The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
Image source: Google

Ratings: 3/5

Duration: 01 Hr 52 Mins

Language: English

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Director: Michael Chaves

Writer: David Leslie, Johnson-McGoldrick, James Wan

Producers: Richard Brener, Michael Clear, Will Greenfield, Michelle Morrissey, Dave Neustadter, Victoria Palmeri, Peter Safran, Judson Scott, James Wan

Music: Joseph Bishara

Cinematography: Michael Burgess

Editing: Peter Gvozdas, Christian Wagner

Art Direction: Rachel Block, Peter Borck, Julian Scalia

Release Date:  04 June 2021 (USA)

Streaming: HBO Max

Star Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O'Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, Julian Hilliard, John Noble, Eugenie Bondurant, Shannon Kook, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Keith Arthur Bolden, Steve Coulter, Vince Pisani, Ingrid Bisu, Andrea Andrade, Ashley LeConte Campbell, Sterling Jerins, Paul Wilson, Charlene Amoia, Davis Osborne, Nicholas Massouh, Stella Doyle, Megan Ashley Brown, Mitchell Hoog, Jimmy Gonzales, Franco Castan, Mark Rowe, Chris Greene, Lindsay Ayliffe, Zele Avradopoulos, Jacinte Blankenship, Robert Walker Branchaud, Jay Peterson, Kaleka, James William Ballard, April Carroll, Lydia Castro, Regina Ting Chen, Marc Demeter, Steven I. Dillard, Payson Durant, Elijah Everett, Erin Fasano, Casey Hendershot, Bryson JonSteele, Jay D. Kacho, Jeannie Ledford, Rebecca Lines, Trey McGriff, Brandon Parker, Petey Staxx, Mason Pike, Beth Pilgreen, David Lee Poe Jr., Ryan L. Price, Shawn Weston Thacker, Jaclyn White

Plot: ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ takes us back into the lives of the married investigators of the paranormal, the Warren. This time to investigate a terrible and chilling news case in the small town of Brookfield, linked to the never-before-seen demonic possession that shocked the United States of America.

The film is based on a 1981 case, during which the defendant, Arne Cheyenne Johnson, claimed he was innocent of the murder because at the time he stabbed his victim, he was possessed by demons. This was the first known court case in the United States where the defendant sought to prove their innocence by claiming demonic possession, to deny responsibility for the crime.

In Brookfield, Connecticut, Arne Cheyenne Johnson murdered his landlord, Alan Bono (in the film, he is renamed Bruno Sauls) with no recollection of doing it. Arne Cheyenne Johnson claimed that a demon took possession of his body, while he was trying to help another family, The Glatzels, expel a demon out of their son, David.

Review: ‘The Conjuring’ movies, a series of supernatural horror films depicting alleged real-life cases, have delivered big box-office dollars and loads of scares for audiences since 2013. The latest of the films centres on a Connecticut killing that took place 40 years ago.

This chilling story of terror, murder, and unknown evil shocked even the experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga). It was one of the most sensational cases from their files that started with a fight for the soul of a young boy, and then takes them beyond, to mark the first time in U.S. history - where a murder suspect claimed demonic possession as a defence.

A documentary about the case will start streaming on June 11 on Discovery +, ‘Shock Docs: The Devil Made Me Do It.’

If the film had been thrown on the judicial side, it would have been very interesting but would have gone too far from the line of this franchise, and that would have made it boring. On the contrary, based on flashbacks achieved with the power of Lorraine's medium and subsequent investigations, 'The Warren File: Forced by the Demon' becomes a narrative with police and satanic flavour. This is perhaps the movie that most strays from the dynamics of the entire Warren universe but still manages to be one of the best!

The 'Warren File' movies have always been out of the norm, infusing us with terror and scares in a different way, and that made director James Wan famous. After the great and painstaking work done by the acclaimed director for the two previous chapters of the saga, which had a huge global success in the mainstream Horror universe, the direction for this new chapter of the saga was passed on to another filmmaker expert of the genre, Micheal Chaves. He has handled the shocks in an effective though perfunctory manner. The main change, however, which differentiates this latest work from the previous ones, is the use of the inevitable jump scare.

Also, director Michael Chaves stages the murder scene entirely from Arne Cheyenne Johnson’s warped perspective, and we watch as the young man is confused and terrified as the evil forces inside him twist his perception and torment him into committing the terrible deed. It is effective, disturbing stuff, but you also can’t help but watch it and remember that a real murder happened here. The script changes the murder victim’s name, presumably to avoid offending anyone.

The murder is one of several creepy set pieces that Michael Chaves handles well here. The most memorable involves the Warrens on an after-hours trip to the morgue where the corpses are restless and the lights have a bad habit of turning off just when the Warrens need them – it is a delightfully spooky scene that will make you squirm.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return to their roles as the Warrens, while Ruairi O’Connor, John Noble, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Julian Hilliard round out the cast.

Central to everything are Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren, and it’s their performances, as is the case with all of the other main Conjuring movies, that make this movie so enjoyable.

The film is nicely cinematographed by Michael Burgess with the deepest black shadows and richly warm hues. The one who has remained in the saga is Joseph Bishara in charge of the soundtrack. His music, accompanied by sound effects, takes us into an adventure that is sometimes frenetic and sometimes terrifyingly tense. Also, it is worth staying through the credits where the real recording of the 8 years old boys’ exorcism is played, leaving an unsettling aftertaste from what has gone before.

Overall, ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ performs very well as a sequel, it provides all the elements expected by fans of the saga, which are part of its DNA, but at the same time raises alternatives to Warren's adventures. Hence, the film is crowd-pleasing, hair-raising horror. Say your prayers and buckle up!