Now Showing | The Conjuring: Last Rites

Saying Goodbye to the Warrens?

We're taking a final trip into the world of Ed and Lorraine Warren with The Conjuring: Last Rites in this brand new episode of our Now Showing series.

Check out our Lead Up series on YouTube covering The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, as we led up (you get it, right?) to this movie discussion and just like The Conjuring: Last Rites, our mainline Conjuring Universe watch wraps up.

The Warrens’ Farewell

The emotional core of Last Rites lands exactly where it needs to. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have been the on-screen heart of this franchise for over a decade, and this installment gives them the earned conclusion they deserve. The film leans hard into their relationship, framing this as the Warrens’ last case, and in that respect, it delivers a satisfying close to their story.

The Missing Haunt

Where Last Rites stumbles is everywhere outside the Warrens’ orbit. The family at the center of the haunting, The Smurls, feels thinly drawn. The scares lack the inventive punch of The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2, and the demon itself fades into the background rather than looming as a true presence. The focus on the Warrens works emotionally but comes at the expense of the horror, making the film feel smaller than its premise.

The Future of The Conjuring Universe

Of course, this isn’t just the end of the Warrens, it’s potentially a turning point for the entire Conjuring Universe. We speculate about where things might go from here:

• Will daughter, Judy, and future son-in-law, Tony, step into the spotlight?

• Are we due for more spinoffs (The Nun 3? The Crooked Man revived?)

• We could see a movie about Young Ed and Lorraine in the 60s?

• Or will Warner Bros. craft a standalone case that feels fresh without relying on the Warrens’ presence?

  
  

Whatever comes next, Last Rites serves as a fascinating bookend to the Warrens’ story, one that longtime fans will appreciate, even if the scares don’t match the series’ earlier highs.

Listen to our full breakdown of The Conjuring: Last Rites wherever you get your podcasts, or watch it on YouTube.