New Line's last go-round for the surprisingly successful Ed and Lorraine Warren-inspired paranormal franchise/universe gets off to a suitably creepy start with its 1964-set prologue that resonates down the years as the story picks up in 1986 with a blast of The Cure and the reappearance of a possessed artefact that slowly wreaks havoc on an ordinary Pennsylvanian family and proves to be the Warrens' final case that brings everything full circle to their own family as well. The Poltergeist, Paranormal Activity and The Exorcist films loom large over the action, although this entry feels a little more restrained than many recent examples of its type. It could be argued that the domestic scenes make the film a tad flabby, but they only serve to highlight the strength and importance of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga in the series, with the ever-reliable Brit Ben Hardy (playing American) a useful addition here as their daughter's fiance. Offering some nicely-delivered set-ups and a couple of decent jump-scares and a typically messy peer-through-the-darkness finale, Last Rites leaves the door slightly ajar for a Next Generation continuation if the studio wishes to exploit the franchise further, but this film is a routine if acceptable conclusion to the Warrens' story.
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