| The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It | |
|---|---|
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| Credits | |
| Title: | The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It |
| Director: | Michael Chaves |
| Writers: | David Leslie Johnson |
| Producers: | Michelle Morrissey; Peter Safran; James Wan; Will Greenfield; Richard Brener; Michael Clear; Dave Neustadter; Victoria Palmeri; Judson Scott |
| Composer: | Joseph Bishara |
| Cinematography: | Michael Burgess |
| Editors: | Peter Gvozdas; Christian Wagner |
| Production | |
| Distributed by: | Warner Bros. New Line Cinema Atomic Monster The Safran Company |
| Released: | September 11th, 2020 [1] June 4th, 2021 [2] |
| Rating: | R |
| Running time: | 112 min. |
| Country: | USA |
| Language: | English |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | Conjuring 2, The |
| Next: | — |
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is an American feature film of the horror genre with an emphasis on the ghost, demonic, True Crime and paranormal thriller subgenres. It is the third installment in the Conjuring film series and the eighth film in the greater Conjuring universe. It was directed by Michael Chaves with a screenplay written by David Leslie Johnson. It was produced by Atomic Monster, The Safran Company, and New Line Cinema and distributed through Warner Bros. It was released theatrically in the United States and on simulcast [3] on June 4th, 2021. The film stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprising their respective roles as Ed & Lorraine Warren from the previous films, which are loosely based on actual ghost hunters. Also starring in the film is Julian Hilliard as David Glatzel, Charlene Amoia as Judy Glatzel, Sarah Catherine Hook as Debbie Glatzel, and Ruairi O'Connor as Arne Johnson. The story follows the true case of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who stabbed his landlord Alan Bono to death on February 16th, 1981. At his trial, he claimed "The Devil made me do it", marking the first time that demonic possession was ever used as a defense in a criminal trial.
Synopsis[]
The Glatzel Possession[]
It's a lovely day for an exorcism, isn't it?
On Saturday, July 18th, 1981, paranormal researcher and demonologist Ed Warren and his psychically attuned wife Lorraine come to the aid of eight-year-old David Glatzel at the family's new home in Brookfield, Connecticut. David is possessed by a demon, and the Warrens work with his parents, older sister Debbie and Debbie's boyfriend Arne Johnson to keep him contained. Once David is temporarily calmed down, he is sent off to bed. Having received approval for an exorcism, the Warrens await the arrival of Father Gordon. The priest is dropped off by taxicab and enters the house where he begins preparing the rites of exorcism.
You think the tub will keep you safe?
David is suddenly awakened by a repeated tremendous banging noise. He runs into the bathroom and hides in the bathtub. Looking up, he notes that the shower curtain rings are actually the curled fingers of some demonic creature. David retreats, but feels suffocated. He explodes from the bathtub and curls up in the corner. When his parents hear him shouting, they race upstairs. As David's father opens the door, the boy races towards him with a knife and stabs him in the right knee. Ed Warren picks David up and races him downstairs. As David flails in his arms, claw marks can be seen appearing on the walls. Father Gordon recommends getting the boy to the church immediately for the exorcism, but Ed Warren refuses, citing that the priest must conduct the exorcism now.
You won't see this on America's Got Talent!
David Glatzel's body contorts and convulses and he uses telekinesis to make items fly all about the kitchen. A plate strikes Father Gordon, disrupting the exorcism. In the middle of the chaos, Lorraine begins having a psychic flash of some sort of mystical item. David leaps upward and attacks Ed Warren, placing his fingers upon his chest, growling, "I will stop your heart, old man". Arne Johnson pulls David away and screams at the invading entity, "Leave him alone and take me!" The presence agrees and the demon abandons David's body and enters Arne. However, Arne appears to be perfectly normal and the exorcism concludes. Lorraine screams for someone to call 911 as Ed Warren suffers a massive heart attack.
The Haunting of Arne Johnson[]
About a week passes and things appear to start getting back to normal. Arne Johnson and Debbie Glatzel live together in the upper loft of the Brookfield Boarding Kennels, which is managed by a man named Bruno Sauls. They entertain the notion of running away together despite their lack of income. When Debbie hears a ruckus downstairs amongst the dogs, she goes down and deals with Bruno. The weekend is just around the corner, and she gives him instructions on how to treat each of the animals. Not wishing to do Debbie's work, Bruno makes it a point to indicate that he lets her live there rent free. Bruno then offers Arne $5 to fix a broken stereo system. Arne tells him that he'll look at it later, but he wants $15. Bruno settles on $10.
That weekend, Arne is at a Glatzel family get-together. While most of the family are outside dressing the picnic table, Arne is playing football with David. Debbie asks him to go inside to get the meat. Inside the kitchen, Arne notices a box of cereal suddenly move, then fall onto the floor, spilling its contents. A mice scurries out of the box, and Arne follows it to a hole in the wall. He stares intently through the hole, but as he turns around, he is accosted by the image of a menacing lanky woman that screams at him.
That evening at the Brookfield General Hospital, Lorraine keeps steady vigil over the unconscious Ed Warren. Father Gordon comes to pay a visit. Lorraine tells him how she first came to meet Ed at a movie theater when she was 17-years-old. She was a customer and he was an usher. It was love at first sight. He took her out for ice cream after his shift ended.
The following day, Arnie is at work at the Wright Tree Service. He is on a customer's property high up in a tree preparing to cut down a heavy branch with a chainsaw. He looks towards the upstairs window of the house on the property and sees the same dark-clad witchy woman staring back at him. Arne fumbles while trying to get the chainsaw to start, and the active device slips from his fingers, nearly hitting a co-worker. Not feeling very well, Arne decides to leave work early.
The Murder of Bruno[]
Arne goes over to the Brookfield Boarding Kennels to meet up with Debbie. Bruno is there and is highly intoxicated. He tries to get Arne to drink some beer with him. Arne turns him down and then Bruno cranks up the stereo that Arne repaired and begins dancing to "Call Me" by Blondie. Coaxing Arne and Debbie into dancing with him, Bruno relates how he once saw Blondie in Sydney, Australia.
Meanwhile, back at the Brookfield General Hospital, Ed Warren suddenly awakens. Lorraine is present as is daughter Judy. Ed tries warning them about the demon. Lorraine assures him that David Glatzel is fine, but Ed corrects her, indicating that he saw the entity go into Arne. Lorraine tries telephoning the kennel, but because Bruno has the stereo turned up too loud, nobody can hear the phone. She then telephones Sergeant Thomas of the Brookfield Police Department and warns him that something horrible is about to happen.
At the kennel, Bruno continues to insist himself upon Arne and Debbie. Arne lingers about, still feeling very disoriented. Bruno gets too handsy with Debbie until Arne finally pulls her away. He then hallucinates an image of Bruno as a monstrous creature lunging at Debbie. Picking up Bruno's knife, he attacks him, stabbing him twenty-two times in the chest until he is dead. In a haze, Arne lumbers down the street; his clothes drenched in blood. A police car stops by and Arne listlessly tells the officer, "I think I hurt someone".
The Devil Made Me Do It[]
Ed Warren is released from the hospital and Lorraine takes him down the steps in a wheelchair. The Warrens go to visit Arne Johnson, who has been arrested and is now in prison. During the visit, they place several religious items before him and have him read a passage from the Bible. He does not demonstrate any obvious signs of possession. Lorraine notes that the presence of religious objects should be enough to provoke an inhuman spirit, to say nothing of the lack of reaction from reading from the Bible. Ed adds that just because Arne is not currently possessed, it does not mean that he wasn't at the time of the murder.
The Warrens go to see Arne's defense attorney. She does not want to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of demonic possession. Ed points out precedence in two cases that took place in England. He adds, "The court accepts the existence of God every time a witness swears to tell the truth. I think it's about time they accept the existence of the Devil." The lawyer asks how they expect to convince a jury if they can't even convince her. Ed invites the lawyer to come to their house for dinner. He tells her that they'll have her Annabelle. The following morning during the arraignment, the very distraught lawyer enters a plea of not guilty by reason of demonic possession.
After the arraignment, the lawyer meets the Warrens outside on the courthouse steps. She tells them that the lead prosecutor is going for the death penalty. Its all up to the Warrens now. Arne Johnson will live or die based on whatever evidence they find. Ed doesn't even know where to begin with this investigation. "We never had to prove possession after the fact". Lorraine says they need to go back to the beginning.
Back to the Beginning[]
Flashback: It is several weeks prior to the July 18th exorcism. The Glatzels are just moving into their new home. Arne Johnson is there helping out. He is having fun with Debbie and carries her across the threshold of the house as if they were newlyweds.
David Glatzel carries a box of toys upstairs and brings them to a master bedroom that has a water bed. David is excited by this discovery and begins jumping up and down on the bed. A gruesome face appears beneath the canvas, which startles David. Then a demonic hand pokes out from the mattress and grabs him by the arm. David screams and manages to pull himself free. Mother Judy runs into the room to console him, but there is no evidence of anything wrong with the bed.
In the present, Ed & Lorraine, accompanied by their cameraman Drew and Father Gordon return to the Glatzel house. Debbie takes them upstairs to the room where the waterbed used to be. It has since been converted into a sewing room, though Debbie refers to it as a guest room. She points to the spot where the bed once rested. Ed pulls up the rug to see a blackened stain of rot on the floor. Whatever initiated this lies beneath the house.
Ed, Lorraine and Debbie go outside to the doors leading into the crawlspace. Ed prefers to go crawling through it himself, concerned that Lorraine might get her dress dirty. Lorraine shoots him a look and rolls up her sleeves. Debbie tells her that the guest room is located some fifteen feet to the right. Lorraine crawls through dirt and grime and gets startled by a rat. She pushes through a plastic barrier, where she finds even more rats scurrying about something wrapped in cloth. Pulling back the cloth, she finds an object that is constructed out of bones. It is a witch's totem. Lorraine suddenly experience an intense psychic flash. She takes several photographs and goes back topside.
In the kitchen, Lorraine, Ed, Drew, Father Gordon and Debbie discuss the photographs. The Warrens explain that David wasn't just possessed - he was cursed. Whoever placed this object summoned the demon, and on the night of the exorcism, the curse passed from David to Arne. Per the standards of this particular kind of curse, once the demon is summoned, the possessed individual takes a life and then the demon departs, which is why Arne no longer appears to be affected. Father Gordon tells the Warrens that they should seek out the advice of a retired priest named Father Kastner, who has experience with Satanic cults.
Exploring the Curse[]
The following morning, Ed and Lorraine drive out to see Father Kastner, who lives in an old red farmhouse some distance away from Brookfield. Father Kastner finishes feeding his chickens, then invites them inside. After the Warrens explain why they are there Ed shows Kastner the photo of the witch's totem. He asks him why would David Glatzel be targeted, but Kastner tells him that the "why" is irrelevant.
Kastner brings them down into the basement of their home. Lorraine doesn't like the feeling of this place, but descends the steps regardless. What they find is a room filled with occult objects on various shelves - not dissimilar to their own occult museum back at their home in Monroe. Kastner tells them that he likes taking guns off the street.
Sitting behind a desk, he explains that the witch's totem is connected to the Disciples of the Ram - a cult that he had helped to expose some 10-12 years ago. He explained how the lead prosecutor of the trial had a wife who was pregnant. A few days after the cult members were all found guilty, the woman gave birth six weeks early. The infant was born with its heart outside of its body. Three months later, the woman committed suicide by laying her neck on a railroad track and allowing a train to run her over. All of this is to demonstrate how dangerous the cult can be. He warns that if they intend on safeguarding Arne Johnson's soul, then they must be prepared to give up everything they have.
Katie & Jessica[]
When the Warrens receive notice that detectives from Danvers, Massachusetts found a similar totem in the death of Katie Lincoln, who was also stabbed 22 times, they travel there. The totem was found at the home of Katie's friend Jessica, who is missing. Lorraine learns through a vision that Jessica had murdered Katie while possessed before jumping to her death, which allows detectives to recover her body. She also witnesses the occultist attempting to make Arne kill himself but stops her, causing the occultist to become aware of the Warrens' presence.
The Occultist[]
A book of Stregherian witchcraft states that for the curse to be lifted, the occultist's altar must be destroyed. Ed is affected by the curse when a totem is discovered in the Warren's house; he almost stabs Lorraine but is stopped by their assistant Drew. Kastner reveals that the occultist is in fact his daughter, Isla. He had secretly raised her in violation of the requirement of clerical celibacy in the Catholic Church. As he researched the occult, Isla grew fascinated by it and became an occultist. He leads Lorraine into the tunnels underneath the house, where her altar is but Isla kills her father, then curses Ed and Arne, causing Ed to try to kill Lorraine and Arne to try and kill himself. Ed regains his senses when Lorraine reminds him of their love, and destroys the altar, saving Arne as well. Isla is killed by the demon she'd summoned after failing to complete the curse.
Ed places the cup from the altar in the Warrens' artifact room, along with the Valak painting and the Annabelle doll. Arne is convicted of manslaughter and serves a sentence of five years, marrying Debbie while in prison.
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Patrick Wilson [4] | Ed Warren |
| Vera Farmiga [4] | Lorraine Warren |
| Ruairi O'Connor | Arne Cheyenne Johnson |
| Sarah Catherine Hook | Debbie Glatzel |
| Julian Hilliard | David Glatzel |
| John Noble | Kastner |
| Eugenie Bondurant | The occultist |
| Shannon Kook | Drew |
| Ronnie Gene Blevins | Bruno Sauls |
| Keith Arthur Bolden | Sergeant Clay |
| Steve Coulter | Father Gordon |
| Vince Pisani | Father Newman |
| Ingrid Bisu | Jessica |
| Andrea Andrade | Katie |
| Ashley LeConte Campbell | Meryl |
| Sterling Jerins | Judy Warren |
| Paul Wilson | Carl Glatzel |
| Charlene Amoia | Judy Glatzel |
| Davis Osborne | Infirmary patient |
| Nick Massouh | Doctor |
| Stella Doyle | Mrs. Haskell |
| Megan Ashley Brown | Young Lorraine |
| Mitchell Hoog | Young Ed |
| Jimmy Gonzales | Boss |
| Franco Castan | Police officer |
| Mark Rowe | Police sergeant |
| Chris Greene | Deputy Martinez |
| Lindsay Ayliffe | Judge |
| Zele Avradopoulos | Duty nurse |
| Jacinte Blankenship | Paramedic |
| Robert Walker-Branchaud | Prison guard |
| Jay Peterson | The linebacker |
| Kaleka | Jury foreman |
Notes & Trivia[]
- The Conjuring 3, Conjuring 3, and The Conjuring III all redirect to this page.
- This film is alternatively known as The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
- There are thirty-three credited cast members in this film.
- Production on The Conjuring 3 began on June 3rd, 2019.
- Principal shooting on The Conjuring 3 concluded on August 15th, 2019 after an 80-day film shoot.
- Parts of this movie was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. [5]
- The first trailer for The Conjuring 3 was screened Comic Con Experience 2019. [6]
- This movie was included in the IMDbrief "The Most Anticipated Horror Movies of 2020" video clip. [7]
- This is the second movie in the Conjuring film series directed by Michael Chaves. He previously directed The Curse of La Llorona in 2019.
- Another film that is loosely based on the Arne Johnson trial is the 1983 television movie The Demon Murder Case, directed by William Hale and starring Kevin Bacon, Cloris Leachman, Richard Masur and Andy Griffith. THE Andy Griffith you sonsabitches! Recognize!
- Actor Nicholas Massouh, who plays a doctor, is credited as Nick Massouh in this film.
- Actor Robert Walker Branchaud, who plays a prison guard, is credited as Robert Walker-Branchaud in this film.
- David Glatzel, as presented in this film, is 8-years-old at the time of his exorcism. In reality, David Glatzel was 11-years-old when he first started being infected by the demonic entity.
- In the film, the man that Arne Johnson murders is named Bruno Sauls. In the real world, Johnson's victim was named Alan Bono.
- The scene where Father Gordon first arrives at the Glatzel house by way of taxicab is reminiscent of the scene where Lankester Merrin first arrives at Chris and Regan MacNeil's home in The Exorcist.
- The room at the Glatzel home where David is first cursed by the witch's totem is later converted into a sewing room. Coincidentally, in the film The Amityville Horror (which the Warrens also investigated), the third floor attic room with the "Devil Eyes" window where Father Delaney is assailed by flies and a voice screams "Get out!" is later converted into Kathy Lutz' sewing room. Clearly, sewing rooms are just nest havens for evil.
- The death of Bruno Sauls is the first murder committed in the town of Brookfield in 193 years. This is also true in reality. Brookfield was founded in 1788.
- The house number of the Glatzel home in this film is 204. In the real world, the Glatzels lived at 3 Oak Grove Road.
Explicit Content[]
- Male partial nudity: A resurrected corpse is stalking Ed Warren in a morgue. No dingleberries are shown.
- Mild profanity: Father Kastner refuses to shake hands with Ed Warren because he has "chicken shit" on his fingers.
Recommendations[]
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See also[]
External Links[]
- The Conjuring 3 at IMDB
- The Conjuring 3 at Wikipedia
- The Conjuring 3 at Letterboxd.com
- The Conjuring 3 at Themoviedb.org
- The Conjuring 3 at The Conjuring Wiki
References[]
- ↑ Screen Rant.com; "The Conjuring 3 Gets Fall 2020 Release Date". Trigg, Eric (April 3, 2019)
- ↑ Updated release date. Film release delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic.
- ↑ IMDB; The Conjuring 3 (2020); Release Info.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Digital Spy.com; "The Conjuring's Patrick Wilson teases the return of the Warrens"; Sandwell, Ian (November 12, 2018)
- ↑ IMDB; The Conjuring 3 (2020); Filming locations.
- ↑ Deadline.com; "Warner Bros. Unveils Lively Footage of 'In the Heights' And Chilling Look At 'The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do it' - CCXP - Updated"; Ramos, Dino-Ray (December 8th, 2019).
- ↑ IMDbrief; "The Most Anticipated Horror Movies of 2020"
 This article pertains to a film installment from The Conjuring film series. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Conjuring films category. The Conjuring
Annabelle
Spin-Offs
Related films
Characters
Ed Warren • Lorraine Warren • Judy Warren • Irene Palmer • Roger Perron • Carolyn Perron • Andrea Perron • Nancy Perron • Christine Perron • Cindy Perron • April Perron • Peggy Hodgson • Janet Hodgson • Margaret Hodgson • Johnny Hodgson • Billy Hodgson • Arne Cheyenne Johnson • Debbie Glatzel • David Glatzel • Bathsheba Sherman • Valak |