mother's ability to sense the supernatural. In recent times, her visions have been alarmingly growing stronger, despite her vain attempts to shut them off.

The story moves forward as the Smurls family in Pennsylvania buys the same antique mirror and is terrorised by supernatural forces. All of it is somehow tied to Judy, and her visions occur in pace with the events in Pennsylvania. The Warrens must come together one more time to face the demon that threatens their daughter's life—even though they have no idea how to defeat it.

Despite being a horror movie, it focuses more on the domesticity and familial relationships of the Warrens, which is executed with great finesse. It beautifully captures the dynamic of our favourite couple, now much older and weighed down by their traumatic experiences.

Their love and conviction toward each other bloom in stark contrast to the horror backdrop, and this is exactly what makes Conjuring different from other films of this genre: the chemistry of Ed and Lorraine Warren.

Much of the screen time is also devoted to the development of Judy and her boyfriend Tony's characters, which exposes more of the family dynamics and the struggles the Warrens face in adapting to a normal life rather than one surrounded by horror. This, however, leaves the Smurls family with less screen time to develop their characters, and even in the final encounter, they are almost omitted.

The writers could have erased the Smurls from the plot entirely, and the movie would not have been much affected. That is how distant the Smurls family feels from the main narrative. The Warrens only meet the Smurls in the last half hour of the movie, and the meeting—highly anticipated by the audience—loses its momentum because of the delay.

This sense of delay lingers throughout the entire movie. Even though it has moments that shine, most of the jump scares are drawn out to the point where you know they are coming, which makes them predictable rather than frightening.

The writers were too focused on giving the Warrens a proper ending, and while they have succeeded in doing so, the antagonist and the horror elements fall flat and lack the complexity that defined the previous movies.

What shines through the most is the phenomenal acting by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson. Farmiga portrays every emotion and expression with such finesse and intensity that she is convincing as someone who feels, sees, and understands more than almost anyone around her. Wilson complements her beautifully, grounding the role of Ed with warmth and strength.

Mia Tomlinson, despite being a newcomer, proves herself a perfect fit for the role. She embodies a level of intensity in her emotions similar to Vera Farmiga, making the family chemistry feel visibly strong throughout the movie.

Director Michael Chaves brings some interesting visual changes, as a greater portion of the film is shot with a handheld camera and shallow planes of focus, emphasising its 1980s setting.

Cinematographer Eli Born also makes noteworthy use of low-resolution 1980s-era home videotapes and surveillance devices, helping the director hide hideous images in seemingly mundane compositions and revealing them only when a character studies them closely. This mastery of technique results in a more cinematically pleasing experience for the audience.

Overall, the film focuses more on the characters—specifically the Warrens—and less on the plot itself. While this comes at the cost of narrative depth, it pays off emotionally as it prepares you to say goodbye to our beloved series.

It may not be the strongest entry in the Conjuring saga, nor the scariest, but it delivers a heartfelt farewell. The warmth of familial love, the sense of nostalgia, and the chemistry of Ed and Lorraine Warren remind us why we cared so deeply about these characters in the first place.

The Warrens have grown older. And so have we.