The good news is that Michael Chaves, who has directed The Conjuring: Last Rites, seems more comfortable (if not better) than the Michael Chaves who gave us The Curse of La Llorona in 2019. The new Chaves knows how to create attractive jump scares, and he includes some neat tricks in Last Rites (a painting—or any other harmless object—in the dark either looks like a demon or like a demon's eyes). Chaves executes a one-take sequence during a house party. Later, he sends the camera soaring into the air, then glides it effortlessly through a closed door and into a house, placing us in the presence of a spirit. Chaves has some fun, all right, but some of the flaws of the La Llorona Chaves are still present in the Chaves of Last Rites. Chief among them is his inability to sustain (or even generate) mood, suspense, or a spooky vibe. Last Rites doesn't move; it lumbers from scene to scene. When the camera cautiously surveys the environment through the characters' eyes, you don't feel apprehensive. So when the "Boo!" moment arrives, you don't even jump out of your seat. The ghosts are effectively creepy, but Chaves relies on stinger-backed shocks, counting on loud noises and frightening faces to do the heavy lifting.
Last Rites is a story of two families: the Warren family and the Smurl family. The Warrens — Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) — have consciously decided to "take a break" from supernatural cases because of old age. You see, Ed cannot afford another heart attack, and Lorraine is more than happy caring for her daughter, Judy (Mia Tomlinson). They give lectures at colleges, where the students compare them to Ghostbusters, which irks Ed a bit, though Lorraine, with a smile, says, "We have watched the movie." The Warrens host barbecue parties, invite guests to their occult museum, and enjoy table tennis. This is the kind of life the Smurl family wants to live. Unfortunately, like Ed and Lorraine, they don't have the luxury of choosing to stay away from the evil spirits. A cursed antique mirror invites a terrifying presence into the home, unleashing demons on the family. There is a creepy man with a hammer and a creepy elderly woman (this year, old ladies have become a malevolent force in horror films). There is also a third devil, who, apart from coming across as a fan service, also reveals how ineffective the occult museum is. Isn't this room supposed to contain evil forces? How, then, did that particular entity manage to enter the house of the Smurl family?
Since a mirror is the source of all the hauntings in Last Rites, we are treated to quite a few mirror shots in the film. Lorraine's reflection appears split across three mirrors, while Judy's is scattered among several during a dress fitting. The movie seems one jump scare away from admiring itself and asking, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the scariest of them all?" If the mirror were an honest film critic, it would reply, "Not you, The Conjuring: Last Rites." But what's more troubling than the film not being scary is the fawning devotion Chaves lavishes on Ed and Lorraine — the real couple who apparently tackled all kinds of spirits. Chaves fondly remembers the husband and the wife, and suggests that the world lost something great when both of them died. Last Rites, in other words, presents supernatural hokum as fact and rebukes the scientific community for its skepticism toward otherworldly beings. It's one thing to draw fiction from real life; it's another to use it as propaganda to legitimize so-called paranormal activity. Chaves, as well as this franchise's blind fidelity to the Warrens and their ghostly cases, is acceptable as long as the studios use them for entertainment, for make-believe stories. However, reverence for something unfounded, unproven feels quite discomforting and, frankly, repulsive. All you need to do is head to the Wikipedia page to find the faults in the actual Smurl haunting. Several priests found nothing demonic when they blessed the house. After the family moved out, a woman named Debra Owens moved in, and she, too, never encountered any supernatural beings.
Then again, one is confused whether to be offended by all the unchecked admiration or the feeble drama that infects Last Rites. Remember Ed's heart attack thing? Well, it merely serves as a false scare. Judy's boyfriend, an ex-cop named Tony (Ben Hardy), doesn't immediately divulge his professional history. However, when it comes, it doesn't do anything. A blank is filled, all right, but that's it. The Smurl family is shown as a unidimensional victim. Their job is to look terrified and scream when the ghosts start playing. When Dawn (Beau Gadsdon) complains that she can't live in the house anymore and the family needs to go to a motel immediately, she is told that they don't have enough money. Couldn't they split into groups and stay with their neighbors for the time being? Don't they have friends or relatives? The husband doesn't seem to have any colleagues, the wife doesn't socialize with other women in the neighborhood, the young daughters don't attend school, and the older ones don't have a love life. What a dull, hermetically sealed family! Of course, from Chaves' perspective, they come across as perfect victims for a horror movie.
Final Score- [3.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times