About the film (courtesy of Warner Bros.):
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.
Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) are back with another wicked tale from their lives as paranormal investigators. There’s no need to rehash their origin story or previous encounters with evil spirits. Just know that The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is the eighth offering in what’s become the “Conjuring Universe”, and regardless of how this film is received, there will be more stories forthcoming to haunt your dreams and curse your cash. Not unlike a few other longstanding franchises, this one is at the point where there’s temptation to coast and phone it in. Let’s be honest, if you were remotely entertained by the majority of the previous offerings, you’ll be inclined strap in for another story regardless of what you’ve heard or read.
From a timeline perspective, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is the most recent of the Ed and Lorraine cases to be shared. The franchise has now spanned three decades with The Nun (2018) being the earliest, chronologically, set in 1952 and the latest movie being set in 1981. In the almost 30 years of their haunted history, the Warrens yet to have their resolve tested in the ways that they’ll be faced with in their latest dealings…or so they’d like you to believe. They only thing we know for sure is that there will almost certainly be another item procured for their ever-growing museum of terrifying trinkets.
There is little room for any type of surprises in this franchise, so don’t expect anything groundbreaking in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. This title happens to be tied for the second longest runtime of the franchise at 112 minutes, with the unfortunate feeling of the story lagging in spots for one reason or another. Trimming a bit of the fat might have been a more prudent approach. The been there, done that of what happens on the screen makes for some “just get to it, already” feelings of impatience.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga give atypical performances of the characters that they very familiar with. Ruairi O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, Julian Hilliard and to some extent, John Noble, are the fresh faces to the franchise that provide the wildcards. The acting is on par with what we’ve seen in the past and there’s nothing that really jumps out in a good or bad way.
Since The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is billed as horror thriller, I will say that there isn’t THAT much which is either horror inducing or thrilling. There are a few jump scares, but it’s all stuff you’ve seen before and the same techniques are used. And as for its R-rating, I would classify this as a very mild R. Heck, if this were released during the time that its set in, 1981, it would have probably been rated PG!
I’m not completely bashing The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It because the acting is good and the production is decent. That being said, this isn’t one of those films that will stick with you after it’s over or have you revisiting scenes in your head. This is a nightmare-free experience. You can check this out starting this evening in theaters or stream it on HBO Max for the next 31 days, if you have a subscription.
