‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Success Highlights Growing Power Of Religious Audiences
(ANALYSIS) “The Exorcist” may be the most famous exorcism film ever made. But “The Conjuring” is easily the most successful exorcism franchise. Starting with “The Conjuring” in 2013, the franchise follows Ed and Lorainne Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, respectively) as they, with the blessing of the Catholic Church, help families who claim to be haunted by demons. This simple premise has spawned four mainline films as well as six spinoffs, making a combined 10 films in the franchise and cumulatively over 2.27 billion in global sales.
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” - billed as the final installment of the series (which clearly won’t last long) — had the most successful opening in its history. The film made $194 million worldwide and $84 million domestically in its opening weekend — making it the most successful horror opening this year (ahead of hits like “Sinners” and “Weapons”), the third most successful horror film domestically and the most successful ever worldwide.. It played particularly well with young, female and Latino audiences.
These numbers signal that the audience for religious family movies and horror is only growing — especially when the two are combined. Faith-based content like “The Chosen” and “The King of Kings” were massive hits this year, as were horror films like “Sinners” and “Weapons.” The popularity of “The Conjuring” has always come from its central appeal: A wholesome Christian, married couple battling demons with the power of God. It’s the perfect fusion of traditional religious values and horror spectacle. Latino audiences, in particular, have long embraced religious-themed horror, and — like religious Americans more broadly — tend to be strongly family-oriented. As that demographic grows in the U.S., this kind of success feels almost inevitable.
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Unfortunately, while “The Conjuring: Last Rites” reflects the strength of that audience, it also shows why Hollywood will likely struggle to replicate its success.
The film is set in 1986. Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren are enjoying semi-retirement with their daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson) and getting to know her new fiancé Tony (Ben Hardy). But the death of a friend pulls them back into action to confront a demon from their past — one that now wants their daughter.
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” is one of the strongest entries in the franchise. The scares are expertly crafted, playing with darkness and audience expectations to build tension. Whether it’s a phone line, a videotape or a dressing room mirror, the film takes its bread-and-butter jump scares and makes them feel fresh. The demon is presented as somehow more dangerous than anything the Warrens have faced before. When a priest dies in a particularly horrifying scene, it feels like the stakes have truly escalated.
The film also delivers some of the most emotional beats in the series. What has always set “The Conjuring” apart from slasher franchises like “Friday the 13th” or “Saw” is that we care as much about the Warrens as we do about the monsters. More than even “Halloween,” their wholesome goodness stands in stark contrast to the evil they confront. “Last Rites” opens with one of the most emotionally charged scenes in the series: The Warrens’ unborn child is nearly killed by a demon during an early case, only for the child to miraculously survive. This sets up a protective family dynamic that carries throughout the film. The love and support between the Warrens, Judy and Tony grounds the story in a kind of domestic warmth that amplifies the horror they must face.
But as the film progresses, it becomes clear the filmmakers don’t really know where to go next. Despite early claims — both explicit and implied — that this demon is “different,” it ends up being … basically like all the others. Yes, it targets the Warrens’ daughter, but we’re given little explanation for why and not even the backstory the nun received in “The Conjuring 2.” Certainly nothing that justifies the demon’s ability to make a priest kill himself on church grounds.
The emotional setup between the Warrens and their daughter also goes nowhere. The film clearly lays out their protectiveness — and the reason for it —within the first 10 minutes. Rather than developing that theme, the story just repeats it until the inevitable climax, where Lorraine tells her daughter to stop running from her power and embrace it. What starts as a promising emotional arc fizzles into a shallow motivational speech.
In many ways, this has always been the franchise’s greatest strength and weakness. It succeeded by hitting all the familiar beats of exorcism and haunted house films, wrapped in traditional family values and a glossy Hollywood finish. But it never truly evolved, recycling the same themes and scares without much new to say.
This is not unique to “The Conjuring.” Hollywood has been trying to turn the exorcism genre into a reliable moneymaker since “The Exorcist.” Most films either subvert the religious worldview behind the genre or follow it so rigidly that they become stale. Exorcism films are rooted in traditional Christian (often Catholic) theology and most Hollywood filmmakers simply don’t share those beliefs deeply enough to build on them. Meanwhile, faith-based filmmakers are either unwilling or unable to fully embrace the genre (with rare exceptions like “Nefarious”).
That tension is even present in “Last Rites.” As I wrote earlier this year, Hollywood is increasingly reflecting a broader cultural shift in religious gender dynamics: women are turning away from organized religion toward personal spirituality, while men are now more likely than women to attend church. This creates a cultural divide between “feminine spirituality” and “masculine religion.” Hollywood, for the most part, has embraced the former — seen in films like “Death of a Unicorn” and “Sinners,” and even in the announcement of Meryl Streep playing Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming “Narnia.”
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” follows suit. Lorraine Warren is the one with spiritual power — visions, senses, intuitions — while her daughter inherits those same gifts. Together, their “female intuition” triumphs over evil. Ed, by contrast, has no spiritual gifts. He relies on the Bible, brute strength (which is fading) and Catholic rituals. But these prove ineffective — his Bible is even set on fire by the demon, as is Father Gordon’s crucifix.
This may help explain the disconnect between the film’s massive box office numbers and its lukewarm reception. Audience scores are the lowest ever for a mainline “The Conjuring” film: 79% on Rotten Tomatoes and a B on CinemaScore. Viewers want what the Warrens represent — but Hollywood can’t fully deliver it and faith-based studios won’t try.
That’s a shame, because the success of “The Conjuring” franchise — which consistently foregrounds traditional Catholicism — proves there’s an appetite for big-budget stories grounded in a traditional religious worldview. And that hunger will only grow. As conservative religious families continue to be the only demographic having children at scale, stories that explore good and evil through a traditional religious lens are likely to thrive. For representation alone, I hope someone eventually picks up the mantle “The Conjuring” has, albeit imperfectly, carried for the past decade.
Joseph Holmes is an award-nominated filmmaker and culture critic living in New York. He is co-host of the podcast “The Overthinkers” and its companion website theoverthinkersjournal.world, where he discusses art, culture and faith with his fellow overthinkers. His other work and contact info can be found at josephholmesstudios.com.