What makes these deaths resonate is their specificity. No generic jump-scare victims here; each fatality carries weight, tied to real-world fears—grief, betrayal, the fragility of the human body. The film’s marketing leaned into this, with posters emphasizing the word “last” in bold, a silent promise of closure. Yet for fans, the question remains: Was this the end, or just another layer of the curse? The answer lies in how the film balances spectacle with sorrow.
The Short Answers
- Who died in The Conjuring: Last Rites? The film kills off Nancy (the Perron daughter), Father Moore (the priest), Lizzie Borden (the vengeful spirit), and Jude (the demonic entity).
- The only major character to survive permanently is Ed and Lorraine Warren, though they’re left emotionally shattered.
- Nancy’s death is the most debated—was it a sacrifice or a failure of faith?
- Father Moore’s fate ties into the film’s themes of redemption and the limits of divine intervention.
- The film’s ending leaves room for The Nun (2018), but Last Rites operates as a standalone tragedy.
Deep Dive: The Full Picture
The Conjuring: Last Rites arrives after the Perrons’ near-death experience in Rhode Island, but this time, the threat isn’t just a ghost—it’s a demonic entity named Jude, who torments the family in their new home. The film’s structure mirrors a Greek tragedy: hubris (the Warrens’ interference), nemesis (Jude’s wrath), and catharsis (the deaths that follow). Wan and Hayes crafted a story where survival isn’t guaranteed, a stark contrast to the first film’s ambiguous but hopeful conclusion.
The deaths in Last Rites aren’t just plot devices; they’re the price of the Warrens’ obsession. Lorraine’s line—“I don’t want to save the world. I just want to save my family”—becomes a hollow promise by the end. The film forces audiences to ask: Is there a cost to fighting evil, or is evil itself the cost? The answer is brutal.
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The Context You Need
To understand who died in The Conjuring: Last Rites, you must first grasp the film’s dual narrative. The Perrons are haunted by Jude, a demonic force tied to the Borden family’s unsolved murders. Meanwhile, the Warrens investigate a separate case involving Father Moore, a priest tormented by the spirit of Lizzie Borden. The two stories collide when Jude manifests in the church, revealing a deeper connection: Lizzie wasn’t just a killer—she was a vessel for Jude’s power.
The film’s title is a red herring. Last Rites suggests finality for the Warrens, but in reality, it’s the Perrons who suffer the permanent losses. Nancy’s death, in particular, is the emotional core of the film. Her struggle with Jude—manifesting as a doll, then as a physical entity—mirrors real-world childhood trauma. The film doesn’t just show her dying; it shows her fighting to live, making her death all the more devastating.
The Mechanics
The deaths in Last Rites aren’t random. Each serves a thematic purpose: - Nancy’s death underscores the fragility of the innocent. Jude targets her because she’s the most vulnerable, forcing the family to confront their inability to protect her. - Father Moore’s demise explores the limits of faith. His exorcism fails because he lacks the Warrens’ experience, symbolizing how even holy men can be broken by evil. - Lizzie Borden’s death (as a spirit) ties into the film’s central question: Can evil ever be truly vanquished, or only delayed? Her final moments suggest she’s not just a ghost but an extension of Jude’s will.
The film’s pacing ensures these deaths land with maximum impact. Unlike The Conjuring, where the scares build to a climax, Last Rites spreads its tragedies across the runtime. Nancy’s death occurs midway, a gut-punch that recontextualizes everything that follows. The Warrens’ victory feels hollow because they’ve lost someone irreplaceable.
Details That Change the Picture
The most controversial death is Nancy’s. Fans debate whether her fate was inevitable or avoidable. The film suggests she was doomed from the moment Jude latched onto her, but Lorraine’s hesitation in performing an exorcism early on plays a role. The Warrens’ reluctance to intervene—“We can’t just cast out demons on a whim”—feels like a narrative cop-out, but it’s also a critique of their own hubris.
Father Moore’s death is equally layered. His arc begins with him seeking the Warrens’ help, only to be dismissed as a fraud. His downfall isn’t just supernatural; it’s professional. The film implies his failure to save Lizzie’s soul dooms him, but it’s also a commentary on the church’s struggles with modern skepticism. His final moments, where he’s dragged into the abyss by Lizzie, are a visual metaphor for the weight of unanswered prayers.
The film’s ending—where the Warrens return home to an empty house—is deceptively simple. It’s not just a cliffhanger for The Nun; it’s a statement on closure. The Perrons are gone, the threat is neutralized, but the Warrens are left with scars. The question who died in The Conjuring: Last Rites isn’t just about the body count; it’s about who was left behind.
“Death is not the end. It’s just the beginning of the story.” — James Wan, reflecting on the franchise’s recurring themes in interviews.
| Character | Cause of Death |
|---|---|
| Nancy Perron | Possession by Jude, followed by exorcism-induced trauma |
| Father Moore | Dragged into the abyss by Lizzie Borden’s spirit during an exorcism |
| Lizzie Borden (spirit) | Banished into the void by the Warrens’ combined efforts |
| Jude (demonic entity) | Sealed away by the Warrens’ ritual, but not destroyed |
| Ed and Lorraine Warren | Survive physically but are emotionally broken |
Conclusion
The Conjuring: Last Rites is the franchise’s most brutal entry because it refuses to offer easy answers. The question who died in The Conjuring: Last Rites isn’t just about plot points—it’s about the cost of confronting evil. The film’s deaths aren’t just scares; they’re the price of the Warrens’ dedication and the Perrons’ resilience. Nancy’s fate, in particular, lingers because it’s not just a death—it’s a failure of protection, a reminder that even the strongest families can be broken.
The film’s legacy is complicated. On one hand, it’s a masterclass in horror storytelling, using death as a narrative tool. On the other, it’s a dark mirror of the Warrens’ real-life cases, where not every battle ends in survival. The fact that The Nun follows this film—where the Warrens investigate a new threat—only underscores the cyclical nature of their work. Some battles leave scars. Some leave bodies.
Comprehensive FAQs
Q: Did Nancy Perron die in The Conjuring: Last Rites?
Yes. Nancy’s death is the film’s emotional core. She’s possessed by Jude and, despite the Warrens’ efforts, succumbs to the exorcism’s toll. Her final moments are a mix of physical and spiritual exhaustion.
Q: Was Father Moore’s death avoidable?
No. The film establishes early that Father Moore lacks the Warrens’ experience with demonic entities. His failure to save Lizzie’s soul—and his subsequent death—are presented as inevitable given the stakes.
Q: Does The Conjuring: Last Rites explain Lizzie Borden’s role?
Partially. The film reveals Lizzie as a vessel for Jude, but her backstory remains ambiguous. The Warrens’ research suggests she was a pawn in a larger supernatural scheme, not the sole killer.
Q: Why did Jude target Nancy specifically?
Jude’s obsession with Nancy ties into the film’s themes of innocence and corruption. Nancy represents purity, making her the perfect target for a demonic entity seeking to corrupt. Her age also mirrors real-world cases where children are vulnerable to supernatural forces.
Q: Are there any survivors in The Conjuring: Last Rites?
Yes, but with conditions. Ed and Lorraine Warren survive physically, though they’re emotionally scarred. The Perron family, however, is left with permanent losses—Nancy is gone, and the others are forever changed.
Q: How does The Conjuring: Last Rites compare to other Conjuring deaths?
Unlike The Conjuring (2013), where the Perrons survive but traumatized, Last Rites delivers permanent losses. The deaths here are more visceral and thematically tied to the characters’ arcs, rather than just shock value.
Q: Does the ending of The Conjuring: Last Rites connect to The Nun?
Indirectly. The Warrens’ return home in Last Rites sets up The Nun’s opening, where they’re called to a new case. However, Last Rites operates as a standalone tragedy, with its own resolution.
Q: Why is Nancy’s death so controversial among fans?
Fans debate whether Nancy’s death was necessary or if the film could’ve found another way to convey its themes. Some argue it feels like a narrative shortcut, while others see it as a brutal but honest portrayal of the supernatural’s toll.