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.”
She is not really a nun. It is a demon, who has assumed the shape of a nun,
to pervert a symbol of Christianity. Everything Valak does is evil, but there
is also good in the “Conjuring Universe.” Eventually, Lorraine Warren will
vanquish Valak at the (absolutely terrifying) end of Conjuring 2. Until
then, Sister Irene will continue battling the demon in the 1950s-set prequels.
Sadly, she will have to face Valak without Father Burke in Michael Chaves’s The
Nun II, which opens tomorrow nationwide.
Of
course, The Nun I set up a sequel, most likely involving “Frenchie,” the
well-meaning lug who saved Sister Irene during the conclusion of the first
film. He has been working his way west from Romania in the four years since, as
has a disturbing rash of clerical suicides and desecrations. As the only still-living
Romanian convent exorcist, Sister Irene is ordered to investigate, whether she
likes it or not, which she doesn’t. However, her new friend, the rebellious
Sister Debra, invites herself along, even though Sister Irene gravely warns the
inexperienced nun that her tenuous faith will be profoundly tested.
The
trail leads to France, where Frenchie now works as a custodian at a religious
but not Church-administered school for girls. The bullied Sophie thinks he is
charming and her mother Kate, one of the school’s teachers, does not
necessarily disagree, but weird things have been happening since he arrived.
Catholic
theologians can probably nitpick The Nun II to death, but it is probably
more respectful of the Church and more thoroughly steeped in its teachings than
just about any horror movies since William Peter Blatty’s first and third Exorcist
films. Frankly, the way it incorporates Catholic rituals in its climax
turns out to be a shockingly rewarding payoff. It also teases an “apostolic”
connection that makes a lot of sense in the Conjuring Universe.
Taissa
Farmiga is terrific as Sister Irene, especially when showing how she draws
strength from her faith. Jonas Bloquet, Anna Popplewell, and Katelyn Rose
Downey really engage viewers’ sympathies as Frenchie, Sophie, and Kate. One of
the things that made the primary Conjuring series so effective were the
family dynamics of both the Warrens and the people they helped. The audience
cares about everyone in those films and Nun II really follows their
example.
