Due to the pandemic's lasting impact, the release date in Thailand for the highly-anticipated third instalment in The Conjuring franchise, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, was delayed several times. Originally meant to hit theatres last year, the film was postponed several times before finding a new date earlier this month. Now that Thai cinemas outside Bangkok are allowed to reopen, The Devil Made Me Do It is playing on the big screen and it will eventually be streamed on HBO GO as well.
It's impossible not to see the movie separately from its predecessors because this is the first time that a film in the series is not directed by James Wan. When it was first announced that Michael Chaves will be the new director of the supposed trilogy ender, I was hesitant just like other fans. First, it's because I'm not a fan of Chaves' work. His last movie The Curse Of La Llorona (2019) was easily one of the most boring horror movies I've seen in a long time and this new film is definitely one of the weakest in The Conjuring universe.
Second, I sincerely believe James Wan is by far one of the great master filmmakers of his generation, especially in the horror genre. With films like Saw (2004), Insidious (2010), Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) and the first two films of The Conjuring franchise, the man is a master behind the camera and his films are well made. He has a good way of subverting your expectations about what you think the scare will be without having to rely on a ton of CGI effects or cheap jump scare tactics like other horror directors out there. So, it's quite hard to see someone else take on his legacy and try to measure that.
Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
Just like the previous two Conjuring films, the new film takes a case file based on a true story from Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Only this time, the premise is no longer haunted houses. The Devil Made Me Do It follows Ed and Lorraine as they investigate the case of Arne Cheyenne Johnson (Ruairi O'Connor) who became popular in the US in the early 1980s when the phrase the "Devil Made Me Do It" case was coined. It was the first time that someone on trial for murder pleaded not guilty by means of demonic possession. Ed and Lorraine Warren set out to try and prove the murderer was possessed at the time of the crimes and attempted to find the real person or thing that was responsible.
As always, Wilson and Farmiga make the movie interesting. They're fantastic together and believable as a loving couple who are always there for one another. Their performances create great characters that are both charismatic and confident, without being arrogant. Other supporting roles are also great in this movie but what bothered me a little bit was the fact that we don't see much development of the main character, Arne. He's the young man accused of the crime and we get the sense that he's a nice and caring guy who is tormented by some evil force. However, we don't really have any information or back story about him to be emotionally invested. If this information was there, the overall story would be more impactful.
Ruairi O'Connor plays Arne Cheyenne Johnson.
This movie does have some chills to it with creepy imagery at times and sustained sequences of tension such as the scene in a morgue or the wonderful underground tunnel sequence. I also liked some of the nods to other classic horror movies such as when the priest arrives in the beginning. That scene looks similar to a scene in The Exorcist (1973). In the final quarter of the film -- when the main character is possessed with a demonic force and manipulated to kill -- the presence of a lamp, a jacket and a sledgehammer reminded me of Jack from The Shining (1980).
Apart from that, the story in The Devil Made Me Do It veers too far from the spirit possession-type storyline the first two films contain and instead feels more like a paranormal mystery thriller rather than a horror movie. The scares just aren't there and when they do happen, they're honestly pretty underwhelming and some of them you'll see coming. So for the most part, it's the least scary of the three. It's not a huge step-down but you can feel it's not as refined as the first two and just above average.
Although the film is Chaves' step up from The Curse Of La Llorona and a nice transformation for The Conjuring series going forward, its success has little to do with its strengths as a standalone horror movie because the scares are just not as potent or well-orchestrated as before. This is in part due to the fact that half of the film centres on a possession victim who's really not easy to root for.
- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
- Starring Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O'Connor
- Directed by Michael Chaves
