The devil went up to Connecticut; he was lookin’ for a soul to steal
Now is a great time to go to the movies (assuming you’ve had at least one, and ideally both, vaccine jabs). The long hiatus from theater-going means that even the most mediocre films will benefit greatly from being seen on a large screen, blasting through surround sound systems, and riding the energy of an exuberant audience. The third installation of The Conjuring movies, not including the Conjuring universe spin-offs Annabelle, The Nun, and La Llorona, is not mediocre by any means.
The film’s full title is The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, named after the real life 1981 court case in Connecticut that involved the first known instance in the US of a murder suspect claiming demonic possession as a defense. Indeed, the film is devilishly fun. Director Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona), stepping in for James Wan (The Conjuring 1 and 2), provides a sure-handed but simple approach to the genre that delivers the thrills without the flourishes. The former is great for a good time at the movies, but the latter was instrumental in creating a memorable atmosphere of terror that stayed with the audience long after the movie ended. With The Conjuring 3, despite the dependable chemistry of the two leads and a bucket of scares, the movie mostly benefits from a highly anticipated return to theaters.
The Devil Made Me Do It is simultaneously more complex and messy than the earlier Conjuring films. Instead of taking place primarily within one (haunted) location, the action here takes place in numerous houses, the woods, businesses, and even across multiple states. A few of the set pieces are genuinely thrilling, with an extended sequence in a funeral home really standing out, garnering an enthusiastic gasp and a few “Oh hell no!”s from the audience. The challenge comes when the film tries to juggle a large assortment of characters, locations, and plot threads. That’s a balancing act, and the film can’t afford to patiently establish a truly effective atmosphere. The messiness also leaves more obvious nits to pick, where the “rules” of the supernatural aren’t clearly established. There’s more than a few head-scratching moments, yet despite these misgivings, it’s once again hard to understate the fun of a cheap (or earned) scare, and the Warrens.
The level of comfort that Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have by this point achieved playing real life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren is truly palpable. Their performances carry the Conjuring movies, and all the other actors around them (of which there are plenty ) — young and seasoned alike — have a blast embracing horror character tropes. Like the real life Ed and Lorraine Warren’s responsibility toward their troubled clients, Farmiga and Wilson’s on-screen characters keep the story grounded and on the right path — even a meandering one–toward a suitable if not memorable finish.
Reading this Washington Post article, written in the lead up to the “Devil Made Me Do It” court trial in 1981, is a lot of fun. But please read it after seeing the movie. It’ll surprise you to learn that details from the movie that you’d think were conjured up (pun intended) by the filmmakers for a good scare were, in fact, taken directly from real life accounts. Example: waterbed. During the movie’s end credits, audio clips play from the real David Glatzel’s possession and exorcism, and they are haunting. Imagine how effective they’d be presented as evidence during a trial. There’s a better version of The Conjuring 3 that’s more courtroom drama than spooky investigative thriller. Any amount of fear that left the theater with me was thanks to those audio clips. Oh, and also I’ll never be able to listen to Blondie’s “Call Me” in the same way again, but that’s just unfortunate, not scary.
The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It opens in the Bay Area today.
