The Conjuring: Last Rites

It wasn't as famous as the “Amityville Horror,” maybe because the “Smurl Haunting” doesn’t quite have the same ring. However, it still generated a 1991 TV-movie and a book by Ed and Lorraine Warren. They definitely considered it one of their major cases, so it makes a fitting conclusion to the Conjuring film series—but fear not, the “Conjuring Universe” should continue without them. Ominously, this time around, the demon in question seems to have a personal connection to the Warren family in Michael Chaves’s The Conjuring: Last Rites, which opens today in theaters.

In 1986, three generations of the Smurl family lived in their blue-collar suburban home, along with their new housemate, a demon. As a confirmation gift, Grandpa Smurl bought his granddaughter the most evil-looking mirror you could ever imagine. Obviously, that was a profound mistake. While the local diocese is ill-equipped to help the Smurls, the Warrens’ family friend, Father Gordon, understands the peril of their situation, but the demon gets to him before he can rouse the Church bureaucracy.

However, the Warrens’ grown daughter Judy traces the good Father’s final steps back to the Smurls. Ed and Lorraine had retired from paranormal field work, because of his heart condition. However, when they see the “black mirror,” they understand this case is personal. They previously encountered it in the prologue, which was the only case they walked away from out of fear.

The real-life Warrens were divisive figures, even among paranormal believers. Frankly, viewers should really just consider them original characters to the Conjuring Universe, because Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga portray them with such appealing earnestness. These films also position them as spouses and parents first and exorcists second, which is why the audience emotionally invests in them so easily.

Chaves previously helmed The Nun II and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It in the Conjuring Universe, so he has a clear affinity for the characters and the franchise’s more subtle approach to horror. Like its predecessors, Last Rites transforms everyday objects into sinister tools of the demonic. It is a slow build, but the mounting sense of dread is incredibly potent.

Despite their unfortunate name, the Smurls are a convincingly realistic family, who do not look like actors trying to dress down. The Conjuring films are always about families helping families, but that is especially true of Last Rites. As usual, the Warrens devote considerable time to consoling the distressed Smurls. It is not just their natural compassion. It is also part of a conscious strategy to disrupt what the Warrens identify as the second of the three stages of demonic activity: “infestation, oppression, and possession.”

At this point, Farmiga and Wilson are instantly welcoming and reassuring as the Warrens. They share a winning rapport together that is extended to Mia Tomlinson and Ben Hardy as Judy and her fiancé, Tony Spera, an ex-cop (which gives the film further Middle America cred). Notably, Steve Coulter also makes a very welcome return as Father Gordon, who still stands out for his humane compassion. Yet, it is hard to overstate how much Rebecca Calder and Elliot Cowan contribute as the Smurls, because they truly look like regular people, who are totally terrified and completely exhausted.

Ironically, some of the most family-friendly and Catholic-based films in recent years have also been eerily frightening horror movies. Fans should be reassured that Last Rites is a worthy conclusion to the Warrens’ arc of the Conjuring Universe. Very highly recommended for horror fans and adventurous Catholics, The Conjuring: Last Rites opens today (9/5) in theaters, including the AMC Lincoln Square in New York.