The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is the third in the series, and the latest installment in the Conjuring Universe (boy, how the hell have they gone this long without giving this franchise a proper name?). Michael Chaves takes over the director’s chair this time around instead of James Wan, and he works off a script by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. Taking place in the early 80s in Brookfield, Connecticut, we open with Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) in the middle of an exorcism with a young boy, David Glatzel (Julian Hilliard). The exorcism seems to go well, but at the expense of Arne Johnson (Ruairi O’Connor) inviting the demon, which only Ed witnesses, but not before having a heart attack that puts him in the hospital.
Arne begins experiences strange and horrific visions, and one day, in the middle of one of these visions, he kills his landlord, stabbing him 22 times. The prosecutor intends on going for the death penalty, but the Warrens convince the lawyer to plead not guilty by reason of demonic possession. The Warrens believe this isn’t just a typical possession, since they discover a totem under the Glatzels’ home, which has placed a curse on the boy, and then transferred to Arne. They are forced to find out who is responsible for placing the curse in the first place before it causes Arne to take his own life while he’s in custody.
The big change in this film, compared to the previous two, is that it’s not so much a haunted house or possession film as much as it is a full blown investigative thriller combined with a straight up satanic panic film, which makes sense given the time period that this story takes place in. While I’m sure some might not be a fan of the change in formula, but I think it’s a good way to shake things up, and what helps is that it never loses focus on what makes these films so strong – the characters, particularly the relationship between the Warrens. James Wan, in collaboration with Wilson and Farmiga, have managed to create this incredibly charming and loving couple that I’ve become really invested with over the past two films. At this point, I don’t really care what they’re up to as long as I get to spend more time with them.
If there is a noticeable downgrade, it is with the direction by Michael Chaves. Don’t get me wrong, he is by no means a bad filmmaker, his direction in The Curse Of La Llorona was hardly the big problem with that film. He’s competent, and that’s totally fine. However, having revisited the first two, this new entry lacks a lot of the visual wit and inventiveness that James Wan brought to the table. Wan is at heart, a total showman, and he loves to play with his audience, and use the camera in fun and interesting ways. Chaves is nowhere that level of a filmmaker, his work here is solid, it does the job, but aside from a few touches here and there, he doesn’t make much of an impression.
Thankfully, while Chaves might not be the biggest visual stylist, he knows how to hone in on the strengths of the script, and getting the best out of his actors. The film moves with the rhythm of a procedural format, giving out information piece by piece as the Warrens get closer to finding out what is really going on. There’s not even any side-monster brought in to setup their own spin-off. Because of this change, it might take a while to really get in the groove, since the pacing is a touch more patient. And while I am not super aware of all the details of the real case, I can’t help but feel this film has taken the most creative liberties out of all these, turning the Warrens into full blown superheroes, with the opening sequence being just as bombastic as the climaxes of previous films, and the presence of a human villain who is basically the evil version of Lorraine (played very well by Eugenie Bondurant). But hey, I don’t go into these films for realism.
I can’t help it, I just really dig these movies. The films of the Conjuring Universe, with the exception of the first Annabelle and The Curse Of La Llorona, have all delivered really exciting and entertaining films, upping the standards of studio horror, and the Warrens bring a lot of heart and soulfulness to the main series. Yes, these folks in real life were most definitely scam artists, and these cases are a bunch of hoaxes, but I’m perfectly capable of separating the reality of these people and the fantasy of these movies, as I’m sure most reasonable adults could. I just don’t see how this is any different, or somehow more harmful, from the way Hollywood glorifies or misrepresent individuals who are far more historically significant than these two. The Warrens, as realized in these films, could easily be placed among the best movie couples, and the first two films are – to me – unquestionable all-timers, and also, in a sort of roundabout way, the best movies about faith to come out of Hollywood not directed by Martin Scorsese. The Devil Made Me Do It is not on the same level of the previous films, but it has a lot to like. It features a strong supporting turn from John Noble, Drew (Shannon Kook) has more to do than he did in the other two films, the set-pieces are unnerving and tense, I found myself invested in the relationship between Arne and Debbie Glatzel (Sarah Catherine Hook), and of course, Wilson and Farmiga are as terrific as ever – the final beat in the film between them left me genuinely misty-eyed. I had a really great time with this, and whether the next one will be another change in formula, or if they go back to basics, I will definitely be there for it.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is now out in theaters and HBO Max for 31 days.