Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		1.5

The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Exorcise routine.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 20, 2021

The second direct sequel to James Wan's wildly popular 2013 film The Conjuring, Michael Chaves' The Devil Made Me Do It keeps the Conjuring Universe chugging along with another ripped-from-the-headlines tale of supernatural smoke and mirrors -- but hey, this one also doubles as a legal thriller! Its extended intro, which may as well have been teased as a partial remake of The Exorcist, gets the ball rolling quickly: demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, returning) witness the near-fatal exorcism of eight year-old David Glatzel (Julian Hilliard) who, after a violent outburst involving contortion, vomit, and devil-speak, wafts his evil spirit into nearby Arne Johnson (Ruairi O'Connor), a friend of the Glatzels. After the desperate reading of biblical scripture, calling a nearby church, and the intervention of Father Gordon (Steve Coulter), it takes Ed getting a heart attack for Lorraine to finally call 911.

That unintentional moment of comedy is perhaps the best part of The Devil Made Me Do It, a workmanlike but mostly flaccid affair that will probably just barely please those who buy into the deadly serious skillset of its main characters. And that's precisely where I have to reveal my personal bias: I can't stand this subgenre of horror movies, the ones that lend straight-faced credence to hearsay tales of obvious hokum like clairvoyance, Ouija boards and yes, demonic possession... especially when they're stuck in serious mode from start to finish. But I can at least separate this nagging bias from an objective nod to the film's fundamental strengths, such as its solid cinematography, decent performances, and occasionally effective jump scares. The underlying problem, however, is knowing that there's a pretty large portion of the general public that treats this stuff as real (or real enough), and that just makes me depressed.

But yes, it's just a movie, and one that at least modifies its approach to be more than just a simple retread of previous Conjuring Universe entries. The legal aspect of its story, one that centers around a violent murder committed by the newly-possessed Arne, takes its cues from the first-known murder trial in American history in which the defendant claimed to be possessed by a demon and, spoiler alert, got convicted anyway... but only ended up serving five years of his sentence. The Devil Made Me Do It plays a little fast and loose with the actual facts of this case, such as the victim's identity and his relationship to Arne, and of course leans heavy into its more mythological elements by implying that yes, all that Satan stuff actually happened or whatever. That almost makes it intolerably eye-rolling, but I do appreciate that at least some of its supernatural elements are only seen from the first-person perspective of the "possessed" and not shared illusions. But in the end, The Devil Made Me Do It's fatal flaw is its one-sided approach to the material. Just imagine if The X-Files had two Mulders, rather than that crucial balance of faith vs. skepticism.

Nonetheless, franchise disciples propelled The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It to a very lucrative theatrical run back in June, although it's been oddly re-branded with a big "3" for home video by Warner Bros. Though many die-hard fans bemoaned the absence of James Wan (who directed the first two), it was generally accepted as an improvement over the second installment -- I can't say the same, as its harder attempted fusion of legend and reality rubs me just as wrong as sitting still for an extra 25 minutes. Regardless, Warner Bros. has unleashed the film on 4K (a franchise first!), although its particular visual style doesn't always lend itself to the format's biggest strengths.

For a slightly more positive take on the film, check out Brian Orndorf's theatrical review.

The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Not surprisingly for an upscaled presentation, this 2160p transfer of The Devil Made Me Do It doesn't leap head and shoulders above its Blu-ray counterpart, which is where these 1080p screenshots were sourced from. Sure, obvious improvements are here: a general uptick in fine detail, deeper shadows, fewer instances of banding, more refined color depth thanks to the addition of HDR enhancement, and just an overall smoother and more pleasingly consistent image. But these improvements are often cursory at best, with some scenes -- such as dim interiors with soft, filtered sunlight creeping in through the windows, Father Kastner's creepy basement and, of course, the most pervasively dark locales -- benefitting more than others. It's obviously a mild to moderate improvement across the board, though, and I'm glad at least one film in the Conjuring series finally earned a 4K release. So... where are the other two?

The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Devil Made Me Do It's default Dolby Atmos mix serves up a mostly full-bodied and fitfully immersive experience, although one that doesn't always demand the format's exclusive height channels. (For viewers without a full Atmos setup, this track will fold down automatically to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and, for the most part, you won't miss all that much.) Nonetheless, height channel activity does rear its head on occasion, never more than during the opening exorcism and other stray moments, including the overhead presence of bony fingers on a shower curtain. Generally speaking, it's a straightforward mix within genre boundaries in that most dialogue is front loaded, there's plenty of room for rear-channel echo thanks to the expansive house, and music is occasionally supported by all-in immersion that's balanced evenly throughout the soundstage during intense moments. So while this isn't the most unique Atmos mix in recent memory, it gets the job done well enough... even if plain-wrap 7.1 probably would've been plenty.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles, as well as multiple foreign dubs and subs, are also included. Warner Bros. also seems to be back up their old redundant audio tricks, as we also get a lossy Dolby 5.1 track for some reason.

The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in an eco-friendly keepcase with original poster artwork, a matching matte-finish slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption slip. The bonus features listed below can all be found on the Blu-ray disc.

• The Occultist (4:03) - This piece examines the main antagonist with comments by director Michael Chaves; producers James Wan and Peter Safran; and actors Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, and Eugenie Bondurant.

• By Reason of Demonic Possession (5:24) - A brief and very surface-level account of the true story (honest!) that inspired the film, featuring interviews with many of the participants above as well as the real-life convicted murderer Arne Johnson and his dutiful wife, Debbie. This is pretty tasteless stuff when you think about it, and obviously filled with word-of-mouth stories rather than tangible evidence. Seriously, it's bullshit.

• Exorcism of Fear (5:47) - The earlier participants -- along with production designer Jennifer Spence, stunt coordinator Glenn Foster, VFX supervisor Robert Nederhorst, and teenage contortionist Emerald Wulf, who doubled for eight year-old David Glatzel -- return for a short but interesting breakdown of the set construction and opening scene. We also get a brief recording of the actual David Glatzel exorcism, which plays in full during the end credits. Still kinda tasteless, but this is probably the only real extra of the bunch.

• The Conjuring: The Lover #1 (12:50) - This video comic extends the Conjuring Universe further with an original story credited to multiple writers and artists which was released in print form back in June. There's some nasty banding going on in the background, but it's capably done with decent voice work, music, and transitional effects. A Digital Copy for this comic is also tucked inside the keepcase, which is a nice touch.

The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As the third main entry in the Conjuring franchise (and seventh in its extended universe, it you're keeping score at home), Michael Chaves' The Devil Made Me Do It sidesteps previous entries by infusing the haunted house series with a heavier dose of "based on a true story". The result is off-putting if you've got a shred of skepticism in your bones, as giving credence to a convicted murderer's story based on very dubious evidence just feels like a bad move. All told, this is a half-hearted attempt to keep things going and, whether or not you miss the direction of James Wan (who only produced this one), it might be all downhill from here. Warner Bros.' 4K edition finally drags the franchise into UHD territory, although its upscaled 2160p transfer and good-not-great Atmos mix don't exactly make it demo disc material. This one's only worth a purchase for die- hard fans -- everyone else should try before they buy.