There will always be a good scare to be found in any one of “The Conjuring” films. The films are based on the cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators whose works not only inspired “The Amityville Horror” film franchises but also the various “Conjuring” spinoffs. And now, the two are back once more for “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” a sequel that that depicts “the deomic case that shocked America.”
While the first two “Conjuring” films were haunted house flicks directed by James Wan, Michael Chaves takes the franchise in a different direction by making the third entry more of a supernatural court drama and basing it on the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, a murder trial that took place in 1981 in Connecticut. But all three are based on real-life cases that the Warrens
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga also return to reprise their roles as the Warren’s, who are tasked with convincing a small town of demonic possession as a defense for manslaughter. Not as easy thing to do considering there are those who are only interested in reality. Still, it will make things interesting considering the Johnson case was the first to use demonic possession as a defense.
Here’s the official plot synopsis for “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It:”
“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.
Though Chaves steps in to replace Wan, and the franchise shifts its horror from haunted houses to a real-life murder case, “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” still has a lot of what makes the franchise so successful. There are of course the well-paced scares, but mostly, it gives us another chase to see the Warrens in action. I mean, if Wilson and Farmiga’s chemistry has worked so well in two of the films, and an Annabelle spinoff, why not have more of them?
Ruairi O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Julian Hilliard also star.
The script was penned by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, using a story by James Wan & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, based on characters created by Chad Hayes & Carey W. Hayes.
“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” opens in theaters and debuts on HBOMax (for 31 days) on June 4, 2021.
Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
