The emotions have better spirits than the demons do.

It’s 1986, and Ed and Lorraine Warren would be asked by a student of theirs: “So are you guys like Ghostbusters?” Their answer: “No, but we saw the movie.” Now that’s a snappy comeback.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles of Ed and Lorraine (and remember, they were real people) in “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” which has a better subtitle and consistencies than the last movie “The Devil Made Me Do It.” I watched it last night and I needed to sleep on my opinion of it. I’ve grown tired of the demons trying to cater to a mainstream audience, especially since “Weapons” has been able to win them over last month. But I haven’t with the emotional weight placed in the characters, especially when the Warrens almost lost their daughter Judy as a stillborn baby.

As the sequel begins, the Warrens are taking a hiatus from their demon battles to focus more on their personal lives. Ed had a heart attack and must eat healthier. And Judy (Mia Tomlinson) continues to struggle to erase whatever apparition haunts her from existence. Maybe Tony (Ben Hardy), her boyfriend of 6 months, popping the question to her can help her. Or maybe not.

The evil artifact, this time, is a mirror, which Lorraine saw when she was pregnant, becomes cracked a little bit, has wooden faces on top, and ends up in the possession of the Snarl family in Pennsylvania. It was to celebrate a daughter’s first communion, and even after the two eldest daughters dispose of it, the family is still haunted by whatever is possessing them. And given their big family, they can’t afford to leave. So what’s a family to do? Maybe the Warrens can help. Gee, I haven’t seen a concept about an investigator coming out of retirement to solve a case in a sequel since “A Haunting in Venice” two years ago.

But Ed and Lorraine aren’t alone, but their daughter and future son-in-law are both willing to help. And maybe it could allow Judy to fight her demons. So, let’s kill two birds with one stone.

There are demons who come in the form of creepy old ladies and axe killers, which seem desperate to keep the young movie goers from being bored. And the plot with the family of girls being victimized by them feels like the first movie being recycled, even if it is based on true paranormal activity. But there are moments worth seeing with the leads and there are attractive images that resemble the sequel’s creepy tone. Sometimes it feels like Lorraine dealing with the flooded elevator in “The Shining,” sometimes it wants to go for that “Meet the Parents” approach, sometimes it wants to make its young female characters smarter than what was displayed in “Clown in a Cornfield” or “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” and sometimes it feels like it wants to atone for the sins of the last entry.

The director is Michael Chaves, who “Conjuring” universe repertoire consists of “The Curse of La Llorona,” “The Devil Made Me Do It,” and “The Nun 2,” all of which displeased me. But “Last Rites” finally gives him a sense of direction, because it’s more concerned about the paranormal investigators and the people in their lives than it is about the demons. I was actually moved by the emotions presented in them, especially with how their past comes back to haunt them. And Farmiga and Tomlinson are both good at displaying them.

There are moments when we see evil versions of the Warrens in the mirror, and this is said to be the last entry of the Warren’s story. I’m sure there are going to be other entries in “The Conjuring” universe,” which I’m not too hopeful for. So I guess the subtitle “Last Rites” makes more sense than “The Conjuring: Through the Looking Glass.”