The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

Director - Michael Chaves (The Curse of la Llorona, Worst Date Ever)

Starring - Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring, Watchmen), Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters), and Ruairi O'Connor (The Postcard Killings, Handsome Devil)

Release Date - 2021

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Based on the shocking true story of demonic possession"

Format - Theatrical

Rating (out of 5):

     As a horror fan I find myself often getting extremely excited over indie new releases a lot more than I do for theatrical releases.  I love a good popcorn flick but indie horror has more passion and creativity.  However, I'm a huge fan of The Conjuring and it's sequel.  I'm not so much a fan of the spin offs but I do like the fact that they are expanding on the stories.  I was in the theater the weekend both The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2 premiered and I didn't want to skip that experience when it was announced that the third film would be getting a theatrical release.  I know I could have watched it at home with HBO Max but I really wanted to check it out in a theater considering it had been over a year since my last theatrical trip.  Before anyone comes at me in the comments, I am fully vaccinated.    

     The film follows husband and wife Ed (Wilson) and Lorraine (Farmiga) Warren who is helping with the exorcism of a little boy when a family friend Arne (O'Connor) invites the demon into himself.  Ed suffers a massive heart attack and collapses while everyone thinks the ordeal is over.  Arne returns to his home, a room at a boarding house for animals, where he kills the owner.  Now the Warrens must prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that Arne was possessed by a demon in order to stop him from getting the death penalty.  

     The Devil Made Me Do It was better than the other films in The Conjuring universe but it was the weakest in The Conjuring trilogy.  As a stand alone film it was decent but when compared with to the first two films it's a huge disappointment and nowhere near as good as them.  I liked it but it did come up short.  The acting in this one is fantastic.  This series is carried by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga and it wouldn't be the same without them.  They are what makes these three films so enjoyable.  The Warrens in real life were leaches that preyed on the mentally ill and gullible.  However, as characters in the series they do an amazing job at creating characters that are enjoyable and likable.  It's almost a crime that you like them so much considering how controversial the real life inspirations are.  The supporting cast is just as fun.  We get some returning faces and new characters introduced.   I can see a few of these characters making a return in future sequels.  The story for this one takes a deep dive into the occult which is something I'm all for while getting into one of the biggest cases the Warrens worked.  The demonic murder committed by Arne Johnson has inspired numerous films and novels with Kevin Bacon starring as him in a made for television from the early 90s.  It's very interesting and historical to an extent but as a skeptic it's easy for me to call horseshit on the entire thing.  With that being said, I did enjoy the occult and witchcraft aspect that we get especially when you compare it to the more supernatural and religious aspect of the first two films.  It's a welcomed change of pace.  However, the film lacked that dark and claustrophobic atmosphere that the previous films deliver.  The haunted house tension and dark atmosphere is what made the first two films so much fun.  The film shares directors with The Curse of la Llorona and that film lacked the deadly atmosphere as well.  Finally, the film has a lot of blood but don't expect gore.  We get some fun practical effects that work with the gags but we also get some very rushed visual effects that did take away from the overall film.  Some of the visuals were so bad I couldn't help but laugh.  Overall, The Devil Made Me Do It may be better than some of the spin off films but it's the weakest in the main story arch of the Warrens. I enjoyed it but I would rather spend my time watching the first two films.