This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Patrick Wilson (left) and Vera Farmiga in a scene from "The Conjuring: Last Rights." Warner Bros. Pictures via AP

In “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” director Michael Chaves’ alleged concluding chapter to “The Conjuring” franchise (yeah, sure), the tireless demon hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, both excellent) take on a vile spirit with a strange connection to a cursed mirror they first encountered decades earlier.

Even scarier for the Warrens: their lovely daughter Judy (played by Mia Tomlinson) has brought her new boyfriend Tony (played by Ben Hardy) home to meet the parents, who are better equipped at performing an exorcism than greeting a potential suitor.

The formula remains the same, as there’s very little actual violence or gore, it’s just really, really scary. Whereas most horror films lean into torture and eviscerated bodies, these movies exploit primal fears by creating vivid, familiar environments, filled with likable characters you’ll actually root for.

This elevated haunted house genre began with the petrifying “Insidious” (2011) and continues here. Unlike any film with Amityville in the title, the “Conjuring” films are as classy as they are effective. Nevertheless, not to be outdone by “IT: Chapter Two” (2019), this has literal pools and geysers of blood. In case you’re wondering, the fourth in the series hasn’t gone soft. In fact, it’s scarier than “Weapons.”

Despite how many effective jump scares there are (I counted at least eight times I jolted in my seat), the secret ingredient has always been centering the story on characters worth caring about. I still love Wilson and Farmiga’s take on the Warren’s. Just as good are major scene stealers Tomlinson and Hardy — future installments ought to center around them.

“The Conjuring: Last Rites” is on par with the first and second in the series and a huge improvement over the dud of a third film. A missed opportunity was made in not including “The Nun.” However, Annabelle the doll (whose currently three solo films make a perfect, pulpy horror trilogy) has a number of dread-inducing appearances.

At 135 minutes, it’s a hair too long and definitely should have cut the scene in which Wilson and Hardy bond over table tennis during a family get-together (Why on Earth is there a table tennis scene match in an otherwise aggressively scary horror movie?).

One of the most hair-raising scenes takes place in broad daylight in an office building, an indication that we can never feel safe, and the filmmakers do what they can to make this an unpredictable as possible. Still, the durable screenplay of “Poltergeist” (1982) continues to be pillaged, and the central concept of a haunted mirror was better explored in “Oculus” (2013) and even the wonky “Poltergeist III” (1988).

The period-correct needle drops are wonderful, particularly a clever use of Howard Jones’ “Things Can Only Get Better” (“… and do you feel scared? I do!”). Once you get to the thrilling, all-stops-out grand finale, the logic has gone out the window (exactly who the ultimate big bad villain is becomes unclear) but the film hits a visceral and emotional peak. In other words, turn the knob for your thinking abilities way down and enjoy the ride.

Despite a running time in need of a shaper edit, “The Conjuring: Last Rites” is a real grabber, continuing its franchise reputation for managing to be truly frightening but still refreshingly old school. The worst you could say is that this “true story” is impossible to take seriously upon reflection (on the drive home, I recalled lots of logic gaps). The best thing about it? The “Conjuring” films have consistently been classier and more accomplished than most mainstream films in the genre.

Will this be the last in “The Conjuring” series? Absolutely not. Remember, the fourth edition of “Friday the 13th” was subtitled “The Final Chapter” (1984), and there were eight more after that. I wouldn’t be surprised if this franchise similarly goes the distance. If Wilson and Farmiga hang up the ’70s outfits and Holy Water, it’d be wise to pass the honor onto the next generation and keep this going. There’s also Annabelle, though I hear what she really wants to do is direct.

(Three out of four stars)

Barry Wurst II is the founder of the Hawaii Film Critics Society and teaches film classes at University of Hawai’i Maui College.