‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ – third time’s not always a charm!

(This review includes spoilers)

There come's a time in watching 'The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It' that you begin to wonder whether the devil made you buy a ticket for the film. While the Warren's spiritual abilities save the film, apparently third time isn't always a charm!

'Devil Made Me Do It' was released on July 18 2021 and was the third film of 'The Conjuring' horror film series. 

PLOTLINE

⭐⭐

The Conjuring series stands out from the crowd with its interesting storyline and 'gotcha' plot twists but the storyline of the 'Devil Made Me Do It' was disappointingly fast-paced and confusing. 

Based on the real-life murder trial of Arnie Johnson, in which he raised the unprecedented defence of demonic possession, the third film travels outside the trajectory of a haunted house. At first, this seems to promise a fresh viewer experience, however much to your dismay it fails to deliver the adernaline-inducing high that the previous two films offer. Despite being confined to a haunted house, the original films, offer novelty at different points our exploration of the 'crime scene'.

Diving straight into David Glatzel's exorcism, the opening scene throws the audience into a high-intensity demonic experience. Needless to say, this is the hallmark of the Conjuring series.

Long-story short, the exorcism takes a terrible turn as Johnson finds himself possessed and murders his landlord. Immediately, the slow burn and rising tension that makes the first two films so intriguing is foregone. While a faster pace may be justified for the third film featuring the Warren's as the series main demon-fighting hero's, the rest of the film departs too far from the film's signature style. 

Similarly, the change to a realistic setting is a novel change for the series. However, the Warren's un-humanly ventures within the real world result in a cringeworthy contrast. For example, the morgue scene in which Lorraine travels to the Satanist's lair, only to be attacked by a gross, corpse monster, is more humorous than it is terrifying. One of the key goals of a successful horror movie series is that it must strike the seemingly paradoxical ability to be both familiar yet novel at the same time. Unfortunately, the third film leans far too much into the latter. 

Separately, the storyline itself floats in random directions - from the possession to the investigation to the unprecedented plot twist that brings the Warren's bond into question. Far too many times will you wait for a lightbulb moment, only to realise that the pieces don't connect.

Why is Meryl a Satan worshipper? Why did she target the Glatzel's? What is the ground-breaking backstory that precedes all the chaos? 

Ironically, as the plot reaches its resolution, your endless questioning will only just begin. 

ACTING 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Perhaps the only element of the film that served to its expectations, was the remarkable acting skills of the main characters. 

Played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, the Warren's live to up to their power couple dynamic, proving that a holy and faithful bond will aways trump evil. The unexpected moment of doubt between the pair is an interesting twist that is appropriately resolved, as the characters deliver an emotional performance upon finding each other again. 

Ruairi O'Connor, who plays Johnson depicts a courageous bother-in-law when he challenges the demon to take him instead of David. More notably however, was his ability to represent a troubled young man who struggles balancing the hysteria of demonic possession and his real self, constantly lapsing in and out of his sanity. The scene following the murder where O'Connor trudges across the country road, pale-faced and bloody is particularly impressive as the audience witness perhaps the goriest scene of the film. 

CINEMATOGRAPHY

⭐⭐⭐

Cinematographer Micheal Burgess, does an excellent job at illustrating demons, especially the opening scene that portrays demonic claws creeping above the shower curtain. From angles to lighting, different sides of possessed Johnson brings to 'light' (pun intended) his supernatural battle. 

In saying so, the movie did not horrify the audience as well as the previous films. In fact, the most horrifying part of the third film was the realisation that it confirms to standard horror movie tropes. Jump scares, more jump scares and surprise... here's a dead-body, possessed, zombie jump scare! 

 

'The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It', although a novel change in the series' fails to live up to the legacy of its predecessors.