“The Conjuring: Last Rites”: the death of a franchise
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren come out of retirement for one last case: One that has been following them since the birth of their daughter, Judy. A Pennsylvanian family calls for help when a Confirmation gift turns their house into a hellscape, and Judy, now all grown up, answers the call. The investigation that ensues reminds Ed and Lorraine that the past doesn’t always stay dead.
“The Conjuring: Last Rites”, the fourth and apparently final film in the franchise, currently stands at a 6.5 out of ten star rating on IMDb and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 57 percent. While not horrible, these scores underperform next to those of the movie’s predecessor; the first Conjuring film got a 7.5 on IMDb and an 86 percent Rotten Tomatoes score. Of course, there are a million possible reasons why audiences preferred the older to the new, but there are a select few that stick out when looking at the film as a whole.
The overuse of stereotypical scare tactics was perhaps the most glaringly obvious. The production team decided to go heavier on the jumpscares than they had in the rest of the series. Unfortunately, making the audience flinch doesn’t make them rate the movie any higher, especially when the scares in question don’t add to the plot or its characters.
In the other “Conjuring” movies, every horror aspect contributes to the overall storyline. Details from Lorraine’s visions combine with the supernatural occurrences they face to create a coherent reason for the haunting. However, in “Last Rites” the phantasms Lorraine sees end up having little to do with what is happening at the Pennsylvania residence. The crawling disembodied hands and gory scenes that flash across the screen are startling, sure, but they never amount to anything of actual plot importance. In the end, they’re just another promise left unfulfilled, a loose end that the audience is meant to shrug off or forget about.
Meanwhile, the producers made absolutely sure no one would forget one thing about the movie: the message. The strong family dynamic of the Warrens is repeatedly shoved into the audiences’ faces at every possible chance–and there are many. The audience gets to see Ed and Lorraine raising Judy, Ed talking with Judy’s boyfriend, Lorraine and Judy going dress shopping and a whole portion of the movie is about Ed’s birthday party. Although these little side-jaunts were obviously meant to show the more normal side of the Warren’s lives, they proved detrimental to the movie’s plot in the long run.
Each domestic scene with the Warrens reinforces just how strong they are as a family unit, and by extension, the message. But what is the message of the iconic horror movie franchise’s finale? Well, it has nothing to do with the fight between good and evil or even the supernatural in general. Instead, it’s something more along the lines of “we can do anything if we do it together”. Which would be fine if this was a Disney movie and not what was supposed to be the epic end to a decade-long saga.
It’s not just the childish nature of the message that’s disappointing, though. It’s also the fact that said message completely undermines the paranormal parameters set in the other movies. In the earlier stories, Ed and Lorraine don’t just defeat the demon with the power of friendship; no, there’s a strict set of rules they must follow in order to free those being haunted. The audience gets to see firsthand the demons they deal with are much more powerful than any human (or human connection), but they can be beaten with the correct guidance and sheer will. This was obviously not the case in the fourth installment. The rules established one film at a time don’t build up to anything in the end; worse, they don’t even actually matter.
What happens when the rulebook gets thrown out the window? For one, it becomes clear to the audience the protagonists are going to win. Afterall, how could they not when there’s nothing standing in their way? This lack of obstacles rescinds any chance the plot had at suspense, a key component to any horror flick. Additionally, ignoring the groundwork laid by the rest of the series essentially makes everything Ed and Lorraine did null and void. It’s as if the audience is expected to believe the pair spent three movies professionally hunting demons and honing their craft, just to throw all of their experience away in the final moments.
The demon itself is another beast entirely. As mentioned, the “Conjuring” universe established many rules throughout the films, but not just to constrain Ed and Lorraine’s capabilities. The supernatural of the “Conjuring” have limitations too. Or, at least, they did.
While in other cases Ed used the Bible to help defend them against demons, in this one, the Bible is completely useless. Everything he tries is counteracted by the demon, and it seems like the demon is truly all-powerful. So, what makes this demon so special? No one knows. It’s never explained, even though in the past they took the time to explain the heightened demonic abilities of another powerful demon, Valak (who famously dresses like a nun).
Adding this to the emphasis on the message of the film creates another issue. The audience is expected to be in two places at once; to believe this demon is all powerful and unlike anything the Warrens have ever faced and to believe that the Warrens can beat it with the power of family. With the other missteps and nonsensicalities presented in the story, it’s hard to believe either.
Instead, the audience is left confused and slighted: Confused by the amount of information they’re meant to take in and slighted by the fact that no matter what information they stored away, it didn’t mean anything in terms of resolution.
The charismatic actors and intricate cinematography couldn’t outshine the movie’s salient faults, and its scores reflect that. Unfortunately, what was meant to be the shocking end to “The Conjuring” story was more like its death march.
