Last Rites is the most recent and last chapter in the series “The Conjuring”. It focuses on one of the darkest cases that the Warren family has ever faced. The main center of the story is caused by a cursed antique mirror that holds a powerful but also nameless demon inside of it. This mirror isn’t just a normal mirror the family thought they were buying. Neither is this object just a regular haunted object. It traps souls, twists reality in a way no one would see it coming and grows stronger when someone is in fear, meaning they grow stronger feeding on fear. Anyone who looks into it is in risk of becoming its new victim.
The movie begins when the mirror is discovered in a small town in Pennsylvania and soon strange things that aren’t known to happen are beginning to spread. Children start vanishing, parents start seeing stuff that others don’t see and people are becoming more and more scared and can’t control their feelings. The fear in the town spreads and grows and it becomes clear to everyone that this isn’t normal and it might be a spirit, but not just a normal spirit. The Warrens, known as Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren, come in to investigate.
Lorraine and Ed discover it’s a personal case. The cursed mirror connects to a traumatic experience the Warrens had to experience from the past. Lorraine has tried to forget this. As she comes face to face with this demon, reality and the vision the spirit is putting in their head is becoming a blur. The mirror uses her fear against her, showing her stuff to test her faith in God. Ed tries to protect her but even he realizes that this spirit is too powerful for them to handle.
The movie builds suspense through dark settings and jump scares. The cursed object is not just a background piece. It is the main and true villain. The “Last Rites” title is a remembrance of the only way to end the mirror’s control by a final ritual, but performing that final ritual can cost the Warrens everything.
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” is not just another haunted house story. This is a series about fear, faith and sacrifice. This film keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. In the end “The Conjuring” makes others and me question what you would do in this situation and whether or not you would protect the ones you love, even if something life-threatening happens to you.
