“Mirror, Mirror on the Wall… Is this the one that ends them all?" The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) Review
- Dan Brooks
- 15 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Paranormal investigators, Ed & Lorraine Warren take on their most disturbing case to date. Jack & Janet Smurl and their family, move into a brand new home they've dreamed of, which turned into a nightmare as their home begins to show signs of demonic infestation.
Look, I braved The Conjuring: Last Rites - mainly because I still crave that spine-splitting dread, and hey, Vera and Patrick said their final on-screen “I interrogated a demon” bit might actually stick a landing, so I thought: what the hell, let’s go.
Shout-out sincere respect: they opted for new actors to play younger versions of Ed and Lorraine - no de-aging CGI that looks like your phone snapping selfie while inside a dryer vent. Thank you, casting gurus.
We open in 1964 with a twisted mirror, a near-fatal childbirth, and baby Judy making her cameo with divine resuscitation powers that Hollywood probably needs to patent. Jump ahead twenty-ish years: the Smurl family moves into a new house, and hello casseroles and poltergeists. The Warrens, older and Rioja-fuelled, stumble in as the last dominoes in the supernatural suspect lineup. The 80's vibes are real and I am into it.
What I Liked
All those real-life roots - knowing these events echo something people reportedly lived through? Adds the delicious seasoning to a horror stew.
Not using creepy de-aging CGI. Age spots > pixelated face, always.
As a religious person, the film’s thematic wrestle with “Evil is real - don’t wish it away with Instagram affirmations - hit me in the sternum and stayed for dinner.
What I Didn’t Like
The scares were like that friend who jumps out at you and shrieks “Boo!” - very startly, zero lingering dread. Earlier Conjurings had the nerve to whisper and scream; this one just banged a pot.
The pacing between scares dragged like my attention span during budget planning - tension-building is fine, but I kept checking my watch for cheaper thrill price.
And as the grand finale? Felt like the torch was handed off... then dropped into a fountain.
If you’re the kind of person who reads the “based on real events” attribution and your blood pressure spikes: the Smurl haunting got national headlines, inspired a 1991 TV movie, and even claimed the Pope authorized an exorcism at the time. They say none of 'em made a dime off it - only spiritual muscle memory and maybe a YouTube channel now, because one of the daughters became a paranormal investigator
Financially, this thing didn’t just do well—it performed exorcism-level miracles. Broke franchise opening records, became the biggest horror opening of 2025, and flirted with overtaking It’s opening - not bad for what some say is a "weak wrap-up"
Final Thoughts
This feels like the Last Rites installment the Warrens were destined to have - but loaded with franchise nostalgia and enough jump-scare cannons to set off every alarm bell in your neighborhood.
Rating: 6.8 / 10
Charming enough to revisit, not spine-freezing enough to haunt my dreams.
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