The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
This is a scene from the movie "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It". The Catholic News Service classification is A-III - Adult. Motion Picture Association Rating R - Restricted. Must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian under the age of 17. (CNS photo/Warner Bros.)
By: John Mulderig Movie Ratings: R
Date: June 4, 2021 Movie Classification: A-III
NEW YORK (CNS) - Do-it-yourself demon fighters Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren are back in "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It" (Warner Bros.).
The obvious draw this time is that, instead of countering possession, they are trying to undo a curse.
While many horror films claim factual underpinnings, director Michael Chaves' addition to The Warren Chronicles is rooted in reality. In the case to which it relates, the 1981 murder trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson (Rurie O'Connor) made headlines when the accused claimed to have acted under demonic control—the first defense, it seems, ever. Officially entered the US Court.
Misguided altruism can be Earny's waste.
As the opening scenes show, he witnesses the sufferings of David (Julian Hilliard), the younger brother of his live-in girlfriend Debbie Glatzel (Sarah Katherine Hooks). The subsequent captivity for demonic forces is depicted as sufficiently well-established for the Church, which has sent an exorcist, Father Gordon (Steve Coulter), to take it from Warren.
Overwhelmed by David's suffering, Arne maliciously invokes the deadly spirit that was attacking the boy to capture his soul. Shortly after, Arne brutally stabs his landlord, Bruno Saul (Ronnie Jean Blevins), repeatedly. (The actual victim's name was Alan Bono.)
Eager to help Arne, the Warrens are initially stunned by the fact that, when they interview him in prison, he can do things, such as read the Bible, that he would if he were still with him. Can't do it Clues point them to an alternative theory—namely, that their temporary subjugation to Lucifer was the result of a Satanist running hex on both David and Arne.
As they hunt down this male factor, the Warrens are assisted by an eccentric retired priest, Father Kastner (John Noble). However, his expertise in the worship of Satan is intertwined with a distinctly messy personality.
As written by screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, this expansion of the franchise takes us into a rat-infested basement and sees us protest the victims of the underworld. However, it manages to break a little new ground.
Along the way, there's predictable (though relatively restrained) mayhem, but there's also an uncomfortable blending of non-classical mysticism—Lorraine is portrayed as a clairvoyant with distinctly Catholic piety and prayer. Throw in a plot development involving a wayward pastor and it's clear it's inappropriate for youth.
The real-life judge, before whom Arne was tried, dismissed his plea for extraterrestrial extinction circumstances. Wise movie fans may wish to do the same with this fictionalized version of his ordeal.
The film contains some bloody violence, mature themes including occult activity, brief sexuality in the context of cohabitation, some abuse, some minor swearing and at least one crude word. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III - Adult. Motion Picture Association Rating R - Restricted. Must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian under the age of 17.
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Mulderig is on the staff of the Catholic News Service.
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Capsule Reviews
"The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It" (Warner Bros.)
In the early 1980s, Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren work to prove to a young man (Rurie O'Connor) accused of a brutal murder that he was under demonic control when he was committed. Crime. He is assisted by the accused's live-in girlfriend (Sarah Katherine Hooks) and an eccentric retired priest (John Noble), whose expertise on devil worship comes with a distinctly grumpy personality. Director Michael Chaves' fact-based horror film shows rat-infested basements and victims of capture but breaks little new ground. The uneasy blending of non-classical mysticism, with predictable mayhem – Lorraine is portrayed as a clairvoyant – along with explicitly Catholic piety and prayer, as well as the plot development involving a wayward pastor make it an unworthy scene for youth. . Some bloody violence, mature themes including occult activity, brief sexuality in the context of cohabitation, some slang, some minor swearing, at least one crude word. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III - Adult. Motion Picture Association Rating R - Restricted. Must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian under the age of 17.
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Classification
"The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It" (Warner Brothers) - Catholic News Service Classification, A-III - Adult. Motion Picture Association Rating, R - Restricted. Must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian under the age of 17.