Pop Culture Happy Hour – "The Conjuring: Last Rites And What's Making Us Happy"

Date: September 5, 2025
Host: Stephen Thompson
Guests: Aisha Roscoe, Netta Ulaby

Episode Overview

This episode of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour dives into the latest—and purported last—installment of the Conjuring horror franchise, "The Conjuring: Last Rites". The panel, consisting of Stephen Thompson, Aisha Roscoe, and Netta Ulaby, discusses the film’s merits, flaws, and cultural context. They explore the religious underpinnings of the series, ethical questions around its "based on a true story" claims, and its emotional resonance. As always, the show wraps up with each host sharing what’s making them happy this week.

Main Discussion: "The Conjuring: Last Rites"

1. Series Background and Setup

• The Conjuring franchise is centered on real-life demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, played in the films by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson.
• "Last Rites" presents the pair as near retirement, reluctantly drawn into one final supernatural case involving a haunted mirror and a beset family in Pennsylvania.
  [00:27-02:19]

2. Panelist Impressions

Aisha Roscoe: Unabashed Fan

• "I loved it. Okay, let's just get it out of the way. I loved it." (Aisha Roscoe, 02:52)
• She’s seen all the prior films, appreciates their formula, and found this entry surprisingly touching and nostalgic.
• Enjoyed the film’s callbacks to earlier installments and was genuinely moved:
  • "At the end of this movie, the person beside me was crying...I was not the only one moved up in there." (03:52)

Netta Ulaby: Appreciative but Critical

• Acknowledges the franchise’s significance: “It’s the most lucrative horror movie series in history.” (04:51)
• Finds the early entries stronger; sees the recent films as “okay.”
• Notes many horror fans’ "ethical dubiety" about the real-life Warrens, ready to dive into those concerns.
• Praises the lead performances:
  • “The performance of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga is truly, I think, the strongest thing that the Conjuring franchise has going for it. They should win Academy Awards.” (08:03, 08:13)

Stephen Thompson: Disengaged but Reflective

• Found the pacing "so slow," and generic in its horror elements:
  • “I was kind of bored with the structure of the film.” (06:11)
• Critiques the lack of metaphorical or deeper meaning:
  • “Nothing they’re facing feels like it’s much of a metaphor for anything…beyond the typical fear of demonic possession.” (07:18)
• Raises concerns about the "credulous" portrayal of the Warrens and the problematic blending of fact and fiction.
• Reluctant about how skeptics are vilified:
  • “Skeptics themselves are treated in these movies certainly like obstacles and at best, kind of misguided fools…As a person who is fairly skeptically inclined, I do not enjoy being made the villain of your horror movie.” (10:39)

3. Religious & Ethical Conversations

The Series as Christian Superhero Narrative

• Aisha: “It is a Christian superhero story with crosses and the Bible and Jesus. Where else do you see that in popular culture on such a huge scale?” (08:21)
• The panel discusses how the films occupy a surprisingly conservative space in horror, overtly centered on faith and religious iconography.

Catholic Context and Real-World Parallels

• Netta Ulaby brings in external reporting:

  • Shares insights from horror novelist Grady Hendrix regarding the post-Vatican II Catholic context, arguing that the Warrens’ real-life narrative was in part a conservative response to Church changes.
    • “Ed Warren was among that kind of Catholic who felt that Vatican II had made the church too liberal and that one of the things...was fight the devil.” (09:30)

• Aisha: Observes how the Vatican II changes are echoed in the film’s portrayal:

  • “The church is often standing in the way of the Warrens doing the work.” (10:25)

4. Thematic and Cultural Resonances

Family and Nostalgia

• Aisha:
  • “Whereas I will say conjuring is not that. It's not a deep exploration of why people believe or don't. It is really about—it's almost like the Fast and the Furious. Cause it's about family.” (12:10)
• Netta:
  • Interviewed Michael Chavs (director), who wanted to capture the "feeling of a working class family...that just...can't quite get ahead. And that feeling of kind of just dreadful anxiety, I think that's really palpable today as it was in the 70s.” (13:13)
• The depiction of Pennsylvania evokes 1970s/80s nostalgia, reminiscent of “Stranger Things”:
  • “It's very gray there. It's so gray...they were such a happy family.” (14:03, 14:39)

Horror as Metaphor for Modern Anxieties

• Netta:

  • Compares the haunted house to how the Internet infiltrates family lives:
    • “We are surrounded by these powerful forces unseen that live in our walls, that whisper to us, that tell us narratives, that cause us great anxiety...” (14:39)

• Stephen:

  • Admits this metaphor helps the films make more sense to him:
    • “Wow, Netta, you just made these films make so much more metaphorical sense to me.” (15:18)

Universal Language of Horror

• Netta: Quotes a Japanese horror novelist:
  • “We do not know when the mouse laughs, but we know when the mouse is frightened.” (15:51)

5. Issues with the "True Story" Framing

• Stephen: Upset by the film’s “based on a true story” posture:
  • “...based on a true story of it all really rubs me the wrong way.” (15:54)
• Aisha & Netta: Agree the marketing and storytelling don’t really depend on the truth claim anymore:
  • “Did they really need to have that element of it?...It's not about just being able to say, oh, based on a true story. I don't know that that's why anyone even likes the conjuring.” (16:19-16:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Aisha Roscoe (on emotional impact):
  “At the end of this movie, the person beside me was crying...I was not the only one moved up in there.” (03:52)

• Netta Ulaby (on franchise strength):
  "The performance of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga is truly, I think, the strongest thing that the Conjuring franchise has going for it." (08:03)

• Aisha Roscoe (on genre):
  "It's a Christian superhero story with crosses and the Bible and Jesus. And I'm like, where else do you see that in popular culture on such a huge scale?" (08:21)

• Netta Ulaby (on internet as haunting metaphor):
  “...using the Internet as a bit of a metaphor, we are surrounded by these powerful forces unseen that live in our walls...that are listening to us, that seem to cause relatives sometimes to say the most horrible things.” (14:39)

• Netta Ulaby (on horror’s universal appeal):
  “We do not know when the mouse laughs, but we know when the mouse is frightened.” (15:51)

• Stephen Thompson (on the film's ethical treatment of skeptics):
  “As a person who is fairly skeptically inclined, I do not enjoy being made the villain of your horror movie.” (10:39)

Key Timestamps

• 00:27-02:19: Introduction and film premise
• 02:52-04:49: Aisha’s positive review and emotional moments
• 04:51-06:11: Netta's mixed review, franchise context, and ethical issues
• 06:11-08:03: Stephen’s critique of structure and metaphors
• 08:21-09:15: Christian superhero framing
• 09:27-10:25: Catholic history and post-Vatican II context
• 10:39-12:14: Skepticism, faith, and family themes
• 13:13-14:39: Director’s intent, nostalgia, and working-class anxieties
• 14:39-15:51: Internet metaphor and universality of horror
• 15:54-16:34: Frustration with "based on true story" marketing

What's Making Us Happy This Week

[19:34-23:43]

Aisha Roscoe

• Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Animated Movie)
  • “It's just like a fun thing...If you like superheroes and you just like, you know, turtles that eat a lot of pizza...turn it on, rent this and have some fun. Cause life is dark.” (19:41)

Netta Ulaby

• Fangs and Twang (Local Michigan band)
  • “They fuse Gothic, horror, cryptozoology, classic rock, Americana and outlaw country...Their songs have names like Undead and Unwed and Jesus Drove a Wooden Cross Through My Heart.” (20:50)

Stephen Thompson

• Ivy’s posthumous album “Traces of Youf”
  • “The songs are lovely and bittersweet...a fine way to celebrate the legacy of a dearly missed genius that is Ivy and their new album Traces of youf.” (22:40)

Final Thoughts

This episode offers a vibrant mix of unabashed fan enthusiasm, sharp cultural analysis, and playful banter. Whether you’re a horror diehard, a skeptic, or simply Conjuring-curious, the discussion provides insight into why this franchise endures, where it falters, and what it reflects about our anxieties, faith, and pop culture tastes.

For more recommendations and show notes, visit NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour online.