“The Conjuring Last Rites” starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren, was intended to kick off the fall spooky season of horror films, while also being the final chapter in the four film saga.
However, for me this movie failed to kick off this fall season or provide a satisfying close to the series of films. While Wilson and Farmiga’s acting was just as enjoyable as it was in the other films, it’s a shame they didn’t get the grand closure that those who are deep in the horror genre had hoped for.
The movie ran for two hours and 15 minutes.The first hour was great, exactly what fans of the series would expect and hope for from the film. Practical – even if predictable scares, classic horror effects and just enough back story to build suspense. The emotional stakes were also provided in the first hour, to not only the Warren family but also the Perron family, who the movie focuses heavily on as the Warren’s last case.
The second hour of the film jumps the shark, the effects change from practical to CGI, completely breaking the classic poltergeist theme of the movie and distracting the audience from the story itself. The film’s plot also felt weak.There was a structure to the first half that the second half seems to fully abandon, making it feel like the second half of the movie was written hastily and without much thought on the story as a whole. This film felt rushed and thrown together to wrap it up as quickly as possible. This caused, not only myself, but also the entire theater to shift from gasps and hands-over-eyes scared in the first hour to laughter and annoyance in the second.
Lastly, the film closed, giving an end to Wilson and Farmiga’s roles as Ed and Lorain, but keeping the door wide open for Mia Tomlinson and Ben Hardy’s characters (Judy Warren and her fiance Tony Spera) to take over the series. Beating the audience over the head with “passing the torch” type moments.
While the film did pay credit to its previous movies, it started to feel forced. As if this movie knew the scares weren’t there, so it had to remind us of all the scares we once had in the movies that came before. Even the promo and merchandise for this movie starred Annabelle the doll from the previous films, who only makes a few appearances in this film and is not in any way related to the evil they are facing in this closing chapter.
All in all, this not so horrifying horror earns a low two peppers out of five on the spicy scale. A skip for the big screen and only worth the watch for avid Conjuring fans who want to see the way the Warrens story ends. Not the film to toss on with pals to get ready for the spooky season.