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The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) movie poster

Characters & Themes

The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2025 · 2 h 15 m · English
Echo score 59
JustWatch #4,180 34
Directed by
Michael Chaves
Starring
Rebecca Calder, Ben Hardy, Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Kíla Lord Cassidy, Steve Coulter
Budget
$55M

A pulse‑pounding entry adds to the celebrated Conjuring franchise, drawing on real‑life investigations. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reprise their roles as paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren, delivering a powerful, spine‑tingling tale that continues the series’ record‑breaking box‑office success.

On this page (8)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (9)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (3)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Movies like The Conjuring: Last Rites
  8. 8 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025)

Where can you watch The Conjuring: Last Rites? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on HBO Max, Amazon Video and Apple TV Store: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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9 main characters · contains spoilers

The Conjuring: Last Rites Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Janet Smurl (Rebecca Calder)

    Janet is a devoted mother and spouse who becomes deeply entwined in the Smurl haunting. She moves from concern to protective resolve as the supernatural events intrude on daily life, including eerie disturbances in the home and the escalating vision-based threats. Her faith and determination anchor the family through fear.

    • 👪 Family
    • 💪 Resilience
    • 🌟 Hope
  • Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson)

    Ed Warren is a seasoned paranormal investigator who wrestles with health risks while pursuing the truth behind the haunting. He balances skepticism with faith in his abilities and his commitment to protecting his family and clients. His partnership with Lorraine drives the case forward, culminating in an intense exorcism-like confrontation.

    • 🧭 Investigator
    • 💞 Protective
    • 🗝️ Determined
  • Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga)

    Lorraine is a clairvoyant who senses the supernatural and guides the Warrens’ response. Her visions connect the past to the present, and she uses those insights to aid the Smurls. She remains hopeful and courageous, despite the personal cost of her gift and the strain it places on her relationship with Ed.

    • 🔮 Intuition
    • 🛡️ Protective
    • 💬 Communicator
  • Judy Smurl (Mia Tomlinson)

    Judy is the central link to the mirror’s influence, growing up with foretelling visions that echo her mother's experiences. As an adult she becomes engaged to Tony, and her life remains tangled with hauntings that blur the line between the living and the dead. Her experiences drive the Warrens back to Pennsylvania to assist the family.

    • 👰 Romance
    • 🧿 Haunted lineage
    • 🌟 Heir to visions
  • Tony Spera (Ben Hardy)

    Tony is Judy’s partner who asks for the Warrens’ blessing and later stands by Judy during the escalating supernatural events. He serves as a practical ally and emotional support as the couple navigates the dangers tied to the haunting.

    • 💍 Love
    • 🛡️ Supportive
    • 🤝 Partner
  • Father Gordon (Steve Coulter)

    A priest who personally investigates the Smurl case and administers religious rites. He is drawn into the danger as the entity intensifies, ultimately dying in a tragic, self-inflicted act after being overwhelmed by the supernatural forces.

    • 🙏 Faith
    • 💔 Martyrdom
  • Heather Smurl (Kíla Lord Cassidy)

    Heather is one of the Smurl children who experiences disturbing phenomena and eerie carvings on the mirror. She is affected by the escalating hauntings and becomes a witness to the creeping malevolence within the home.

    • 👧 Family
    • 🧿 Haunting
  • Dawn Smurl (Beau Gadsdon)

    Dawn is a younger Smurl daughter who also notices the supernatural disturbances, contributing to the family’s shared fear and the demand for external help.

    • 👧 Family
    • 👁️ Vision
  • Jack Smurl

    Jack is the skeptical patriarch who initially resists the supernatural explanations but is drawn into the escalating horrors. He experiences a significant, otherworldly moment as the haunting intensifies in the home.

    • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family
    • 👀 Skepticism

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:15

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Setting

Where and When Does The Conjuring: Last Rites Take Place?

The setting of The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

1964; 1986

The film shifts between 1964, when Lorraine gives birth to Judy and first confronts the Mirror Entity, and 1986, when the Smurl family experiences a brutal, public haunting. These periods frame the Warrens’ later career decisions and the couple’s eventual retirement from full‑time paranormal work. The narrative links the two eras through Judy, who inherits visions that echo from the past.

Location

West Pittston, Pennsylvania, Antique shop in Pennsylvania, Smurl House

The story unfolds primarily in Western Pennsylvania, centered on the Smurl family home in West Pittston and the antique shop where the Warrens first encounter the Mirror Entity. The Smurls’ house becomes a focal point for escalating hauntings, with mirrors and spectral presence invading daily life. Nearby locations like the hospital where Judy is born and the Diocesan offices where help is sought anchor the tale in a real Pennsylvania setting.

  • 🎭 Haunted town
  • 🗺️ Pennsylvania setting

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:15

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3 major themes

The Conjuring: Last Rites Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Haunting

    A central thread is the malevolent Mirror Entity that corrupts spaces and taunts the living. The haunting destabilizes family life, reveals hidden fears, and escalates from minor strange occurrences to violent manifestations. The mirror becomes both a conduit and a weapon in the entities’ attack on the residents. The resolution hinges on recognizing the truth the spirits try to hide and breaking their hold.

  • Faith

    Religious faith and ritual play a key role in combating the supernatural. Lorraine and Ed lean on prayer and sacred practices, while Father Gordon’s involvement shows the limits and risks of spiritual intervention. The characters rely on belief to sustain hope when science or skepticism falter. The narrative frames faith as a source of strength in the face of fear.

  • Sacrifice

    The case exacts a heavy human cost, from the doctors’ warnings about Ed’s health to Father Gordon’s death amid his attempts to help. Personal relationships—between Judy and Tony, along with the Warrens’ long marriage—are tested by danger and the burden of bearing witness. The story emphasizes that confronting evil often requires personal courage and personal loss. The ending suggests a fragile, lasting commitment born from struggle.

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:15

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Character & theme questions

The Conjuring: Last Rites Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is The Conjuring: Last Rites set?

The film takes place primarily in Western Pennsylvania, centered on the town of West Pittston. Key locations include the Smurl family home, an antique shop where the Warrens first encounter the Mirror Entity, and local settings like the hospital and Diocesan offices where the family seeks help.

  • west pittston
  • pennsylvania
  • smurl house
  • setting
  • locations
Q2

What time period does The Conjuring: Last Rites cover?

The story unfolds across two time periods: 1964, when Lorraine Warren gives birth to Judy and first confronts the Mirror Entity, and 1986, when the Smurl family experiences their brutal public haunting. These two eras are connected through Judy, whose visions echo events from the past.

  • 1964
  • 1986
  • timeline
  • time period
  • era
Q3

What is the Mirror Entity in The Conjuring: Last Rites?

The Mirror Entity is a malevolent supernatural force that corrupts spaces through mirrors, acting as both a conduit and weapon against residents. It taunts the living, escalates from minor disturbances to violent manifestations, and hides a truth that must be uncovered to break its hold on the family.

Foreshadowing: The entity's connection to mirrors is established early when the Warrens encounter it in the antique shop.

  • mirror entity
  • demon
  • supernatural
  • haunting
  • malevolence
Q4

How does faith play into the story?

Faith and religious ritual serve as a key defense against the supernatural forces. Lorraine and Ed Warren rely on prayer and sacred practices, while Father Gordon administers religious rites. The narrative frames faith as essential for sustaining hope when scientific explanations fail, though it also shows the limits and dangers of spiritual intervention.

  • faith
  • religion
  • prayer
  • exorcism
  • spiritual warfare
  • father gordon
Q5

What are the main themes in The Conjuring: Last Rites?

The film explores three interconnected themes: haunting through the malevolent Mirror Entity that corrupts daily life; faith as a source of strength through prayer and religious ritual; and sacrifice, as the case takes a heavy human toll including death and strained relationships, with the ending suggesting lasting commitment born from struggle.

  • haunting
  • faith
  • sacrifice
  • themes
  • meaning
Q6

Who are the main characters in The Conjuring: Last Rites?

The central characters are paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, joined by the Smurl family: Janet and Jack Smurl and their children Judy, Heather, and Dawn. Also key are Tony Spera (Judy's partner), Father Gordon (the investigating priest), and the malevolent Mirror Entity itself.

  • ed warren
  • lorraine warren
  • smurl family
  • characters
  • cast
Q7

Who is Judy Smurl and why is she important?

Judy Smurl is the Smurl daughter who serves as the central link to the Mirror Entity's influence. Born in 1964, she grows up with foretelling visions that echo her mother's experiences. Her life remains entangled with the hauntings, and her experiences are what draw the Warrens back to Pennsylvania to assist the family decades later.

Foreshadowing: Judy's visions directly connect the 1964 timeline to the 1986 haunting events.

  • judy smurl
  • visions
  • clairvoyance
  • medium
Q8

What happens to Father Gordon in the film?

Father Gordon is a priest who personally investigates the Smurl case and administers religious rites. As the Mirror Entity intensifies its attacks, he becomes overwhelmed by the supernatural forces and dies in a tragic, self-inflicted act while attempting to help the family.

  • father gordon
  • priest
  • death
  • sacrifice
Q9

Does The Conjuring: Last Rites have a happy ending?

Despite the dark subject matter including suicide, possession, and intense spiritual warfare, the ending is hopeful. The evil is vanquished, the story concludes with Judy's wedding, and a vision of a positive future suggests the family's resilience. The darkness is balanced by familial and marital devotion.

  • ending
  • resolution
  • wedding
  • hope
  • conclusion
Q10

How are the two timelines connected?

The 1964 and 1986 timelines are connected through Judy Smurl. In 1964, Lorraine Warren gives birth to Judy while simultaneously confronting the Mirror Entity. Judy grows up with visions that echo from that past, and her experiences as an adult in 1986 draw the Warrens back to Pennsylvania, creating a narrative thread linking both eras.

  • timeline
  • 1964
  • 1986
  • connection
  • flashback

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Conjuring: Last Rites, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Conjuring: Last Rites tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Methodical Supernatural Thrillers like The Conjuring: Last Rites

Stories where faith and family are tested by methodically escalating demonic forces. If you liked the methodical pacing and strong emotional core of The Conjuring: Last Rites, you'll find more movies here with similar vibes. These supernatural thrillers feature a steady build of dread, high-stakes family drama, and a battle between good and evil that tests the characters' deepest convictions.

  • ominous
  • anxious
  • devotional
  • sinister
  • desperate
  • cerie
  • Tone: dark, ominous, devoted
  • Pacing: steady, escalating
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread typically follow a pattern of investigation and confrontation. A seemingly ordinary situation reveals sinister supernatural elements, leading to a methodical escalation of threats. The climax is a direct confrontation where the power of faith, love, or familial bonds becomes the key to vanquishing the darkness, often resulting in a hard-won but hopeful resolution.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here because they share a specific tonal balance: a dark and terrifying subject matter presented with a steady, investigative pace, all underpinned by a heavy emotional weight focused on protecting family. They deliver chills without sacrificing character depth.

Movies about Generational Curses like The Conjuring: Last Rites

Tales where a family's past sins manifest as a terrifying present-day haunting. Fans of The Conjuring: Last Rites who enjoy the theme of a haunting connected to family history will find similar movies here. These films explore how past sins and secrets can curse future generations, creating a deeply personal and investigative form of horror.

  • terrifying
  • inherited trauma
  • mysterious
  • desperate
  • cerie
  • sinister
  • Tone: sinister, somber, mysterious
  • Pacing: steady, investigative
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves uncovering a dark secret from the past that explains the present supernatural torment. The story often moves between timelines, revealing the origins of the curse. The protagonists must piece together the puzzle of their own lineage to find a way to break the cycle, making the horror emotionally resonant and personally urgent.

Why they belong together: These movies are connected by the core concept of a haunting that is a direct consequence of familial history. This elevates the horror from a simple ghost story to a mystery with profound emotional weight, as characters battle a evil that feels destined for them.

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Every angle

The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) Explained: Plot, Ending, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Conjuring: Last Rites in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning, the ending explained and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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