The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

The Conjuring:
The Devil Made Me Do It
Starring Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ruairi O'Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook
Directed by Michael Chaves

For as long as I can remember I've been fascinated with the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren. Ed was a demonologist while his wife Lorraine was a clairvoyant, and together they investigated a multitude of mysterious and supernatural events, most notably the Amityville horror, but has also investigated a slew of other, lesser known cases. Horror maestro director James Wan finally decided to give the Warrens the big screen treatment with the 2013 "The Conjuring," and the result was nothing short of horror movie magic: one of the most terrifying, intense, suspenseful horror movies in recent memory, telling the story of the Perron family and the ghosts that haunted their home. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga transformed into Ed and Lorraine Warren, and their chemistry was instantaneous. They returned in 2016 with "The Conjuring 2," as they investigated the haunted house in Enfield, England, and again the film was filled with tense excitement and truly frightening scares. "The Conjuring" then spun off into different, non-Warren related stories centering around the demonic doll Annabelle, the creepy Nun, and the curse of La Llorona, but nothing compared to the original home base series, and after a long time we finally got the third "Conjuring" film. While it strayed significantly from its predecessors, it still maintained the heart of the franchise due to the truly committed performances of Farmiga and Wilson.

In 1981, Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) Warren investigated the supposed demonic possession of young David Glatzel (Julian Hilliard), and participated in an intense exorcism which resulted in the demon leaving David and entering Arne Johnson (Ruairi O'Connor), the boyfriend of David's sister Debbie (Sarah Catherine Hook), who pleaded with the demon to spare David and enter him instead. Days later, the demon manifested within Arne, leading him to brutally murder his landlord Bruno Sauls (Ronnie Gene Blevins). The Warrens come to his aid and tells his lawyer that Arne didn't kill the man because he was possessed by the devil, which the lawyer agreed and pleaded his case before the court.

As Arne remained in prison being tormented by the demon, the Warrens begin their investigation to prove that it really was the devil, and discovers that David was placed under a curse by a satanic cult that has ties to other mysterious cases, and they know if they can find the occultist then they might be able to save Arne from the death penalty - but the occultist (Eugenie Bondurant) has other plans for the Warrens, placing their own lives in danger.

As it goes with pretty much every true story put to film, there's a lot of liberties taken in "The Devil Made Me Do It" to make it more exciting and terrifying, and I went into the film with that knowledge - as well as knowledge of the real-life case of Arne Johnson, the first defendant in American history to use the defense of demonic possession. It's fascinating that in other countries, the concept of the supernatural and spiritual practically co-exists with the real world, and it's almost commonplace. However, in America, the idea of demons, ghosts, and possessions are seen as fantasy, something created by overactive imaginations, and are actively dismissed in most social and intellectual circles. So to form an entire legal defense around possession was absolutely unheard of, and was met with a lot of criticism (especially for the Warrens, who participated in a heated interview to try to plead their case for demonic possession as a legitimate defense), and especially so since the event happened in the early 80s, back when the Satanic Panic movement really started to take root.

In the 1980s, there was media mass hysteria concerning everything demonic, since the 60s and 70s saw a rise in occult practices and the likes of the Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey, resulting in numerous human sacrifices that elevated the religion of Satanism to the worldwide conscious. The 80s was the height of this panic, with parents concerned that their children would get involved in such practices due to listening to "deviant" music and watching "witching" movies that would allow Satan a foothold into their lives. It's during this time that the case of Arne Johnson began, so it wasn't too farfetched to think that the public conscious would be concerned with a supposedly possessed teen committing brutal murder.

While I was hoping "Devil" would focus more on the case and the Warrens' investigation into it, director Michael Chaves (who directed the abysmal, terrible, utterly unforgivable "Conjuring" spin-off "The Curse of La Llorona") instead focused more on the relationship between Ed and Lorraine Warren, which is always a treat since Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson have such natural chemistry it's almost like they're really married, but he also delves more into fantastical, off-the-wall events that never happened in the real case to bring about more tension and scares. Again, this is typical for a movie based on a real life event, but they should've focused more on the case and allowing the public to debate whether or not demonic possession should be used as a defense rather than keeping Arne and his story on the backburner.

"Devil" sets itself apart from the other "Conjuring" films in that it doesn't focus on a haunted house, but rather delves into a mysterious cult and a real, flesh-and-blood villain that the Warrens need to track down. This doesn't take away from the supernatural aspect, as Lorraine and the Occultist duel multiple times on the astral plane which is exciting, but tonally different from other parts of the film. Some moments it feels like an episode of "Forensic Files" (especially with a side story focusing on two missing girls that could have ties to the Johnson case, but never really happened in real life), mixed in with the now tried-and-true scares of the "Conjuring" universe (you pretty much expect by now to be scared when the music dies off and the character sees something in the darkness, or has to crawl inside a claustrophobic-ridden room, and the like). It's fascinating to see the entire product come together, but with the light of the other "Conjuring" films surrounding it, makes it feel devoid of the constant scares that you'd come to expect.

Still, the goodwill of Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson more than hold, as they once again tether the natural with the supernatural in a way that's endearing, emotional, and filled with heartfelt performances. Again, their chemistry is so palpable that you'd fully expect them to actually BE Ed and Lorraine Warren, so seeing them on screen is a welcoming presence in what would've otherwise been a bland detective story with seemingly episodic moments.

Taking a new turn in the "Conjuring" universe, "The Devil Made Me Do It" blends the classic "Conjuring" thrills with an intriguing investigation, once again rooted in the committed performances of Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as they endure another terrifying adventure into the unknown.

The Score: A-