The Conjuring: Last Rites arrives as the fourth mainline Conjuring film and the Warrens’ final marketed case, with early reviews finding a surprisingly emotional farewell wrapped around a familiar supernatural thriller. The first reactions are not uniformly enthusiastic: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, and newcomer Mia Tomlinson receive much of the praise, while the 135-minute runtime, predictable scares, and crowded screenplay draw the sharpest criticism.
What the early reviews are responding to
Directed by Michael Chaves, The Conjuring: Last Rites follows Ed and Lorraine Warren as they confront another haunting while facing problems much closer to home. The story moves between the Warrens’ early family life in 1964 and a case involving the Smurl family in 1986 Pennsylvania. A sinister carved mirror becomes the focus of the haunting, but the film’s larger emotional thread concerns Ed and Lorraine’s health, marriage, and daughter Judy’s growing connection to the supernatural.
![The Conjuring: Last Rites [Blu-ray] [2025]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Bt+v5n7QL._SL160_.jpg)
That split explains much of the early critical response. Some reviewers appreciate the decision to make the Warrens’ family the heart of the finale. Others argue that the movie spends too long moving between the domestic drama and the haunted-house plot before the two strands finally connect.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga remain the film’s anchor
The strongest point of agreement in the first reviews is the chemistry between Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. As Ed and Lorraine, they bring an established warmth and sense of history that the franchise’s more incidental characters cannot easily match. Their performances give the film stakes beyond the mechanics of an exorcism or a jump scare.
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#1 Best Overall
- Runtime: 137 minutes
Early reactions suggest that Last Rites works best when it treats the Warrens as a couple who have spent decades absorbing the consequences of their work. Ed’s declining health and Lorraine’s concern for him add vulnerability to characters who have often functioned as confident guides through other people’s nightmares.
The family focus also shifts attention toward Judy Warren, played by Mia Tomlinson. Several critics identify Tomlinson as a standout and see Judy as a potential bridge to another story in the franchise. Her performance gives the film a younger perspective without completely taking the spotlight away from Wilson and Farmiga.
Does the horror still work?
The answer from the early reviews is mixed rather than dismissive. Supportive notices point to effective set pieces, atmospheric use of darkness, and sequences that make good use of the film’s haunted objects and enclosed spaces. There is also more bloody and violent material than some viewers may expect from the series, consistent with its R rating for bloody violence and terror.
However, the film does not appear to reinvent the franchise’s scare language. Critics who found it less successful describe the jump scares as easy to anticipate and argue that it does not reach the sustained dread of the first two Conjuring films. The difference often comes down to what a viewer wants from a finale: a collection of polished supernatural set pieces or a genuinely unsettling final descent into the unknown.
Rank #2
- Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson
The biggest problem is the pacing
At 2 hours and 15 minutes, Last Rites is a substantial horror film. The early criticism is not simply that it is long, but that the screenplay does not always make the length feel necessary.
The movie takes time to unite the Warrens with the Smurl case, and some reviews mention repeated story beats along the way. The result is a film that can feel divided between two projects:
- a sentimental farewell to Ed and Lorraine Warren;
- a conventional haunted-family story involving the Smurls and the carved mirror.
For viewers invested in the Warrens, the first strand may be the reason to stay with the film. The drawback is that the Smurl family can seem underdeveloped by comparison. Their haunting supplies the plot’s immediate danger, but the Warrens’ personal story frequently receives the greater emotional attention.
A fitting conclusion, but not a bold one
The most favorable reading of the early response is that Last Rites understands what audiences are attached to. It places Ed and Lorraine back at the center, gives their relationship a meaningful emotional send-off, and provides enough effective horror to justify the trip to the theater. For long-term fans, familiarity may feel like continuity rather than a defect.
Rank #3
![The Conjuring / The Conjuring 2 [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Denmark ]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41VkDfu14VL._SL160_.jpg)
- The Conjuring / The Conjuring 2
- The Conjuring / The Conjuring 2
The less generous reading is that the film is too committed to the established formula. Critics have described it as polished but resistant to change: a recognizable Conjuring film rather than a reinvention of the series. The emotional material may compensate for predictable scares, but it does not remove the structural problems created by the overstuffed plot.
That makes the early consensus more nuanced than the phrase “frightful, fitting send-off” might suggest. This is not a case of universal praise. It is a film whose performances and family drama appear to land more consistently than its screenplay or horror mechanics.
What “final” means here
The Conjuring: Last Rites is best described as the final mainline film centered on Ed and Lorraine Warren, not necessarily the end of every project connected to the wider universe. The theatrical franchise also includes the Annabelle and The Nun films, and further related material has continued to be developed.
The early reviews should also be treated as a snapshot. Rotten Tomatoes’ first-review roundup was published on September 3, 2025, before the film’s September 5 North American release. Those reactions are useful for identifying early patterns—particularly the praise for Wilson, Farmiga, and Tomlinson—but they should not be confused with the final aggregate critical scores.
Rank #4
Verdict from the first reactions
The early response points to a franchise farewell that is more heartfelt than frighteningly fresh. Fans of the Warrens are likely to find the emotional closure and central performances worthwhile, while viewers hoping for another genre-defining horror experience may be less satisfied. The film’s strongest assets are its cast, its attention to the Warren family, and several carefully staged scares. Its liabilities are the long runtime, the slow convergence of its storylines, and a formula that rarely surprises.
In short, The Conjuring: Last Rites seems to earn its “send-off” more convincingly than its “last rites”: it gives the Warrens a sincere goodbye, even if the surrounding haunting does not always feel like a major evolution for the series.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.FAQ
Is The Conjuring: Last Rites the final movie in the franchise?
It is the final mainline film centered on Ed and Lorraine Warren as marketed. That wording is more precise than calling it the end of the entire Conjuring universe, which also includes the Annabelle and The Nun films and other developing projects.
What are critics praising in The Conjuring: Last Rites?
Early reviews most often praise Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s chemistry, the emotional focus on the Warrens’ family, Mia Tomlinson’s performance as Judy Warren, and several effective horror set pieces.
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- Runtime: 137 minutes
What are the main criticisms of the film?
The recurring complaints concern the 135-minute runtime, slow pacing, a crowded screenplay, predictable jump scares, and the way the Smurl family can feel less developed than the Warrens.
Is the early review response to The Conjuring: Last Rites universally positive?
No. The first reactions are mixed. Many critics consider it an emotional or suitable farewell, but others find it overlong, formulaic, and less frightening than the earliest mainline films.
The Bottom Line
The Conjuring: Last Rites appears to be a sincere, performance-led conclusion for Ed and Lorraine Warren rather than a radical reinvention of supernatural horror. Early reviews find enough scares and emotional weight to satisfy franchise devotees, but the lengthy, divided storyline and familiar scare tactics keep it from becoming an unqualified triumph.
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