The first two “Conjuring” films ranked in my top 10s in 2013 and 2016. Despite a bevy of spinoff films in the interim, expectations were high for the return of the Warrens (Patrick Wilson as Ed and Vera Farmiga as Lorraine) as main characters in the third proper entry: “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” (HBO Max).
Passing on the courtroom drama
What we get is a solid genre piece, but nothing redefining. In fact, writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (“Aquaman”) – basing his screenplay on a real 1981 case – passes on what might’ve been a neat mash-up of horror and courtroom drama.
Rather, we wonder if defendant Arne Johnson (Ruairi O’Connor), who killed a man while possessed by a demon, will even survive until the trial. Now haunting Arne and others from outside Arne’s body, the demon isn’t content with one murder.
“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” (2021)
Director: Michael Chaves
Writers: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (screenplay, story), James Wan (story)
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O’Connor
Director Michael Chaves (“The Curse of La Llorona”) takes over from genre maestro James Wan (who helped shape the story here) and ends up giving us a traditional religious scare flick. Still, it held my attention because I never knew what direction it would choose.
Thin line between love and horror
“Conjuring 3” starts with what might’ve been a grand finale in a lesser franchise: an exorcism of young boy David (Julian Hilliard). Later, we encounter an evocative Satanist played by eccentric-looking Eugenie Bondurant.
Overall, it’s a love story within a horror mystery. Even while fretting over Ed’s health, the Warrens scour old Latin texts and consult with Reverend-turned-chicken-farmer Kastner (“Fringe’s” John Noble), whose room of curiosities is creepier than the Warrens’ own. It’s an odd mix, but one that saga fans should be accustomed to.
“Conjuring 3” leans further into the bond between Ed and Lorraine. Plus, Arne and Sarah Catherine Hook’s Debbie – the older sister of David – have a good thing going until the whole possession thing. It’s basic stuff, but not bad.
Shot by Michael Burgess, “Conjuring 3” looks great. Scenes are lit by candlelight or a lone lamp that casts light a few feet, leaving shadows beyond, then darkness so black it almost has a shape. Yet we can see what’s happening clearly enough, and the brown-gold palette evokes the past.
A missed opportunity
I didn’t necessarily want a courtroom drama, as I’ve seen plenty of films about innocent defendants where I want to yell at the screen: “Believe him! Believe him!”
Still, considering that this was the first American use of “not guilty by reason of demonic possession” by a defendant, I think high drama might’ve been found in the courtroom. As the film points out, the legal system recognizes the existence of God. Logic suggests it should recognize the existence of the Devil, too.
As with the other “Conjuring” pictures, “Conjuring 3” could be seen as disrespectful, in this case to the family of the man Johnson (or the demon using his body) killed. But at least it’s sober about the material, because that’s how the real Warrens were.
A lot is left on the table, though. As with the previous films, the closing credits of “The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It” feature archival materials, in this case an audio recording of young David’s exorcism. It’s creepier than the fictionalized version. Chaves crafts a generically engaging mystery yarn, but he doesn’t go as deep and dark as Wan in the first two films.