Stanko's Stance

“The Warrens investigate a murder that may be linked to a demonic possession.”

Director: Michael Chaves
Writers: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, James Wan, Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes
Staring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O’Connor
Streaming: HBO Max
Release Date: June 4, 2021

We don’t need to pretend that this is a good movie right? Just because it is going to make a ton of money and be the most popular thing on the Internet doesn’t mean it is actually good. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is clearly the lesser of the three in terms of its direct storyline and characters.

The tagline for the movie is “The demonic case that shocked America.”, and it is a nice little pun because someone going in blind would have no idea that there was actually a legal aspect to the movie. Though to be fair, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It also forgets to highlight that fact.

This story from the Warren’s is supposedly world renowned because it was the first time in U.S. History that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense. The pitfall in this movie’s story is that it forgets about that aspect and its duel path finish (one of which contains the defendant in said trail) is lopsided heavily one side in terms of entertainment.

If it was for the acting talents of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga then The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It would be nothing more than a bit-rate horror movie. The scares in the movie are easy to see coming and nothing more than jittery. Director Michael Chaves really likes the “I am gonna rush at you from the dark” tactics.

The other major problem with The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is that it did not have a set place. This is a theory that I have: in order for a horror movie to ascent over the Mendoza line, it needs to have a definitive setting or environment. The Conjuring (2013) house is memorable and The Conjuring 2 (2016) England setting made it rise above average. There were so many setting changes in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It which takes away from the building dread.

I am man enough to know that I sometimes over analyze movies. I know myself well enough to know when I am stepping into the truly unbearable atmosphere of pompous “I am a critic” clouds. I say that and still am confident that The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is the most disappointing movie in The Conjuring universe.

STANKO RATING: C- (2.0/5 Stars)

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