The Conjuring: Last Rites’ ending may leave many people disappointed because this film, it seems, doesn’t really have a big reveal as such. Unlike the other films in the franchise, we don’t get the name of a demon, despite there being a possession, and I suppose there isn’t really an exorcism; it’s merely a show of togetherness. To me, this seems like the perfect ending to a franchise that has always been about family before all else. Yes, there’s been scary demons, a scary courtroom, and a toy that’s haunted baby Judy throughout the franchise, but the thing that frightens the Warrens the most is the idea of losing each other and, more importantly, their daughter. Sure, the drama may seem boring and like a drag, but it’s a testament to the very thing that is at the base of this franchise: love conquers all fear. With that said, though, here’s my humble attempt at coming up with some theories for the end of The Conjuring: Last Rites.
Spoiler Alert
Why Is the Demon After Judy?
In the final act of the film, we’re stuck wondering why this demon is determined to go after Judy. What did she do, and what binds them together? If we look at Annabelle Comes Home (spoiler alert), 10-year-old Judy was able to save the day after her babysitter and her friend messed up by touching everything in the artifacts room, Annabelle included. The takeaway is that Annabelle is Judy’s worst nightmare. It doesn’t matter that she’s psychic or that she’s a grown woman who is engaged and ready to embark on life; she’s still immensely afraid of that doll. Throughout the franchise, there have been other references as well, with Judy telling her mom, “Grandma was in the room with Annabelle,” a piece of dialogue that has never left my brain, though I could have it wrong, but here’s the thing: Judy’s afraid of the doll itself; it doesn’t matter what’s possessed it, and this is an irrational fear that eats away at her.
The final film of the franchise focuses on Judy’s relationship with fear and her psychic abilities. Why does she have them? Because they’ve been passed down by her mother, but the first scene of the film is the most important to this story. Yes, the Smurls are important to this film because it is, at the end of the day, their case, but the mirror that started it all is the main character. We don’t find out who this demon is, but that doesn’t seem to be the point of this film.
Judy was stillborn prematurely on the day Lorraine touched that mirror in a dark room, all by herself. They never went back to that place because they feared for their daughter’s life, but so many years later, the mirror came back for them. It is common knowledge in mythology/demonic stories that demons snatch souls. It’s almost like an exchange, a soul for something meaningful in return, in this case, Judy’s life itself. This has, of course, never been a part of the Conjuring universe because Ed and Lorraine Warren are people of God, and they’ve never needed to make a deal with the devil to win; they just have the power of light on their side. However, I assume that the demon in this film is out for revenge. Since Judy came back to life a minute after being stillborn, an unbelievable miracle, the mirror demon didn’t get what it wanted: a life. Judy’s existence itself is like Lorraine and Ed taunting this evil, and it finally got the chance to come for her after all these years.
Are The Smurls Saved?
Interestingly, we can assume that once the Warrens came to West Pittston, the Smurls were essentially free from the demon. The demon never possesses them; it only torments them through the 3 spirits from the farmland before. The story goes that there was a couple that lived on that land, and the woman ended up cheating on her husband because she was “wild” (I don’t know what to make of that). The husband found out and went after her with an axe, but he ended up killing both her and her aged mother in the basement of the house. When the mirror came to the Smurl house, whatever possessed it ended up taking charge and controlling the spirits in the house. Picture Ed asking Lorraine, “Demonic?” and her replying, “Yes.”
Anyway, we don’t get to see it, but we can assume that the Warrens got rid of the farm spirits when they worked their magic on the demon in the house, similar to the Enfield case. Also, I did not appreciate the death of Father Gordon; there was no need. After Judy’s possession, the Smurls got out of the house and stayed away through the “exorcism,” which meant they were safe from it all. The credits show that the Smurls stayed back in that house for a few more years before moving out. Their story is recorded in a book by the Warrens. It was clearly a very sensationalized case, thanks to the Smurls having gone to the press. But ultimately, their story isn’t central to this film; it’s the Warrens’ faith (or fate, however you’d have it) that comes into play.
Does Ed Warren die?
In The Conjuring: Last Rites’ ending, the family is faced by the mirror, including one new semi-member, Tony, Judy’s new fiancé. Throughout the film, we get hints of a romance between Judy and Tony similar to Ed and Lorraine. He’s an ex-cop who ended up realizing Judy was the one for him after escaping death narrowly in a face-to-face encounter. Tony’s part in the story is simple: it’s to make sure that Ed feels comfortable leaving his daughter behind with a guy as capable as himself. Someone who can handle the difficult task of dealing with a psychic wife, who is almost always finding herself in danger. The one thing that makes the franchise so worth it (minus The Devil Made Me Do It, which has no business existing) is the marriage of Ed and Lorraine Warren (I am, of course, just speaking about the movie). So, it only makes sense that if we’re saying goodbye to them, and there have to be more movies to keep the legacy going, it comes down to their only daughter and her very faithful husband. Tony has all the makings of the perfect guy for this role here.
Ed has a mild heart attack when he’s at the Smurl house and trying to get the mirror out. The doctor had said he wouldn’t be able to survive another heart attack, but he somehow does. Immediately after, the mirror starts to act up and float around in the sky, doing its own thing, until he starts reading from the Bible and casting the demon out. However, we could say it’s because of his weak heart, or just his old age, that he’s not able to do anything to keep the mirror at bay, and it immediately starts to, well, for lack of a better word, attack them. At first, Lorraine screams for Ed to keep the mirror away from Judy, but Tony is literally under it, getting his shin scraped clean off and nearly being choked to death by a mirror. But, at the last moment, when Ed tells Lorraine to take Judy away, she decides what’s best for them. Her whole life, Judy’s been told to look away, to say the words “you’re not there” to whatever she’s able to see. This is because Lorraine wants to protect her as a parent; she doesn’t want her to go through the same things she did. But in the ultimate act of parenting, Lorraine tells Judy not to run away, and to face her fears with all her strength. This is when she places her hand on the mirror like the heroine she is and encourages her daughter to do the same (honestly, Avengers could never).
Facing their fears, i.e., seeing themselves in the mirror as the ultimate evil, Ed, Lorraine, and Judy show us that love is always triumphant, and faith in family is what will keep you alive. Of course, Ed does survive this heart attack, probably buoyed by his family’s love, but all good things must come to an end, and the film gives us a montage of the family’s future through a vision from Lorraine. She talks about seeing her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren all together as one big happy family. We see Judy and Tony’s beautiful wedding, which leaves us with one last question. Is this really the last one? The film indicates that Ed died many years later after suffering a stroke, but with Lorraine by his side through the whole thing. But you’ll be happy to know we don’t see it on screen (phew, that’d have had me weeping for sure).
Will There Be More Films in “The Conjuring” Franchise?
While the ending of the film makes it seem like this is the end for Ed and Lorraine’s appearances, I can’t help but think the franchise is ripe for legacy films. I.e., we’ll get Judy and Tony fighting off evil in their own way. Additionally, the post-credit scene gives us some inside trivia about why the films are called The Conjuring, and it makes me think this small idea is what birthed the whole franchise, but hey, I could be wrong. This image, with real-life Ed standing in the mirror (that’s the main character of this film), has a little bit of trivia. The films are named after this mirror, which became “The Conjuring Mirror” after it was brought to the artifact room. Fun stuff, but this could mean it can come back in another movie with Judy, considering how significant it is to her life.
