The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

Director: Michael Chaves
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O'Connor
Runtime: 112 minutes

Synopsis: The Warrens investigate a murder that may be linked to a demonic possession.

Verdict: The third installment in the Conjuring franchise drops the haunted house outline of its predecessors to make room for a supernatural investigation based on a real case that shocked Connecticut during the early 1980s. In it, the Warrens work together to prove that the murder of a local landlord was not an intentional crime, but rather the result of a demon’s possession of the defendant’s body and mind. While it may sound like an intriguing concept on paper, “The Devil Made Me Do It” unfortunately fails to deliver on its promise due to a crying lack of tension and an insensitive approach to the true story.

Directed by Michael Chaves, the film clearly marks a departure from James Wan’s vision that had horror lovers on the edge of their seats thanks to its non-stop creative frights and effective build-up in tension. Chaves drastically dials down the horror and turns up the mystery, which doesn’t quite work to the narrative’s advantage considering how minimal the stakes are. The audience witnesses very early on how the murder unfolds and spends the next hour and a half watching the protagonists work out what they already know in a rather tedious manner. In comparison, I happened to catch “The Conjuring 2” right before putting on its sequel, and while the latter has a runtime that’s around 20 minutes shorter than the former, the experience itself seemed much longer.

Now the biggest gripe I have about these movies is the fact that they promote a couple who many consider being con-artists who used to take advantage of people in vulnerable positions to make an earning.  And while this remains the case in that particular chapter, the story told here adds another layer of shadiness to the whole affair as it attempts to exonerate a real murderer by arguing that his actions were caused by a paranormal entity. To me, this approach comes across as being insensitive, and I can only imagine the rightful outrage of the victim’s family if they happen to watch the movie.

Suffering from a cruel lack of passion, a clichéd script, weak scares, and a questionable premise, “The Devil Made Me Do It” exhibits a significant drop in quality in a franchise that has been otherwise solid until now. A truly unremarkable ride that I’ll be forgetting very soon.

FINAL GRADE: 4/10