The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

Directed by: Michael Chaves | 112 minutes | horror | Actors: 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

It’s a special thing to watch a horror film that opens with the iconic words ‘based on a true story’. ‘The Conjuring’ franchise has been doing it for three movies. This series is inspired by the stories of Ed and Lorraine Warren who claim to be in paranormal worlds and have to do with exorcisms and demonic puppets. Truth or not, the stories have produced some very entertaining horror films. Especially ‘The Conjuring 2’ was a highlight in the genre. Director James Wan perfected his carefully constructed suspense and had his audience jump out of their seats a few times. After two parts, the filmmaker called it quits, because he was working on another project. While Wan focused on ‘Aquaman 2’, director Michael Chaves took the credit. Enter ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’.

In ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) are invited to investigate a bizarre murder case in which a man was killed with 22(!) stabbing. A young killer claims to be innocent of a murder he did commit. He says he was mentally ill when it happened. The devil had taken possession of him. It’s up to the Warren couple to prove that this demonic takeover is the truth.

The murder actually happened and the Warrens have been investigating the paranormal. Enough input for a great horror movie! Unfortunately, this third part is a lot less strong than previous parts. This is purely due to Chaves’ poor directing. The man behind the deadly boring ‘The Curse of La Llorona’ again fails to generate tension and uses silly tricks. So jumpscares. By suddenly turning the sound very loud and by letting something loom up from the darkness, he hopes to raise the hairs on the neck. So that doesn’t work.

The only reason this movie is enjoyable is Farmiga and Wilson’s acting. This duo is well attuned to each other and knows how to portray the Warrens in a sympathetic way. You like to follow them on their witty adventures. The chemistry between this couple lasts and forms the beating heart of this film. A lot of inside information is expected about this case. To the layman, this remains a strangely told film. For example, nothing is said about the lawsuit itself and why the defendant actually got away with the defense that the devil took possession of him. You have to make do with a line of text stating that the suspect had to grumble for five years and then was released.

What is also special is that the so-called ‘true events’ are alternated with pure fiction. What is real and what comes out of the big thumb remains a mystery. That makes ‘The Conjuring’ franchise – which apparently also includes the folklore of ‘The Curse of La Llorona’ and the fantasy of the ‘Annabelle’ trilogy – a downright dubious series. To what extent can you still consider this series as a series based on reality? Anyway. There could have been a lot more in this movie. In its current form it is a nice horror film that mainly relies on the acting and not on the scary moments.