The Conjuring Last Rites

Basic Info & Context

• Title: The Conjuring Last Rites
• Release Date: September 5, 2025 in the U.S.; early September in many international markets.
• Director: Michael Chaves
• Screenplay: Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
• Producers: James Wan, Peter Safran among others
• Runtime: ~135 minutes
• Budget: ≈ US$ 55 million

This film is advertised as a concluding chapter (or at least a major finale) in The Conjuring main series, returning Ed & Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) to what is presented as their last big case. It also ties in with the Smurl family haunting (a well-known case in the paranormal investigation lore).

Cast & Who Carries This The Conjuring Last Rites Movie (Means Character).

Here are the key cast members:

Main Cast of The Conjuring Last Rites Movie Table

There are also younger versions of Ed, Lorraine, and Judy in flashbacks/early scenes, plus family members (grandparents of the Smurls, etc.) making up a medium-sized ensemble.

Means Character / Protagonists.

The means character (i.e. the emotional anchor / main viewpoint through which we experience most of the story) is primarily Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren, with perhaps more focus on Lorraine in certain scenes (due to her psychic / clairvoyant sensitivity). The story interleaves their personal stakes (their earlier life, their relationship, their burdens) with the Smurl case, which gives them moral, emotional, and supernatural challenges.

• Lorraine Warren especially is central for the “sensitivity to spirits / psychic visions” elements; her fears, visions, past losses (flashbacks) drive much of the tension.
• Ed Warren is also critical: his role as investigator, his aging / heart issues (mentioned in some coverage) serve as conflict points.

Judy Warren (adult) is also more than just a side character — she has psychic sensitivity, and her relationship with her fiance (Tony Spera) is part of what binds the family / passing of legacy themes. But the Warrens, Ed & Lorraine, remain the core.

So in summary: the core protagonist(s) are Ed & Lorraine Warren, with Lorraine perhaps carrying a little more of the emotional / supernatural burden.

Box Office & Commercial Performance

This film has done very well commercially.

• Worldwide Gross: ~$473 million.
• Domestic (U.S. & Canada): ~$172.4 million.
• International / Other Territories: ~$300.6 million.
• Opening Week / Weekend Records:
   • It made about US$ 83 million in its first domestic weekend.
   • Worldwide opening weekend was about US$ 194 million, which is a record for a horror film’s opening.
• India: The film had a very strong opening. On its first day, it collected ~ Rs 18 crore net in India, breaking records for Hollywood horror films.
  By day 2, it added similarly strong numbers: total ~ Rs 34.8 crore for first two days across versions.
  In its first week in India, it crossed around Rs 67-77 crore (net).
• It became the highest-grossing film in the series globally.

So, financially speaking, Last Rites is one of the biggest horror films of 2025, and a huge success in the Conjuring Universe.

Niche, Style & Thematic Domain

Genre / Niche

The Conjuring Last Rites is solidly a supernatural horror / haunted house / paranormal investigation film. It belongs to the “based on real events” niche (loosely dramatized), with spiritual, occult, and demonic elements. Also:

• It is a climax / farewell piece — “end of an era” type film for Ed & Lorraine Warren. That gives it a different flavor from earlier entries: there’s reflection, legacy, the burdens of aging investigators.
• Also, it uses the Smurl haunting case, which is well-known in paranormal circles. That adds the “true case inspiration” angle.

It tries to combine nostalgia (returning characters, old lore), supernatural scares, emotional arcs, and a sense of finality.

Themes & Mood

Some key themes / patterns:

• Legacy and Passage of Time: Ed & Lorraine are older, their health/future is more in play; Judy Warren now carries more of psychic sensitivity. There’s a sense of passing the torch.
• Fear, Guilt, and Redemption: Lorraine’s visions, the haunting mirror, past grief (something about stillborn baby in an early scene in flashback) serve to confront fears.
• Family: The Smurl family’s suffering, and the Warrens’ “family” in terms of Judy, Tony, etc., draw emotional stakes.
• Faith & Spiritual vs Rational: As in previous Conjuring films, there is tension between demonic / supernatural beliefs, psychic phenomena, faith, skepticism, and what is “real.”
• Horror Tradition & Emotion: It leans on horror tropes, haunted objects (mirror), evil presences, but uses character relationships (Warrens’ marriage, Judy’s fear) to amplify the scares.

Mood-wise it can be intense, frightening, with classic haunted house / demon horror moments. Also bittersweet because it frames this as a finale (for the original Warrens story).

Plot Overview & Deep Narrative Analysis

Here’s a sketch of the plot (no full spoilers, but more detail) and how it works, plus what makes it strong/weaker.

Plot Sketch

• The Conjuring Last Rites film starts with a flashback: 1964, Ed & Lorraine Warren investigate an antique mirror in a curio shop. Lorraine touches it, sees a vision of an entity and the unborn baby. She collapses, goes into labor; baby is apparently stillborn but revived by Lorraine’s prayers; they name her Judy. This establishes Judy’s psychic sensitivity and the Warrens’ early contact with supernatural stuff.
• Then the story shifts to “present” (≈ 22 years later). The Smurl family moves into a house in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. Jack & Janet Smurl, their children (Heather, Dawn, Carin, Shannon), Jack’s parents, etc. The house has a somewhat dark history / incidents: a gifted mirror (from father/grandfather) comes into the home, unexplained phenomena begin (light fixtures falling, frightful sounds, etc.). Judy Warren starts experiencing episodes of psychic / spirit disturbances. Ed & Lorraine, having largely retired or reduced activity, are drawn back in. Ed’s heart condition (or other aging concerns) makes it harder. The family undergoes escalating supernatural attacks (mirror entity, other phenomena). They must confront the demon / evil presence, culminating in rites, exorcism-style confrontation, spiritual / emotional confrontation. The climax blends family danger + paranormal horror + the Warrens’ own fears. In the end, resolution is bittersweet: evil suppressed (?), family healed (?), legacy acknowledged, possibly hinting at what comes after.

(This is based on plot summaries in sources; some details may be somewhat compressed.)

What Works

1. Return of Familiar Characters & Emotional Stakes
   Having Ed & Lorraine, Judy, etc., gives the film a lot of emotional payout. Audiences invested in the franchise feel the weight of the last case: their terrors, regrets, hopes. The film uses their past; flashbacks reinforce why this case matters to them.
2. Strong Box Office Momentum and Franchise History
   The film benefits from brand recognition, built-in audience, and timing (finale, big horror season). It breaks records (opening weekend for horror; best in the franchise) which suggests it tapped into fan desire.
3. Visual / Supernatural Horror Set-Pieces
   Use of haunted objects (mirror), entity appearances, disturbances in home settings, jump scares, tension building are well managed. Some critics mention that “scare by scare” it does better than some prior sequels.
4. Themes & Legacy
   The exploration of what it means to age doing this kind of work, the psychic legacy in Judy, the idea of “last rites” both literal/spiritual metaphor — these deepen the film beyond “just another haunted house.”

What Weaknesses / Criticisms

1. Pacing & Runtime
   At ~135 minutes, some critics feel it is overlong. Some scenes drag, or the buildup is slow. Horror often benefits from leaner builds of terror; this one sometimes lingers too long in emotional / domestic interludes.
2. Predictability & Formula
   Some reviewers suggest the movie doesn’t diverge enough from the established Conjuring formula. Haunted house + family + mirror/demonic entity + Warrens returning + confrontation—these are all familiar beats. For fans, comfort; for others, maybe less surprise.
3. Scares vs Emotional Scenes Balance
   At times, the emotional / family scenes undercut horror momentum; conversely, some horror moments feel inserted to ensure jump scares rather than organically rising dread. This tension can make tone uneven.
4. Character Under-development Beyond the Core
   While Ed, Lorraine, Judy get arcs, some of the Smurl family members or side characters may feel more like horror fodder than fully fleshed individuals. Some critics felt that the demon / entity motive or identity was less mysterious / less developed than in earlier Conjuring entries.

Overall Impression

As a franchise finale (or at least major chapter), Last Rites delivers many of the expected trappings: unsettling hauntings, strong emotional moments, returning characters, and a sense of legacy closing. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but for many fans, that’s not what was needed — what was needed was a strong, satisfying conclusion, which it mostly provides. It’s not perfect, but it leans more into what’s good about the Conjuring Universe than into what’s tired.

“Means Character” in More Detail.

As noted, Ed & Lorraine Warren are the central figures. But if one had to pick a single “means character,” it would probably be Lorraine Warren, given the psychic/vision angle, her emotional burden (flashbacks, fear, the “mirror vision” in the early scene, the stillbirth, etc.). She functions as the one who more often senses the supernatural, who is frightened, who carries guilt / faith / vulnerability. Ed is more the doer, the investigator, but Lorraine is the emotional and spiritual lens more often.

Judy Warren (adult) also plays a significant role as secondary viewpoint, especially in showing how supernatural legacy passes on, but her arc is less central than Lorraine’s/Ed’s.

Why This The Conjuring Last Rites Film Matters (Its Niche, Its Impact)

It’s likely the biggest single box-office success of the Conjuring Universe to date. That gives the franchise a powerful send-off.

It proves that horror, even in a well-worn universe, still has strong audience pull — especially when the emotional stakes are clear and legacy/nostalgia are invoked.

The “final case” / concluding arc structure gives weight beyond usual haunted house fare. Fans have awaited a satisfying conclusion; Last Rites delivers one in many respects.

Also, the real Smurl case has long been part of paranormal folklore; dramatizing it gives the film added curiosity value.

Final Thoughts of The Conjuring Last Rites.

The Conjuring Last Rites is less about shocking us with novelty and more about closing a long-running story with style, heart, and enough scares to satisfy both fans and general horror audiences. It may falter in places (length, predictability), but that’s part of attempting a grand finale in a popular supernatural franchise. For anyone invested in Ed & Lorraine Warren, or in the universe built since The Conjuring (2013), Last Rites feels like it earns its place as a closing chapter, or at least a “Phase One” conclusion.

As a horror movie in 2025, it also punches above its weight commercially: it sets new records, performs strongly in many territories (including India), and reasserts that theatres still matter for big horror.