The Conjuring: Last Rites – Has This Horror Saga Finally Glitched Out?
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
The Conjuring: Last Rites attempts to wrap up the beloved horror franchise but, much like a game sequel stuck in its own past, it struggles to find new scares or meaningful stakes for its iconic paranormal investigators, ultimately feeling more like a familiar comfort watch than an epic finale.
Alright, so gather 'round, mates. I've been tinkering with this story about the latest *Conjuring* flick, *Last Rites*, and frankly, it's got me wondering if some long-running game franchises might be looking in the mirror right about now. You know that feeling when a beloved series – maybe one you've sunk hundreds of hours into – announces its grand finale, promising the ultimate showdown, the epic conclusion? And then you load it up, and it feels... well, a bit like a well-rendered cutscene from a game you've already played a dozen times? Yeah, that's the vibe I'm getting here.
The *Conjuring* films, bless their cotton socks, have carved out a fascinating niche in the horror landscape. Polygon's review rightly points out they've become a sort of 'comfort watch' for horror fans. Now, 'comfort' and 'horror' aren't words you usually find snuggled up together like a pair of digital ghouls in a haunted mansion, are they? But it's true! These aren't your splatter-gore, 'how many ways can we dismember a teenager' kind of flicks. They're R-rated for pure, unadulterated terror, which is an impressive feat, almost like a game that manages to scare the pants off you with atmosphere alone, without resorting to quick-time events involving severed limbs.
The genius, and perhaps also the Achilles' heel, of the series has always been the real-life (albeit highly dramatized) paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, played with an admirable conviction by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. They're the steadfast, wholesome heroes, a bit like the unwavering paladin and insightful mage you'd always want in your party when delving into a cursed dungeon. They never invite sympathy for the ghouls, which is a solid design choice, mind you. But this admirable consistency, as the original review highlights, leads to *Last Rites* feeling, well, a little flat. And despite the marketing department probably whispering 'THIS IS IT! THE MOST HARROWING CASE YET!' into a crystal ball, the stakes don't actually feel all that high.
Here's where my wizardly skepticism really kicks in. They reckon this is the big send-off, the final boss battle of the *Conjuring* universe. But then you hear the setup, and bloody hell, it sounds suspiciously like they just re-skinned the very first *Conjuring* game – I mean, movie – from back in 2013. We're welcomed into another loving, bustling home, enough family members to form a small raiding guild, all vexed by standard unsettling noises and images. Director Michael Chaves, who's been at the helm for a few of these now, even pulls out the same winding, unbroken shot to tour the premises that James Wan used in the original. It's like a developer reusing an asset pack and hoping we won't notice. Mate, we notice.
Then there's the Warrens themselves. It's 1986, they've supposedly retired from direct demonic intervention (a bit like your character hitting max level and getting bored with the grind), and they've got their own personal side quests going on. Ed's got health problems (debuffs, perhaps?), Lorraine fears exposing her daughter Judy to the family's inherited visions, and Ed's fretting over Judy's quick engagement. For a while, the review suggests, it plays out like a 'clashing-with-the-in-laws comedy, minus the jokes.' I'm calling that 'Meet the Exorcists: The Rom-Com DLC nobody asked for.' Eventually, though, the main questline pulls them back into another family's spooky predicament several states away. And that, fair dinkum, is all there is to it. Another oversized family, another rescue mission via frankly underdramatized means.
Now, don't get me wrong, Chaves has clearly gotten plenty of practice in the art of the jump scare, and the film does assemble some strong sequences. A haunted mirror, for instance – not as iconic as, say, Annabelle the demon doll (who, naturally, gets a little cameo, because why not throw in some fan service?), but it makes for some neat visual tricks. Imagine a room of infinite mirrors, reflecting endless possibilities for a darker, more corrupted version of yourself to appear. Technically, that's a pretty sweet environmental puzzle. But then you hear about the climax involving lugging the 'damn thing' (the mirror) from an unfinished attic, through the house, while avoiding some of the 'least convincing, overly shiny CG pools of blood ever featured in a big-budget horror movie.' Oh, the humanity! It's like having cutting-edge ray-tracing on your character models but the blood splatter effects look like they're from a PS2 game.
The review makes a really astute point: *The Conjuring: Last Rites* is 'effective enough as a scare machine.' But the most efficient scare machines don't tend to run for 135 minutes. That's nearly two and a quarter hours! For a series that seems to be in its retirement phase, that's a bloody long time to be staring at static character development. The Warrens are depicted as stalwart superheroes, always ready for 'another adventure,' almost like an NPC giving you a repeatable daily quest. There are hints of weakness, yes – Lorraine's protectiveness, Ed's mortality – but ultimately, the movie never truly feels like much is at stake. The idea that the *series* might end is more believable than the notion that Ed and Lorraine might actually undergo a life-changing experience.
And this, to me, is where the franchise, much like some gaming IPs, perhaps loses its way. When your heroes become untouchable, when their arcs are complete, and nothing truly challenges their core existence, the narrative engine starts to sputter. Compare it to something like the *Insidious* series, which also originated with James Wan and Patrick Wilson. That franchise, while equally steeped in the paranormal, actually dug a bit deeper into its characters and world. It wasn't afraid to put its protagonists through the wringer, to explore the consequences of their actions in a way that truly impacted them.
*The Conjuring* movies, on the other hand, seem consciously designed for those 'comfort-watch' vibes. And hey, I'm not here to begrudge anyone a well-made (if frustratingly drawn-out) sequel that offers a few satisfying shivers. Sometimes you just want to log into a familiar world, run a familiar dungeon, and know you'll come out victorious. But if *Last Rites* truly is the final chapter, then maybe it's for the best. The gentler rhythms of retirement, as the original piece suggests, fit these movies almost *too* easily. And while consistency can be admirable, in a world of infinite possibilities and endless innovation, sometimes you need to break the mold, or risk your grand finale feeling like just another day at the office. Here's hoping the next big horror IP remembers to keep us on the edge of our seats, not just gently tucked into them.
Tags: Horror Movies, Franchise Fatigue, Movie Review, Gaming Industry, Sequels
Original article: Polygon