Earlier this year, the third Conjuring film was released in theaters and on HBO Max due to being in a pandemic and all. This was a film that I was excited for. I had seen the previous outings in the Conjuring Movie Cinematic Universe (Go check out Kinda Funny In Review where they discuss these films. They labelled it that.). I even have them on Blu ray. So it's safe to say that I am a fan.
I have heard from a few that it was an off outing for the Warrens (go check out Essential Scares podcast). I won't lie it had me a little worried. Would the film fall into the dreaded third film problems that have befallen other franchises?
Last night, I had the opportunity to watch the film finally. Let's get into it, shall we?
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren take on one of the most sensational cases of their careers after a cop stumbles upon a dazed and bloodied young man, Arne, walking down the road. Accused of murder, the suspect claims demonic possession as his defense, forcing the Warrens into a supernatural inquiry unlike anything they've ever seen before.
The Devil Made Me Do It, to me, doesn't feel like the third Conjuring film. This honestly feels like the fourth film - the third being Annabelle Comes Home. One could argue that film was a spin-off. However, it happens in the Warrens home and largely the daughter, Judy is a big part of the film. Therefore, it's the third Conjuring film in my eyes.
Moving on from that, this film wasn't as bad as my mind was making it out to be. But I do understand where people are coming from. The marketing for this film was definitely off kilter compared to the other films. They were highlighting the fact that the film was inspired by the Arne Johnson case so much. It kinda ended up overshadowing the film so much. It also gave people a different idea of what the film was going to be like. In truth, they did successfully manage to get out of the Haunted House atmosphere from the first two films. However, it did feel a little more of the same and that it was playing a little safe. Plus, the whole trial aspect was something that didn't necessarily matter to the film. Whereas the marketing had it seem like there would have been more of a court procedural atmosphere.
Now, this may seem like I'm bashing the film a lot. I'm not. I really did enjoy the film. It just felt like there were aspects that weren't necessarily utilized properly. The film has a very strong opening with the failed exorcism of young David Glatzel. It's very creepy and atmospheric. But then it goes from there and we see things with Arne Johnson.
Specifically, I am talking about the infamous possession scene at the Dog Boarding house with his landlord, Bruno. There were things done in this scene that seem to be done just cause they could. Or that it was designed as a way of keeping us off kilter. We are stuck in Arne's mindset but then we see small glimpses of what was actually going on. Yeah, this did give an off kilter feeling to the events. But, it also kinda pushed me out of the film for a minute.
Now, we also don't have a specific demon that's responsible for these events of this film. For the first time, we have a human presence. Yeah, she, Ilsa, just happens to be a Satan loving witch basically. But she took the time to plan out a curse and to use totems to summon a demon. That's pretty ballsy for a Conjuring film. It also added a different feeling to things as well.
There were some scares. Not necessarily as many as I was used to in a film like this. But that made me appreciate it more. I was able to look past the jump scares for jump scare sake and let myself go along for the ride.
Is this an amazing film? No. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga do a terrific job as the Warrens. They are the reason why some people love these films. Plus, they are so ridiculously cute together. There is a lot of heart to their performances as well.
Ruairi O'Connor does a solid job at Arne Johnson. There is such a likeable quality to his character. Sarah Catherine Hook does a decent job as Debbie Glatzel. Honestly, the Glatzels in general felt like there wasn't more to them. And I think a large part of that is due to the way the film is structured.
If they had structured the film differently, say we are shown more time with the Glatzels for the first half hour. We see them move in and then see the exorcism. Then transfer over to Arne's story. The film might have felt different and there would have been a bit more heart to it. But, it also could have felt very haunted house-ish that they were trying to get out from.
Ilsa is a decent threat. It's an interesting one as we are used to more demonic presences in these films. However, it does feel a bit rushed. And that we don't necessarily get more time with her to understand her. Yeah, she's chaotic. But not helping us understand better kinda hinders things a little. John Noble does a good job as well with his performance. It's actually always nice to see him in a film or tv series.
Overall, the film isn't bad in my opinion. It feels different and that they were trying to shake things up a little. There is a bit of familiarity to it, but I don't think it hinders the film. It helps make it feel like a comfort film or a nice warm blanket. Honestly, that's how I feel about these films. They are something like a warm blanket to come back to from time to time. To me, it feels the films of the 80s or late 70s (such as Phantasm, weird story but kinda comforting in a way). Yeah, the film could have been more. But I think part of it is was mismarketed. It's worth checking out though.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
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