The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It

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“Arne Cheyenne Johnson stabs and murders his landlord, claiming to be under demonic possession while Ed and Lorraine Warren investigate the case and try to prove his innocence.”

I was really interested in how they were going to introduce this one. The Warrens were a part of several cases but this one gained attention for the fact that Arne Johnson plead not guilty to murder by reason of demonic possession. (There is also a neat documentary also titled “The Devil Made Me Do It” on Discovery+’s “Shock Docs” which is worth a watch.)

This is the first of the Conjuring movies that James Wan did not direct. That does not mean that his influence can’t be felt though. There are tracking scenes and scares that are very much Wan-esque.

This is also the first time that Ed and Lorraine are taken out of the “creepy house” domain to show that their pursuit of helping people against the paranormal doesn’t just fall inside four walls. There are multiple locations in this movie and rather they are focused on the possession of Arne rather that haunting of a house. I liked that a lot.

In keeping with the core of the Warrens, Ed and Lorraine’s relationship is put through the ringer when the opening sequences result in Ed having a heart attack and how as they age, their health is something that is affected by their cases. But through it all, Lorraine doesn’t leave his side.

The thing I don’t like is that the director made the choice to blame it on a witch. Again. It’s like their default. Demonize the witches.

Anyway, there are a couple of key things that I like they point out. Lorraine does have a gift but that isn’t a one way mirror – what she touches can touch her back. And the Warrens are not immortal. Pushing yourself too far can have consiquences.

SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT

While Arne did not get to use demonic possession as a reasonable defense, he did only get manslaughter instead. This movie is worth the watch, then check out that documentary.