Judy (Mia Tomlinson) in The Conjuring: Last Rites
Warner Bros.
The Conjuring: Last Rites is the (not quite) ending to the Conjuring series—Last Rites is more like a family drama than a horror, ending with a bizarre battle involving a haunted mirror.
The vast, sprawling Conjuring franchise, which began back in 2013, has spawned a complex web of sequels, prequels and spin-offs, some of which are loosely based on cases covered by paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
Last Rites is one of those cases, the Smurl haunting, an event so awful that it forces Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) out of the demonology business.
However, the film proves to be less about a terrible haunting—it’s an emotional end to an era.
What Happens In ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’?
The film begins with a flashback, as the Warrens tackle a paranormal case involving a haunted mirror.
The case is interrupted as Lorraine is heavily pregnant with Judy and is induced into giving birth after a terrifying vision.
Lorraine is haunted by a demonic presence during labor and when the time comes, Judy is stillborn, but the baby miraculously returns to life after Lorraine holds her in her arms.
In the present, Judy (Mia Tomlinson) is an adult with a fiance, and her parents are getting older. The Warrens have even stepped away from paranormal phenomena, largely because Ed’s health is poor and his heart can’t take it anymore.
Lorraine also seems to be reeling from the many traumas that she has experienced in her life, and is frightened that Judy has inherited her powers of clairvoyance.
Interestingly, Lorraine has taught Judy to ward off her frightening visions by using a nursery rhyme, effectively teaching her to suppress her dark side.
There’s some soap opera side-plots about Judy’s fiance struggling to win the approval of Ed, and his proposal to Judy—the haunted house ends up being the big family project that binds them together.
In Pennsylvania, the unfortunate Smurl family have acquired the haunted mirror from the beginning of the film, and are experiencing severe paranormal phenomena.
Last Rites is rooted heavily in Annabelle Comes Home (2019), focusing on Judy and the Warrens, somewhat sidelining the Smurl family.
As Judy continues to be plagued by visions, she is drawn to visit the Smurls against her family’s wishes, until the Warrens agree to take on the case.
The house is haunted by a family of farmers that lived and died on the land, murdered horribly by the patriarch of the family, but really, the problem is the demon that controls the mirror and its dark reflections.
Whatever personal connection lies between Judy, Lorraine and the demon is left a ystery—we don’t know the demon’s motivation, or even its name.
Annabelle has been in so many movies now, to the point of being overused (the real doll has even been suspected of paranormal activity recently). Thus, Last Rites tries a new trick, with the doll growing in size and chasing Judy down a hallway, in a sequence that is strangely reminiscent of Five Nights At Freddy’s.
As the conclusion draws nearer, the film becomes less scary and increasingly silly, until there is a bizarre “final boss” moment in which the Warrens literally engage in a physical fight with the haunted mirror.
The Ending Of ‘Last Rites,’ Explained
In the midst of the mirror battle, Lorraine realizes that she has been passing down bad habits to Judy, and tells her daughter to embrace her visions rather than pushing them away.
Judy has something of a “Let It Go” moment, allowing herself to feel the terrible weight of clairvoyance, and using her power to vanquish the demon.
It’s not fully fleshed out, but a parallel could be made to the effects of anxiety and trauma, and the unhealthy coping mechanisms that accompany them.
Lorraine’s maternal urge to shield Judy with a children’s song rather than teaching her how to take control of herself and her gift feels like a real issue this family would struggle with—it’s an interesting conflict to close the series, even if previous films never really touched on it.
With the demon defeated and the haunting over, the Warrens get to experience something of a happily ever after, living to experience Judy’s wedding and see their daughter have her own baby.
The film’s credits play over real archival footage of the Warrens, marking an end to their journey in these films.
Is ‘Last Rites’ The Final ‘Conjuring’ Film In The Series?
It’s the final film about the elderly Ed and Lorraine Warren, but the franchise is set to continue. Last Rites is said to be the end of “phase one” of the Conjuring universe, with phase two still to be decided.
A Conjuring television spin-off, announced back in 2023, is still moving forward, but plot details remain under wraps—all we know is that the series will continue the story of the films.
Indeed, the box office success of Last Rites might even open the door to more Warren-led adventures, with talks of a prequel.
There are a lot of ghosts and demons in the Conjuring universe, and fans have shown that they are willing to keep watching.