The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

"Then your God has damned you"

     More horror? Why not? Seems as if we're going to be having a head to head battle for summer scare supremacy. In one corner, weighing in at 2 Jim Halperts, we have A Quiet Place 2. In the other corner, weighing in at the 3rd installment in The Conjuring-verse, we have The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. I have yet to see A Quiet Place 2 (nor have I seen The Conjuring 2 or any of the spinoffs. Maybe Annabelle?) but going by how The Conjuring was, with a great tone and environmental suspense, they may actually have more in common than what's at face value.

Source: Slash Film

     It's July 18th, 1981. Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, respectively) are claws deep in conducting the exorcism of young boy David Glatzel (Julian Hilliard). Along for the ride are Davids parents and compatriots Debbie (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Arnie (Ruairi O'Connor). David is eventually cornered by the demon, which overtakes him and sends the house into total chaos. At the peak of the storm, Arnie confronts the demon inside David and tells it to take him instead. It's a bit of a cold open, with a crawl Star Wars style to set up further exposition, but it had all of the high stakes that I remember from the first Conjuring: tense performances and kinetic environmental action. 

     Sometime later, after suffering through dreams and hallucinations alike, Arnie is arrested for the brutal murder of his manager. The Warrens, shook after their ordeal (especially Ed) are approached with helping to clear Arnies name by convincing the court of his possession, which by no means is an easy feat. What follows is an interesting perspective of the many layers of the dark arts, as well as what the power of love is truly capable of.

Source: Plugged In

What I like about these sorts of horror movies is that it doesn't rely so much on scares, but rather suspense. Rather than lulling you into a false sense of security, it sort of puts you in the shoes of the situation before running out and closing the door behind you. A cereal box tipping over, an oddly dark corner underneath a table, these small moments invite your curiosity by increasing the depth of the world around us. There are a few "gotcha" jump moments, but overall it's lighting and other sensory overload tactics that catch our eyes and ears, slowly building up the power of these dark forces before being unleashed entirely.

     Spotlight goes to Vera Farmigas Lorraine, who basically carries the film and its bag of tricks. After suffering some sort of ailment, Ed is forced to the sidelines, letting his gifted wife take the lead on the mystery. Spiritually tough yet vulnerable, she leads the charge in finding witchcraft totems, the source of the malevolent beings power (an intimidatingly slender Eugenie Bondurant). One sequence has Lorraine go back in time to a night of a previous murder, with a cool day-to-night effect that really sells her abilities. It's through her that a nice parallel between her and Ed and Arnie and Debbie is made. Both she and Debbie struggle to keep the love they have intact in the face of overwhelming odds.

    One last note, is that the beginning of the film throws a nod to the Exorcist when a certain priest arrives at the scene of Davids exorcism, paying tribute to the film that started this whole genre. The font as well even has that stylized, yellow-tinge that the Exorcist has. Nice touch.

Source: Den of Geek

     Spend the night in and cuddle with your favorite person, or go to the movies and do the same. It won't rock you or shake you (unless, you know, you're really into this stuff) but it'll have your eyes on the screen the whole time, anticipating the truth of these forces and what comes next.

8 totems out of 10

But that's just my opinion. What do you think? Comment below and be a part of the conversation!