A Thrilling End To A Great Horror Franchise ("The Conjuring: Last Rites" Review)

 In 2013 I went to see James Wan's supernatural horror film "The Conjuring," based on the cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren, based on real life events. Wan had made waves with 2004's "Saw," creating a whole new level of gore in horror. Though it was filled with it, the story wasn't just gore for the sake of gore. It was a very intriguing mystery film about the search for the Jigsaw killer. He would follow this modern horror classic with "Dead Silence" and "Death Sentence" before releasing 2010's "Insidious." This film would ultimately create a James Wan Universe, connecting characters and themes. What intrigued me about this film was that he was following up the ultra gory debut of "Saw" with a PG-13 supernatural film. This was rather exciting, since I grew up with classic horror that never really relied on blood and guts but on scares. It was a fantastic film that spawned some great sequels.

So going into "The Conjuring," I had already been converted into a James Wan fan. I had high expectations and boy did he meet those expectations! "The Conjuring" is an instant ghost story classic, with Wan playing the audience like a fiddle with drawn out suspense and jump scares that weren't cheap. And based on true life events and with a retro feel (the story takes place in 1971) it was a pleasant new edition to the great ghost stories of the past.

That film was followed by "The Conjuring 2" and "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It," to the delight of horror fans. And let's not forget the spinoffs like "Annabelle" and "The Nun." A truly great new cinematic world was created for fans of the spooky and frightening.

So when it was advertised that this would be the finale to the Conjuring Films, it was a must that I make an effort to see this. Wan had bowed out of directing the films after part 2 but this was the world he brought to life and I had to say my goodbyes. 

Thankfully this film kicks ass. This film has a lovely prologue showing a young Ed and Lorraine in a battle to save the life of their newborn daughter, and save her they did. This would foreshadow the events of this film. Fast forward the timeline to 1986 and we have a family in Pennsylvania dealing with their haunted dwellings, and there's a connection to those events in 1964 and the demon wrestling with the lives of Ed and Lorraine's daughter.

This film is thrilling, with that great retro vibe that gives the films a touch of that '70's era horror. And it's also touching and gives you a satisfying conclusion.

I hope anyone that loves ghost stories and classic horror makes an effort to see this...whether you've seen all the films in the James Wan Universe or whether you've never seen any of these films. It's well worth your time and is definitely a film to hype you up for the season!