The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do it Review: A Basic, Mild Horror Film

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It reveals a chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil that shocked even experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of the most sensational cases from their files, it starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes them beyond anything they’d ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It -Trailer

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The Good:

The strongest positives in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It comes from the terrific duo of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga who play the Warrens. Despite their youthful appearances (compared to their characters) the pair really do make you think that they’re an old couple of love birds. (Who just so happen to exercise ghosts and demons.) Their on screen chemistry is superb and they are certainly the driving force in the film.

 

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It has an interesting story that will keep you intrigued. The coolest parts were how the story was based on a real life court case, and the mystery element that will keep you wondering until the end. Although it was a bit disappointing that the “why” behind the supernatural phenomenon was deemed irrelevant and ignored, it doesn’t take away that you still want to know more the deeper the film goes.

 

As a nice bonus, this film has some nice callbacks to the other Conjuring related films. In true fashion as the tentpole franchise, this movie laid some compulsive groundwork for yet another potential spinoff series. John Noble’s character, “Kastner”, is wrapped up in so much curiosity that he’s practically begging audiences to dig deeper into his past with a movie.

The Bad:

Probably the most disappointing aspect of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is just how basic the movie treats the horror genre. It’s completely formulaic and, as a result, it’s far too predictable. Director Michael Chaves provided very little originality in the scares this film telegraphs at practically every turn. There’s never a moment where you don’t know when the scary stuff is about to happen. It gets to the point where even tired old horror movie tropes like the running, tripping, falling woman get used here too.

 

There were just a lot of missed opportunities to truly make this movie scarier than it tried to be. The jump scares were mediocre at best and didn’t utilize creative cinematography to push our imaginations. Again, if you see the scares coming, then they’re not going to be scary. Plus, it didn’t help that the same ghoul/ghost being was being used multiple times. At one point, I was just thinking that the Warrens just need to call the ghost busters or Rick from the Walking Dead.

The Verdict:

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is by far the weakest of the Conjuring films thus far. It’s a generic and unimaginative horror that relies too heavily on genre tropes to be distinctly unique. This movie should be a clear sign for Warner Bros Pictures that if they want this franchise to succeed, then they need to put James Wan back in the director chair at whatever cost. It’s fine to have other directors take on the spinoffs, which can be hit or miss. However, if the Conjuring movies are the major tentpole for the franchise, then only James Wan should be taking those on.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It has only two jobs. The first was to create interest in potential spinoff movies. It accomplished that with “Kastner” and his peculiar past adventures. The other job was to be scary, and it failed at that. If you’re an experienced horror movie lover, then this movie isn’t going to keep you up at night at all. If you happen to be new to horrors, or don’t watch them often enough to notice the common horror tactics, then this film could be scary enough.

 

I’ve always liked to compare horror movies to the likes of spicy food. Too much spicy food can give you stomach aches and put you through a lot, but you still come back for more. If The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It were a spice level, it would just be mild at best. It’s got some flavor, but no real kick. Feel free to check it out if you wish in theaters. If you do, I’d recommend [re]watching Annabelle Comes Home to be better prepared for this film.

 

Director: Michael Chaves
Writers: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, James Wan
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O’Connor
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do it will be in theaters and on HBO Max June 4, 2021. Be sure to follow E-Man’s Movie Reviews on Facebook, Subscribe on YouTube, or follow me on Twitter/IG @EmansReviews for even more movie news and reviews!