In line with many films released last year, the horror series The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do it finally released this summer. Devil Made Me Do It is the eighth installment in The Conjuring Universe’s horror universe and the third installment in The Conjuring. The film is directed by Michael Chaves, who also directed The Conjuring series, The Curse of La Llorona. Filmmakers and well-known producers James Wan and Peter Safran are still producing this film with two regular main stars, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.
Ed and Lorraine now have to face the devil in the body of a little boy named David. In a big supernatural fight, the demon possessed the body of Arne, Debbie’s boyfriend, who is also David’s older sister. Arne, who has no control over the demon, is forced to commit a sadistic murder. Ed and Lorraine have to fight the devil against a standard legal system with a supernatural realm and present valid evidence.
Honestly, compared to the previous two series, or even the entire series, Devil Made Me Do, it has a different story approach. The first is a detective-style investigation which is quite fun to follow. The film’s plot is like a detective film looking for a serial killer acted by Ed and Lorraine. The collaboration with police detectives also adds an exciting twist to the story. In this film, too, we can get to know more deeply; Lorraine’s supernatural skills can explore the metaphysical dimension through its visual presentation. The second is the side of the biography which now feels closer, although there are certainly still many things to be dramatized to meet the demands of the plot. The press spotlight on this case makes the story more real so that our two main characters look more humanistic, far from being the heroes they were before.
One more thing that is interesting to discuss is the filmmaker. I was impressed by how the filmmaker making The Curse of Llorona, which was able to play around with a simple horror gimmick, but the effect of tension was maximum for the audience. I still remember how the audience screamed hysterically when a character was about to take a doll that crossed the line of “devil” or in a horror segment in a car playing with a door latch. Our hope to see a horror trick like this turned out to be just a dream. The filmmaker uses conventional horror tricks that are too familiar for the genre and series. I thought this creative skill was why the filmmaker was recruited by the producer (Wan), but I was wrong.
Using an investigative approach, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It has a stronger biographical side than the previous series. The horror side is relatively typical for the series and its genre. For fans of the horror series, you might find something new here, but it feels like there’s not much to explore for fans of the series, especially aesthetically. For me, apart from the authenticity of the story, this film doesn’t offer much, either from a technical point of view or just for entertainment. Hopefully, the next series will be better.