The Conjuring: Last Rites

The Conjuring: Last Rites is not the best film in the franchise. That distinction still belongs to James Wan's 2013 original. But Last Rites might be the most emotionally satisfying entry since that first film, because it does something very few Hollywood franchises attempt anymore: it tells a story about faith that takes faith seriously. Not as a metaphor. Not as a coping mechanism. Faith as real, powerful, and necessary for survival.

The film picks up the Warren story in two timelines. The 1964 prologue shows Lorraine collapsing during an investigation, going into labor, delivering a stillborn baby, and praying the baby back to life. The rules are established immediately: evil is real, God is real, and the boundary between them is where this family lives.

Twenty-two years later, the Smurl family is terrorized by three entities connected to an antique mirror. The Warrens have retired due to Ed's worsening heart condition. Their daughter Judy, who inherited Lorraine's psychic abilities, discovers the case and pulls her reluctant parents back into the fight.

Vera Farmiga is the soul of these films. Her Lorraine radiates warmth, conviction, and quiet steel. Patrick Wilson adds vulnerability: Ed is aging, his body failing. When he suffers a cardiac episode during the climactic exorcism, Wilson plays it with the helplessness of a man discovering he is not the strong one anymore. Mia Tomlinson brings fresh energy as adult Judy Warren.

The climax earns the film its place in the franchise. The demon possesses Judy and attempts to hang her. Ed collapses. Lorraine is attacked. Everything seems lost. Then Lorraine tells Judy to embrace her abilities instead of suppressing them. Together, the Warren women recite the Prayer to Saint Michael and destroy the demonic mirror. The demon is defeated by faith. By prayer. By a mother and daughter fighting together.

When was the last time a major studio release presented the Prayer to Saint Michael as a literal weapon against evil? When was the last time a $55 million genre film climaxed with characters praying and having their prayers answered?

Chaves is a serviceable director, not a visionary one. The scare sequences are competent but predictable. The Smurls never become as vivid as the Perrons. At 135 minutes, the film is 15 minutes too long. The 58% on Rotten Tomatoes reflects these issues honestly.

But for conservative audiences, the unevenness matters less than the conviction. This is a mainstream Hollywood film that presents Christianity as true, prayer as powerful, and family as the ultimate defense against evil. $499 million worldwide against $55 million is the highest-grossing entry in the franchise. Audiences showed up. They want this. Hollywood should be paying attention.

Trope	Category	Location	Authenticity
Female Empowerment Framing	WOKE	Judy's arc - takes initiative when parents retire, drives plot forward	Borderline woke, framed as spiritual calling not feminist liberation
Recast for Representation	WOKE	Casting - Judy recast with biracial actress Mia Tomlinson	Practical casting decision, performance justifies it completely
Prayer as Power	TRADITIONAL	Prologue and climax - prayer revives stillborn baby, Prayer to Saint Michael destroys demon	Consistent with franchise and Catholic demonology
Family as Fortress	TRADITIONAL	Throughout - Warren family structure is both emotional support and tactical weapon	Faithful to the real Warrens' public presentation
Marriage as Sacred Bond	TRADITIONAL	Throughout - Ed and Lorraine's marriage is the franchise's emotional foundation	Faithful to the real Warrens, married 61 years
Good vs. Evil (No Moral Ambiguity)	TRADITIONAL	Throughout - demon is evil, Warrens are good, no gray area	Consistent with franchise and Catholic worldview
Self-Sacrifice / Putting Others First	TRADITIONAL	Multiple scenes - Ed risks health, Lorraine faces terror, Father Gordon dies investigating	Faithful to established character dynamics
Generational Legacy	TRADITIONAL	Judy's arc - Lorraine tells daughter to embrace inherited gifts, torch passes	Real Judy Warren took over Warrens' work
Community of Faith	TRADITIONAL	Father Gordon's arc, exorcism sequences - Catholic tradition as living resource	Consistent with real Warrens' Catholic practice
Franchise Legacy Celebration	TRADITIONAL	Wedding coda - characters from all previous Conjuring films appear as wedding guests	Creative choice, real Tony Spera and Judy Warren cameo
Retirement and Rest	TRADITIONAL	Opening and coda - Warrens have retired, final image is Lorraine's vision of peace	Faithful to Warrens' later years