Has the titular horror universe run out of steam? Or is the third time the charm? Found out with my The Conjuring 3 Review!
Before we jump into the review, I’ll be trying to cover the movie as spoiler-free as possible!
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is a supernatural horror film directed by Michael Chaves instead of the usual James Wan. However, Wan still returned for writing.
It is the eigth installment in the universe, and as usual – Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as the paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
The film is inspired by the infamous real life The Devil Made Me Do It trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson. For those unaware, it was a murder case which took place in 1981 Connecticut.
I was skeptical at first of the change in director, especially considering Michael Chaves previous film was The Curse of La Llarona (2019). After all, The Conjuring is James Wan’s baby.
That being said, my worries were eased after the first few scenes. The first 10 minutes of The Devil Made Me Do It is perhaps the best in the entire franchise. The cinematography and imagery are amazing.
I think the change in director was a great way to add a new perspective and breath of fresh air to the movies.
Whilst being a horror movie at its core, The Devil Made Me Do It does an amazing job at blending in elements of crime and thriller. It goes beyond the franchise’s overplayed haunted house roots.
This movie has me really excited for the future of the franchise, as they’ve really expanded the scope.
I feel like this movie was also a big step up in the sound design department. Instead of just turning up the volume for jump scares, they put more thought into the actual sounds. There was good build-up and it felt deserved.
Every scene felt tense, like you were on the edge of your seat in a good way. The director did an amazing job at masterfully crafting the atmosphere.
The imagery and symbolism are haunting too. I love how they depicted witchcraft and satanism in the movie.
My biggest gripe with the movie is how it is based off a very recent case. The Arne Cheyenne Johnson trial is a little too close to home and uncomforting. It felt like the movie was exploiting it at times.
I understand that the other movies are also based off true events surrounding Ed and Lorraine Warren, but this is an actual murderer that is still alive today.
Despite all of that, I still really enjoyed the movie. It is without a doubt one of my favourites in the franchise. The third time was really the charm with The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
If you’re interested in the movie, you can check out the trailer here: