The Conjuring: Last Rites
Synopsis via Letterboxd:
THE CASE THAT ENDED IT ALL.
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren take on one last terrifying case involving mysterious entities they must confront.
My relationship with the Conjuring movies is complicated. First off this series allowed me to ease my kids into the horror genre that we, now that they’re all grown, have continued to regularly enjoy as a family—not only with reckless abandoned but in much more visceral and messy forms. Also though—to get it out of the way—I have always been up front about my overly developed ability to suspend disbelief in order to enjoy something. This is an absolutely necessary part of watching these movies for anyone who knows how horribly abusive, exploitative, and full of shit the Warrens actually were. I am, after all, a rational, science brained atheist and this ability allows me to enjoy things that I would otherwise find ridiculous and stupid.
With that being said, for the most part, I have always enjoyed these movies for what they are—one or two of them not withstanding. Likewise, I enjoyed this one for what it is, but I really do feel a much larger part of the series mythology got left on the cutting room floor. I felt like Valek was behind ever toothy smile, or hiding behind the thing that sat waiting in all the dark corners.
Even if I could accept Valek’s permanent banishment back to hell at the end of The Conjuring 2, I don’t buy the demon in this film being an unknown entity with no real overarching purpose. There are numerous lines of dialogue in this movie, as well as visual cues, that seem to be very intentionally implying something much larger is happening—only for the whole affair to fizzle out because of—family, I guess.
Again, there are definitely some excellent moments here—but they seem to either be echos of the ones from greater, previous entries or the phantom expressions of narrative devices that were—excuse the pun—exercised from a better concept or script.
Also, personally, the final coda is far too kind to Ed and Lorraine and really does a disservice to those victimized and taken advantage of by these charlatans.
Not a bad film, I just expected a much more robust mythological reveal for such a definitive swan song, than a magic mirror with the zoomies. Flanagan did it so much better in Oculus.
