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The Conjuring: Last Rites, the fourth — and widely expected to be final — chapter chronicling the Warren couple’s paranormal investigations, has finally faced critical judgment. Attempting to resuscitate the popular supernatural saga, the horror flick lifted the review embargo on September 3, 2025, conjuring interest ahead of the film’s theatrical release this Friday, September 5.
Critics have approached this chilling tale of the Smurl haunting with considerable skepticism. While their responses haven’t proven overwhelmingly negative for a horror production, they fall disappointingly lukewarm for a Conjuring finale, something indicative of franchise fatigue having finally caught up with this once-revered series.
— The Conjuring (@TheConjuring) September 3, 2025
The Conjuring: Last Rites Critical Consensus Reveals Decline Of The Conjuring Universe
The Conjuring: Last Rites currently holds a 61% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on reviews from 56 critics. The Metacritic score, however, paints a far more horrific picture, conjuring merely 51 aggregated points, clearly indicating mixed reviews after 18 professional assessments have been calculated.
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Most reviewers assessed that The Conjuring: Last Rites was overcrowded, overstuffed, and overlong, with predictable scares replacing the innovative frights that once defined this franchise. Critics acknowledge that there are positive elements in Michael Chaves’ direction, though not in the film’s horror sequences.
Praise is directed toward Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson’s performances and the familial bonds that ground the plot. More importantly, critics scrutinized Last Rites for its supernatural moments, deeming them routine and mechanically contrived rather than frightening and organic.
Franchise Comparison Shows Steady Deterioration
The Conjuring: Last Rites falls significantly below the first two installments, which achieved 86% and 80% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes, and rejuvenated interest in the horror genre throughout the previous decade. While Last Rites manages to surpass the third entry, The Devil Made Me Do It, which earned a disappointing 55%, it scarcely matches other Conjuring universe entries and spin-offs, placing itself between Annabelle Comes Home (64%) and Annabelle: Creation (70%).
The decline in quality is crystalline, insinuating that The Conjuring universe has gradually drifted from its supernatural thriller roots into formulaic horror territory. Critics consistently note how each subsequent entry dilutes the atmospheric dread that made James Wan’s original films genuinely spine-chilling experiences rather than jump-scare compilations.
Ed and Lorraine Warren are back for one last time. #TheConjuring: Last Rites is only in cinemas September 4. pic.twitter.com/Xrsbx3gZ2l
— Warner Bros AU (@warnerbrosau) August 18, 2025
2025 Horror Genre Context Amplifies Disappointing Fate Of The Conjuring: Last Rites
The Conjuring: Last Rites represents a significant missed opportunity considering how brilliantly the horror genre has performed recently, both critically and commercially. The year 2025 alone has witnessed Sinners (97%), Weapons (94%), and Final Destination: Bloodlines (92%) attaining unforeseen heights, with some productions even courting Academy Award consideration — something The Substance accomplished during this year’s awards season.
Given its established fanbase and cultural presence within horror lore, The Conjuring: Last Rites could have benefited tremendously from reviews approaching certified fresh territory while simultaneously driving nostalgic crowds and original devotees from the 2010s back to theaters.
Instead, this mediocre reception feels particularly stinging when contemporary horror filmmakers continue verifying that audiences hunger for intelligent, well-crafted supernatural stories rather than recycled formulas. Unfortunately, The Conjuring: Last Rites chooses the latter path when the franchise legacy sought the former approach.
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