The Family That Fights Ghosts Together..

The Conjuring: Last Rites is the fourth instalment in the blockbuster horror franchise and picks up five years after the previous entry, with Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) now retired from the paranormal investigation game. When a spooky mirror from their past remerges, they, along with now adult daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson), find they may have no choice but to get their ghost busting on one last time.

So, the main problem with The Conjuring movies, has always been the "based on a true story" aspect of their presentation. Sure, Ed and Lorraine were indeed really people and they did in fact investigate claims of paranormal activity. Unlike their film counterparts however, they are well known to have been a couple of frauds. To begin with, this wasn't much of an issue, as horror films loosely (read: not really at all) based on true stories are common, but as the franchise progresses, and the Warrens are painted as more and more heroic, it becomes increasingly hard to stomach. Here, we are in full myth maker mode, with the central duo portrayed as not only demon vanquishing heroes, but heroes who did so against a backdrop of sceptical meanies who didn't believe them. Humanising performances from Wilson and Farmiga make the duo easy to get on board with but the decision to constantly batter the viewer over the head with "this really happened" nonsense is galling, particularly in the current climate of fact denial.

The other issue Last Rites has is franchise bloat. While horror sequels used to be about quickly cranking out cost effective follow ups, modern franchises subscribe to the mantra "more is more". The filler here comes in the form of a mini domestic drama as the Warrens welcome Judy's partner Tony (Ben Hardy) to the family. In addition to filling runtime, this appears to be an attempt to set up a new generation of spectre chasers so that the franchise can continue without its lead pair of actors. So much time is dedicated to this that for the majority of the running, Last Rites is essentially two movies. The characters we know have their family life while a new household, the Smuri family, handle the frights as they are menaced by the possessed antique they just brought home. Only in the final portion of the movie do the two come together.

If you can get past the reality flipping and unnecessary family shenanigans, there is a serviceable entry-level horror underneath. More than serviceable in fact. Director Michael Chaves isn't as good at crafting scares as series originator James Wan, but this is a big step from his previous work (the last Conjuring movie, Nun 2 and La Llorona). It has a mix of solid jump scares and slower, tension building moments that works well. It is very much pulling from an established bag of tricks; creepy dolls, sinister reflections, unseen things lurking in the dark, but it delivers what fans of the series turn up for. Considering the plot involves something from the past coming back to haunt the Warrens, there isn't much thought or time spent on the demon that haunts the mirror but it's difficult to imagine any backstory that would have been worth telling. The fact that the final showdown is literally a physical fight against a flying mirror may just be crazy genius but might be too much (or not enough) for some viewers.

If you are a Conjuring devotee, or just like big, glossy horror movies, then Last Rites should give you what you are looking for, albeit diluted with plenty of unnecessary fluff. If you watched the previous films and really thought they were missing a Warren home life deep dive, then you are in for a treat.

6 superhero con artists out of 10.

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