This fourth “The Conjuring” movie claims to be “Last Rites,” and let’s hope that’s a promise. While it’s highly likely the wildly successful Conjuring Cinematic Universe itself will continue, whether that’s with a scary nun, creepy doll or some other cursed object, the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren has been thoroughly wrung dry at this point, and there’s no juice left to squeeze from this carcass, as demonstrated in the dirge that is “The Conjuring: Last Rites.”

Credit where it’s due: this horror franchise has turned in some spectacularly scary and entertaining horror films, anchored by performances from Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as the real-life married paranormal investigators the Warrens. Thanks to their presence, these films have been the best of "The Conjuring" series, exploring themes of vision and faith, seeing as believing when it comes to both God and the devil. These films have also offered portrayals of the Warrens that skirt any of their personal controversies, presenting them as blissfully married, heroic figures. On-screen text might claim that they were polarizing figures, but the films itself never engage with the real-life scandals.

The first two films, directed by James Wan, ingeniously engaged with the many themes of vision that these films tackle: physically, psychically and through a camera’s lens. Bravura cinematography aligned the audience point of view with Lorraine’s terrifying otherworldly visions of hauntings, possessions and demonic presence. Michael Chaves, who directed the spinoff “The Nun II” and “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” has mostly upheld these franchise requirements, though his approach is more bombastic than Wan’s elegant style.

Chaves is once again behind the camera for “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” with a script by Ian B. Goldberg, Richard Naing and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick that promises to deliver a final Warren case that devastated the family and ended their careers on a dark note. Instead, "Last Rites" is merely a sluggishly routine send-off for the Warren family.

If you’ve seen a "Conjuring" movie, you’ll know what to expect, and "Last Rites" doesn’t break with formula. While the film starts in 1964 with the harrowing birth of the Warren’s beloved daughter Judy, the plot largely takes place in 1986, wherein the misbegotten Smurl family from West Pittstown, Pennsylvania, has gotten themselves haunted thanks to an antique mirror adorned with three carved wooden baby heads, picked up from a swap meet. After a series of unfortunate events with things that go bump in the night, and increasingly violent visitations causing a media frenzy, the Warrens eventually manage to turn up to rid the house of creepy crawlies.

This time there’s the added complication of the Warren’s daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson), who is about to get married, but she just can’t shake those pesky psychic visions she inherited from her mother. She’s the one who ventures to the Smurl household first, and her parents, who had been hoping to hang up their ghost-hunting spurs, reluctantly join her for one last ride. Ax-swinging ghouls, terrifying baby dolls and demonic possession ensue.

Chaves isn’t so interested in making psychic vision manifest via a film camera — that’s been done before anyway. Ed Warren even leaves his own cameras at home, uninterested in documenting the Smurl haunting. In "Last Rites," the thematic metaphor for seeing is the mirror itself, suggesting that we need to look at the darkest, most terrifying parts of ourselves, and not shut it out. Lorraine has tried to protect her girl from the life she has led, facing down the most terrifying demons, ghosts and spooks, but she can’t stop Judy’s destiny, and the only way out is to not look away.

"Last Rites" extends the next generation idea by incorporating Judy’s fiance, Tony (Ben Hardy), as a new member of the family business. His function in the story is a bit awkward and random, but required for the Warren story to end on a high note (that opening bit about the family devastation never seems to come to pass).

The heart of these movies has always been Wilson and Farmiga, and without them, this franchise wouldn’t be worth it. With this fourth movie, the Warren lore has been so thoroughly picked over, the tropes and rhythms now so ingrained, the jump scares routine at best. With the dour drudgery of "Last Rites," it has never been more clear that it’s time to move on from their story, even as the memories of better installments linger.

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'THE CONJURING: LAST RITES'

2 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for bloody/violent content and terror)

Running time: 2:15

How to watch: In theaters Sept. 5

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