The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
- Aditya Kharbanda
- Jun 13, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 26, 2021
Overview:
Directed by Michael Chaves, 'The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It' is a horror/thriller movie based on the real life trial of Arne Johnson, charged for murder in 1981, Brookfield.
The movie was recently released worldwide on HBO max and in theatres (where available) and serves as an addition to the already massive Conjuring Universe. Also, I'd like to remind you this is a SPOILER FREE REVIEW!
Personal Opinion:
I have recently watched this film and let me put this in a no non-sense way to you, I didn't feel anything after watching the film. No fear, no amusement, no awe. It was NOTHING, I was blank. Now, have some patience, my statement above may seem far fetched to you but, as you'll read further, I'll try my best to make you understand why I felt in such a way. As usual, I'll break this review in brief parts, feel free to jump around :)
Let's begin, shall we?
Plot:
Right off the bat, the plot is DIFFERENT. If you're familiar with the conjuring universe, you may know that the Conjuring films are always based on a 'haunted house contains a cursed soul' concept. Well, you'll be happy to know that this time, the conjuring cast has dived into another aspect of horror movies, i.e. witchcraft. Now, when I say "DIFFERENT" I don't mean the plot is Unique. There's a fine line of difference between being different and being one of a kind. This plot is different from the traditional conjuring movies, yes, but that doesn't imply that this kind of plot hasn't been discovered earlier anyhow.
As already shown in the trailer, the movie is about witchcraft and the real life trial of Arne Johnson, charged for murder in 1981. First, focusing on what really happened, the case got a lot of media attention, not because a celebrity was involved, but, The Devil was involved (as claimed by Arne Johnson). Well, if you treat The Devil as a celebrity himself, then YES, a celebrity was indeed involved😁. Also, that was the very first murder case in Brookfield and hence, it was already on its trajectory of popularity before the trial even started.
Anyways, Ed and Lorraine Warren, the most famous Demonologists, were defending Arne in that case. Side note: there was never a single mention of "witchcraft" in the real case. Hence, the introduction of a witchcraft concept in this movie is simply to make things spicier for commercial purpose, with which, I have no problem whatsoever. The plot seems pretty straightforward as well.
Acting and Cinematography:
Before I write my opinion for this section, let me tell you something beforehand. Fear is subjective. Some people can get scared by something while some may not. So when I say that I didn't really get scared after watching the movie, it doesn't mean the movie wasn't scary at all. It's a conjuring movie guys c'mon! It'll definitely send chills down your spine with some scenes, but, having said that, I feel that the movie wasn't scary overall. Talking about the cinematography: well, there's little one can do to make the cinematography of a horror movie better than what the current standard is. Frequent Jump scares, big reveals of secrets and ABSOLUTE BONE CHILLING MUSIC are things in a movie that will definitely give you a hard time sleeping for the next week. And according to me, this movie did okay in these three things. As a matter of fact, there were far less jump scares than expected in a conjuring movie!
Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson return for the third time, playing the protagonists Lorraine and Ed Warren respectively. And I must say, the chemistry between the two actors is commendable! No matter the plot, these two actors will absolutely nail the role they play together! To my surprise, this wasn't all! Ruairi O'Connor, the actor who played Arnie Johnson, was exceptional. I've got to admit this, I thought the movie was only going to revolve around Ed and Lorraine Warren, as it usually does, but boy did he surprise me!
The Problem:
Having said everything that I had to say above, let's see what are the flaws concerning the film.
The film doesn't meet expectations. As big of a franchise it belongs to, I feel the film certainly doesn't do justice to the Conjuring Universe. As a conjuring movie, I expected a much more exhilarating and immense experience but unfortunately, the movie didn't provide me one.
The film doesn't do justice to witchcraft/black magic films. I've seen a lot of witchcraft and black magic movies and I have to admit that this was by far the cleanest, simplest and the most straightforward plot for a witchcraft movie that I've ever seen. If you've never seen those kind of films, well, sit back and relax, you shouldn't worry about it then.
The film leaves many things unexplained. Of course I won't ruin the movie by telling you those things, but, before watching the movie, be prepared for that.
Final Take:
Honestly, I had a lot of expectations from the film. I have watched each and every film of the conjuring universe and I love them all! If you've never watched a Conjuring movie before, tension not, the movies aren't connected in that manner and you will definitely enjoy this movie. But, if you've watched even a single conjuring movie, I hate to break it you, but do not expect much from it.
Rating: 5.5/10
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