Bookending the film with what amounts to two climactic sequences, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (also known as The Conjuring 3), released this 2021, opens with what very well could have been the ending of a previous film. . . this moment becoming the genesis to push the story forward.
For the first time not directed by James Wan (though he co-writes and produces), Michael Chaves takes up the mantle – doing a pretty seamless job. Expect the same intriguing over the head angles, spectral pov shots, long location tracking shots, and spooky camera pans. . . though it is definitely not as flashy as Wan, it does the trick.
Opening with an ode to The Exorcist, Father Gordon (Steve Coulter), who has long been the liaison of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) for the Catholic Church, arrives on the scene of an exorcism. . . a moment for him to finally get in on the action. With some sort of presence terrorizing an eight year old boy, David (Julian Hilliard), the Warrens and their team, along with Father Gordon, are in tough. . . so much so that Ed suffers a heart attack and the spook swaps bodies with Arne Johnson (Ruairi O’Connor) – the boyfriend of David’s sister, Debbie (Sarah Catherine Hook).
With Ed not at full strength, Lorraine must do much of the heavy lifting. . . quickly learning that this is not simply some sort of ghost or demon, but rather, something that is being summoned by a powerful witch.
Leading them in and around the northeastern United States, they eventually consult with a retired priest, Kastner (John Noble), who was heavily involved in researching such things when a similar case occurred many years ago. Strained to the limit, Lorraine is, in many ways, facing off with her antithesis – a woman who is hellbent on demonic death and destruction.
Filmizon.com’s Nikolai Adams with Steve Coulter, who plays Father Gordon in all three of The Conjuring films
A bold change of pace, Wan and his team transport us away from the two previous films – both insular haunted house tales, to a much broader, out in the open case structure. Both adding and subtracting from the picture, you’re not going to get the same unyielding terror – for one unchanging location amplifies the jumpy atmosphere, this instead spreads the horror out (ebbing and flowing rather than non-stop suspense) while providing us with a further look into the Warren’s relationship (both past and present), their life, and what drives them forward in this harrowing profession. Their fragility is on full display, the witch thinking their love is a weakness, while the stress of the job has never been more palpable due to Ed’s heart issue.
But that is not to say that this is wholly different. Again, Chaves’ direction ties things in nicely, while the story provides some wonderful call backs to the franchise. . . my favourite, Elvis’ “Suspicious Minds” playing on the radio – in the second feature, you’ll remember Patrick Wilson doing a wonderful rendition of the King’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.
Not as enveloping as its predecessors, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is nonetheless another very solid effort in this ever growing canon. Certain moments, like an overhead shot in a claustrophobic bathtub – the shower curtains seemingly pressing in around a little boy, an unexpected moment on a waterbed, or the use of Blondie’s “Call Me” a few times – there is no doubt you’ll ever hear the song in the same way again, will stick with you. . . further examples of the scary staying power of this franchise. It’s also worth noting Eddie Money’s “Baby Hold Onto Me” has a nice moment to shine in the narrative as well. So, there is no need to shout out ‘the devil made me do it’ when watching this film, because we all know you want to see it.