Story and tone

On September 4, The Conjuring 4: The Final Rite hit theaters, possibly concluding the saga of Ed and Lorraine Warren.

It marks the ninth installment of the The Conjuring, launched by James Wan in 2013.

This review explores whether the film delivers fresh terror or merely exhausts an already worn-out formula.

In 1964, Ed and Lorraine Warren encounter a cursed mirror, launching their first paranormal case and future demon-hunting careers.

They drop the case, and Lorraine endures a traumatic childbirth that nearly costs their newborn daughter her life.

Everything ends well, and 22 years later Judy introduces her retired, aging parents to her boyfriend, former cop Tony.

Trouble strikes unexpectedly when the sinister mirror ends up with the Smearl family in a small Pennsylvania town.

Soon it begins to terrorize the unfortunate family, and the situation develops in such a way that the Warrens have no choice but to help the suffering and face the otherworldly evil head-on.

Visual imagination

In 2013, James Wan, who by then had the cult classic Saw (2004), the flop Dead Silence (2007), and the successful Insidious (2010), all starring Patrick Wilson, released The Conjuring, which became a universally acclaimed box office hit.

Unsurprisingly, these horror films began to multiply like mushrooms after rain: two spin-offs about the doll Annabelle and the Nun were added to the main series, which now consists of four films.

As a result, the eight previous films, not counting The Last Rite, grossed $2.2 billion on a total budget of $208 million, making The Conjuring the highest-grossing horror franchise in history.

This meant that, regardless of what snobbish critics might say (and I admit, that’s true), ordinary viewers were permanently interested in the adventures of the Warrens and their encounters with surprisingly macabre dolls and nuns.

Voice performances

In the later stages of the series’ development, director Michael Chaves joined the team, responsible for the last three films – The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021), The Nun II (2023), and The Last Rite, while Wan limited himself to screenwriting and producing.

Although there were legitimate questions about the quality of these works, two of the three were box office successes; it is too early to draw conclusions about the new film in this context.

The fourth “Conjuring,” following the franchise’s tradition, good or bad, is based on real events known as the Smarl family case. In August 1973, they moved into a house in West Pittston and later claimed that a demon lived there. The case received widespread media coverage, and the real Warrens were brought in to investigate in 1986.

Themes

The main problem with “The Conjuring 4” isn’t its derivative nature or lack of new ideas. Against modern, inventive horror, this traditional supernatural approach simply can’t compete.
Moreover, their peak popularity has long passed. The Conjuring relies more on long-time fans and the brand’s popularity, earned in a completely different era of cinema.

Ed has serious heart problems, so let’s press this lever, you’ll never guess, at the most crucial moment. Judy has a boyfriend, and of course he will sweetly and awkwardly ask her to marry him, so that we can worry as much as possible about the future family. Not to mention that eternal evil can only be defeated if the friendly family joins forces cathartically and faces its fears. Even if it looks like a regular tug-of-war. But at least Dominic Toretto will be thrilled.

Pros

• Several sudden, demonic puppet appearances that startle the sleepy viewer;
• Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga still look great as a screen couple;
• references to previous films that will please fans of the franchise.

Cons

•  Completely unsuitable for the horror genre;
• As a family drama, it also falls short; its slow pace, lack of meaning, repetitiveness, and absence of suspense make it thoroughly boring.

Final thoughts

Watch the latest “The Conjuring” only if you remain a devoted fan who eagerly marks every new release.

Otherwise, expect over two hours of uneven thrills and boredom, broken by appearances from long-unscary characters.