Conjuring 4: Das letzte Kapitel

I just caught 'Conjuring: Last Rites' in theaters & for now I'm giving it a 9/10 though I need to rewatch it, because my phone was blowing up with work during the film & the stress definitely pulled me out of full immersion.

Like every Conjuring-verse film before it, I really enjoyed this one. It does stand apart, though, by leaning more heavily into story & character development than pure horror. I know many viewers will actually appreciate that approach, but for me, it came with a trade-off: because so much time was dedicated to the narrative, the multiple entities involved in the haunting didn't get as much screen time or presence as they could have. A tighter balance (slightly less story, more entity-driven horror) would've made it even stronger.

That said, what's here is still excellent. The storytelling, while heavier, is well done & the film delivers some truly unique scare moments from the demons. It's a different flavour from earlier Conjuring entries, but it still holds that trademark mix of tension, atmosphere & supernatural dread.

Overall, it's another very good addition to the franchise. For now I'm landing at a 9/10, though with a rewatch under less distraction, I could see this score shifting.

The movie has a slow build-up but lacks interest in developing the story of the demon, or it had a rushed ending with a lot of questions not being answered. As the movie has a few sequels, we expect more as an audience. For me, The Conjuring 2 is still the best, with a perfect build-up and living up to the characters. It was a shame to see such a good story turn into another "fast food" movie.

The conjuring and the conjuring 2 remain some of the best horror films within the last 15 years for my taste. Some would even say the conjuring is one of the top horror films of all time. WAN found his niche within his created conjuring universe with the likes of these films, insidious, and all of the other spin offs. With this has come quite a few more filler movies from other directors that are much less experienced aside from (Whannell) at the helm. Michael Chaves is not a bad director by any means, but this simply does not hold a candle to the first two films or even the last one which was actually decently solid. This one just feels like the most uninteresting of the four and while it has a few decent demonic scares and visuals, it simply does not serve that much of a purpose other than a supposed ending. I actually do not think this will be truly the last of the conjuring films either, though I think it should've ended after the last one. I can think of at least three other films within the universe that aren't even great by any means, but are still more interesting than this. Annabelle Creation, The Nun, and even insidious 4 are all more effective . That's not to say this doesn't have a few redeeming qualities if you're a fan, but if it really was the end, Wan should've ended the Warren's story ...

This latest Conjuring entry shifts gears from pure horror into something more emotional. While the scares are present-blood, unsettling imagery, and a few disgusting moments-it doesn't quite reach the terror of the earlier films. Instead, it leans heavily into family bonds, sacrifice, and the idea of legacy. The story highlights not just the Warrens' fight against darkness, but also the next generation stepping into the picture, which adds surprising layers of warmth and heartbreak. What makes it stand out isn't the shock factor, but the way it balances fear with love, faith, and the weight of carrying visions of the future.

And yet, the film doesn't forget to have a little fun with itself-slipping in unexpected details that feel almost like a wink to pop culture fans. It all builds toward a finale that feels bittersweet, touching, and ironically beautiful given what we know of the Warrens outside the screen.

I watched this in IMAX, so of course my expectations were pretty high for The Conjuring: The Last Rites. Maybe I set the bar a little too high, but honestly it didn't disappoint me.

What I liked:

• Solid emotional build-up.

• A satisfying ending.

• A few scenes actually made me flinch.

What didn't work for me:

• Way too predictable (though, to be fair, the Conjuring formula is easy to guess).

• A slow burn at the beginning.

• The music didn't feel scary enough.

• The ending felt a bit rushed.