Shadows on the Wall | The Conjuring: Last Rites

The Conjuring: Last Rites

dir Michael Chaves
prd Peter Safran, James Wan
scr Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
with Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mia Tomlinson, Ben Hardy, Rebecca Calder, Elliot Cowan, Steve Coulter, Kila Lord Cassidy, Beau Gadsdon, John Brotherton, Madison Lawlor, Orion Smith
release US/UK 5.Sep.25
25/US Warners 2h03

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Here's a fourth nutty ghost movie loosely based on experiences of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, this time the case that pushed them into retirement. Thankfully, director Michael Chaves takes time to add meaning to the characters alongside the usual cheap cinematic trickery. It's far too long, and never actually scary, but the freak-out factor is strong, because every gimmick is deployed for maximum creepiness.

It's now 1986 in New Jersey, and Lorraine (Farmiga) is determined that Ed (Wilson) needs to retire due to his dodgy heart. Then their daughter Judy (Tomlinson) brings home the nervous Tony (Hardy), and they decide to marry. Meanwhile in a working-class Pennsylvania home, Janet and Jack Smurl (Calder and Cowan) and their four daughters are fending off riotous mayhem from various ghosts, and then things ramp up considerably when another presence appears. This has a connection with the Warrens, who soon find themselves involved in helping purge a possessive demon from the Smurls' house.

After a 1964 prolog sets things up, the narrative dives into these parallel families who are linked by an ugly mirror. Reflections fill the screen, as do deep-shadowed corners and bonkers visions, and every room is so badly underlit that our eyes begin to ache from the strain. This is exacerbated by a continual stream of supernaturally induced blackouts. By about the fifth time someone walks into a basement or attic looking for something malevolent but neglects to turn on a light, we begin to giggle.

Even so, the actors keep their characters grounded as they face unthinkable attacks from leering ghouls. Farmiga and Wilson are engaging as this pinched couple, barely flinching in the face of nightmarish horror. And Tomlinson has some fun as a chip off their block, sparking enjoyable chemistry with the always up-for-it Hardy, who makes Tony thoroughly likeable. Side players also have strong moments, most notably Coulter's Father Gordon, who gets his own proper Omen-style sequence.

When scenes focus in on either the Warrens of the Smurls, the film is gripping, because we are experiencing intense situations faced by normal people. This gives some sequences an Exorcist-style kick. By contrast, the ghostly bumps and jumps are much sillier, using the standard movie cliches to generate chills simply because something is gloomy, ugly, sudden or accompanied by a thunderous musical surge. So perhaps this movie is an appropriate finale to the Warrens' saga, mixing human events with tried and tested movie flourishes.

themes, language, violence 1.Sep.25

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