El conjuro 4

Sometimes in life, in order to move forward, we have to go back to the beginning, I guess. Well that's very much the case with Ed and Lorraine Warren in this latest addition to The Conjuring franchise.

What I initially assumed would be a fresh investigation sadly turns out to be more of the same formula we've seen over the past 10 years. There's little here that feels original; most of it either borrows heavily from previous entries or is clearly influenced by familiar tropes. A door left slightly open for the audience to notice... SLAM. A recording or photo reveals a ghostly figure. A quick camera cut - and boom, you're face-to-face with a demon.

My biggest issue with the film is that it simply cannot stand on its own. It leans too heavily on paranormal figures the Warrens have battled before. Yes, there are creepy moments, the buildup often leads to little more than cheap jump scares.

For a film with a runtime of 2 hours and 15 minutes - and a cast of 13 people and one dog - it plays things very safe. Sure there is suspense but, where is the danger? Who is the actual target? These are questions I found myself asking throughout the film. It's an enjoyable however, there's nothing here to challenge the franchise or push it in a new direction.

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 ...

While aiming to build upon a great legacy, the film ultimately disappoints. It lacks the intense horror that defines the genre's best works and struggles to deliver genuine scares. Consequently, it falls short of being a proper horror movie, particularly when compared to earlier installments in The Conjuring series😔

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.

The Conjuring: Last Rites dives deeper into the emotional core of the Warrens' family life while still wrapping it in layers of chilling terror. Marketed as their most frightening case yet, it never quite reaches the atmospheric dread and tight storytelling of the first two films. Lorraine's abilities feel underused, and the narrative drags in places, leaving some moments less impactful than they should have been.

That said, the film succeeds in delivering a heartfelt farewell to Ed and Lorraine. It may not be the scariest entry, but it's a fitting closing chapter that balances horror with tenderness, reminding us why their story has endured for so long.