With 2013’s “The Conjuring”, director James Wan kicked off what would unexpectedly become one of my personal favorite horror film franchises. While the spin-off films have been somewhat hit-or-miss, the three proper Conjuring films have succeeded in creating an authentically creepy world built around two compelling and surprisingly endearing lead characters, both wonderfully played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson.

Based on the case files of real-life paranormal investigators and demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, the Conjuring films tell of their efforts to help tormented families from supernatural forces of evil. That brings us to “Last Rites”, the fourth installment that has been advertised as “the case that ended it all”, It certainly feels like a conclusion and if so, the series ends with yet another solid entry.

Following a prologue highlighting the birth and childhood of their daughter Judy, “Last Rites” settles in 1986 as Ed and Lorraine (Wilson and Farmiga) have stopped taking cases, in large part due to his worsening heart condition. Instead, they spend their spare time giving lectures to small groups on college campuses. At home, a grown-up Judy (Mia Tomlinson) struggles with similar premonitions as her mother. On a lighter note, she’s head-over-heels for her boyfriend Tony (Ben Hardy) who is secretly preparing to propose to her.

Meanwhile in the industrial suburb of West Pittston, Pennsylvania, the Smurl family have found themselves the target of something sinister and supernatural. Husband and wife Jack and Janet Smurl (Elliot Cowan and Rebecca Calder) live in a bustling two-story townhouse with their four daughters and Jack’s parents. The strange occurrences begin after one of the daughters is gifted an antique mirror for her confirmation. But the encounters quickly and violently intensify, leaving the terrified family desperate for help.

Of course the Warrens eventually get involved but not without hesitation. I won’t spoil what leads to their involvement, but director Michael Chaves, working with the screenwriting trio of Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, is patient in building up the Warrens’ story, right up to where it intersects with the Smurls. Interestingly, that patience has always been strength of the Conjuring movies. It’s the willingness to spend time on the characters and their relationships. It’s a trait that can make the films feel like slow burns. But I’ve always found it impactful, and it’s no different here.

As it has since the very beginning, it all revolves around Ed and Lorraine. Over the years, watching Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga flesh out these two fabulous characters has created an emotional attachment for the audience that makes their journey together the real centerpiece of the series. Their loving and devoted union has always played a crucial part in these stories and it’s no difference in “Last Rites”. And it’s Wilson and Farmiga’s remarkable chemistry that makes this central relationship resonate so strongly.

But of course this is a horror movie, and as with its predecessors, “Last Rites” sticks to its almost old-fashioned approach to scaring its audience. It’s at times simple and almost always effective. Chaves keeps jump scares at a minimum, instead relying on deliberate camera movements, clever lighting, and eerie sound design. While there are some genuinely squirm-inducing uses of blood, the movie’s chills are found most in the moody atmosphere and supernatural tension-building.

It must be said that not everything in the story comes together as it should, specifically in the final 30 minutes or so. That’s where the details of the hauntings are mostly explained, but not all of them get the on-screen attention they need. Aside from that, “Last Rites” delivers a fitting and immensely satisfying conclusion (if indeed this is the conclusion) to a series of movies that have managed to stand out within the crowded horror genre. “The Conjuring: Last Rites” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 4 STARS