'The Conjuring: Last Rites' Giles Keyte/Warner Bros. Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment It's not just the floorboards that are creaky in the ninth entry in the venerable Conjuring horror franchise. It all began with the 2013 original, depicting the exploits of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. That indomitable duo is back for one last go-around in The Conjuring: Last Rites, and it must be said that they look tired. And why wouldn't they be, considering the travails they've been through in their previous films? Not to mention that Ed suffered a heart attack in the last one, from which he is still recovering. As this installment set in 1986 begins, the couple are semi-retired, reduced to giving talks in virtually empty lecture halls to young people who are much more excited about Ghostbusters. Related Stories Movies Telluride: 'Jay Kelly' Team on Clooney and Stardom, Sandler's Soulful Turn and Crudup's Crazy Scene Movies The Warrens Face Their First Demon and Annabelle Doll Returns in 'Conjuring: Last Rites' Final Trailer The Conjuring: Last Rites The Bottom Line A franchise suffering from fatigue. Release date: Friday, September 5Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mia Tomlinson, Ben Hardy, Steve Coulter, Rebecca Calder, Elliot Cowan, Beau Gadson, Kila Lord Cassidy, John Brotherton, Shannon KookDirector: Michael ChavesScreenwriters: Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick 2 hours 15 minutes Of course, just when the Warrens thought they were out, they're pulled back in for one last case. Specifically, the real-life case of the Smurls, an extended family living in a Pennsylvania coal town who experience things going bump in the night after they make the mistake of purchasing a hideous, hand-carved wooden mirror featuring cherubs at its top. Unfortunately for them as well as the film's viewers, it takes a long time for the Warrens to arrive. As a matter of fact, everything takes a long time in this attenuated entry clocking in at a bloated 135 minutes. It begins with an unnecessary prologue set in 1964 depicting the birth of the couple's daughter Judy, who nearly doesn't survive. When the action shifts forward 22 years, it resembles an old-fashioned television show, with the now-grown Judy (Mia Tomlinson) and her boyfriend Tony (Ben Hardy) arriving for a family get-together that includes much comic banter, a lively game of ping-pong, and Tony nervously asking Ed and Lorraine for their blessing before he proposes to their daughter. Lorraine beams with pleasure, while Ed registers grumpy disapproval like every dad in every family sitcom ever. It soon becomes clear that Judy has inherited her mother's psychic abilities, leading her to become aware of the Smurl family's plight. Also aware is her parent's old friend Father Gordon (franchise veteran Steve Coulter), who goes to see a bishop to request help for the beleaguered family. Not surprisingly, the visit doesn't go well. So it's left to the Warrens, with Judy and Tony in tow, to head to Pennsylvania where the Smurls have become a media sensation. Cue the predictable spooky mayhem as everyone battles a series of evil manifestations, including dolls, that by now feel all too familiar in their jump scares. This is the kind of haunted house movie in which everything seems to happen in dark rooms, the characters armed only with flashlights, as horrific storms rage outside. It's the kind of movie in which a character enters a dark attic alone, because she's apparently never seen a scary movie before. The Conjuring: Last Rites trades heavily in nostalgia, with numerous callbacks to past adventures and frequent visitations to the Warren's "Artifact Room," where Annabelle still resides in her locked cabinet. And since we've been watching the Warrens battle demonic entities for 12 years, they now feel like old friends. Farmiga and Wilson haven't lost their appeal, and with their relaxed chemistry they make for engaging company. But it all feels old hat by now, with returning director Michael Chaves (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, The Nun II) failing to bring much freshness or vitality to the proceedings. The stateliness of it all feels even more old-fashioned in light of such recent audacious and original horror films as Sinners, Weapons, and everything directed by Jordan Peele. Despite its title and final moments informing us of what happened to the real-life Warrens in their last years (complete with archival clips and photographs), the family tradition may live on, cinematically at least. Tomlinson delivers a terrifically intense performance as the psychically gifted Judy, leading one to think she could easily headline yet another Conjuring offshoot. Full credits Production: New Line Cinema, The Safran Co