When it comes to horror movie franchises, the latter can prove to be challenging in maintaining consistency with the series overall quality. Most horror sequels end up falling short of their predecessors with most cases generally having their franchises wearing out by the third film. That unfortunately appears to be the case with The Conjuring franchise, given that the first two films turn out to be far superior to the third (And hopefully final) entry in the series: The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Replacing James Wan in the directors chair is Michael Chaves, who previously helmed the forgettable spin-off of the series: The Curse Of La Lorna, the Conjuring franchise resurrects after a four year hiatus from the big screen to profoundly disappointing results. Despite the series original stars returning (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) and giving strong performances, the third installment of the Conjuring series ends up being the weakest installment with fans sorely missing James Wan in the directors chair as his steady hand of building up solid suspense, along with crafting decent jump scares is largely devoid here.
Continuing the series from where it left off previously with The Conjuring 2, The Devil Made Me Do It centers its premise around the Warren couple (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) finding themselves investigating a murder case with a possible link to demonic possession. Like the first two Conjuring stories, the plot for The Devil Made Me Do It is based upon an actual murder trial with the case itself being given the Hollywood treatment in terms of being overly dramatized in a style similar to 2005's effective paranormal horror flick: The Exorcism Of Emily Rose. The Devil Made Me Do It strives to do its own thing while desiring to be as effective as its predecessors in terms of both storytelling, as well as providing legitimate scares. Despite its efforts, the newest entry doesn't appear to be as well-crafted and gleefully creepy as the first two Wan directed installments. What made those films stand out in the minds of audiences was how well-executed they came across with both films stacking the level of dread with a series of effective old-school scares, that proved to be enormously effective. Although The Conjuring 2 lost some of the original films creepiness due to its scenario feeling a bit repetitive, it still got close enough to its counterpart to rank as being an above average sequel. The Devil Made Me Do It, unfortunately, loses much of the suspense and surprise that the first two films provided audiences with Wan's absence in the directors chair being felt here. Rather than capping off what's become one of the better quality franchises in modern horror filmmaking with its success spawning numerous spin-off stories including the Annabelle series, The Nun, and The Curse Of La Lorna (The latter would best be forgotten by everyone), the Conjuring trilogy finds itself potentially ending with a whimper as the final chapter disappoints on nearly every level in comparison to the previous films with the exception of the main stars performances.
When it comes to horror-based stories revolving around exorcism or paranormal activities, their believability hinges on the strength of the main actors performances. The Conjuring series has established itself as being a rare one in the genre that audiences can turn to for performances that enhance the stories realism. With Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, the series has a pair of reliable actors who bring a lot of intensity to the table in regards to selling the plot to audiences along with making their characters appealing. Both stars do fantastic in their roles as paranormal investigators and married couple Ed and Lorraine Warren, with the audience becoming fully invested in their characters marriage/experiences involving the supernatural. Regardless of the films quality, both actors come to work and deliver the same enthusiasm for playing their characters that was present in the Wan directed films. The rest of the supporting cast include Ruairi O' Connor as 19-year old Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who gets charged with murder after fatally stabbing his landlord 22 times and claiming demonic possession, Sarah Catherine Hook as Arne's girlfriend Debbie Glatzel, Julian Hilliard as her possessed younger brother David, John Noble as Father Master, Eugenie Bondurant as The Occultist, Shannon Kook as Drew Thomas, and Ronnie Gene Blevins. As a whole, the performances from the cast are convincing with them adding much to the tension unfolding regarding the films plot.
The directing by Michael Chaves stands as being one of the key areas that holds the film back from being as strong as its predecessors. Despite the films attempts to be louder than its predecessors in regards to the terror unfolding, the mood and atmosphere aren't as well-detailed or intimately scary. The first two worked so well because Wan gave them a classic haunted house vibe, while steadily building up the suspense in the story along with largely refraining from using any excessive amount of gore. In addition, he also gave the films a documentary style feel to them that enhanced their authenticity. That sense of realism appears to be absent here as well as Wans careful use of sound and space to generate effective creepy moments. Besides some decent cinematography and a steady pace, the newest entry in the Conjuring series plays out more like an episode of an old detective show that lacks the kinetic scares of the previous films. The film also appears to be light in the creativity department with Chaves appearing to not be as crafty as Wan when it comes to generating scares. Here, he serves up typical generic horror stuff including the use of contorting bodies along with the adding of clicking noises, things charging at the camera, and typical jump scares which mostly consist of "boo!" moments. Although the film carries an overall look and mood that feels creepy, it lacks the distinct methods that Wan took in making his films so effective in terrifying audiences.
The screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick from a story by Johnson- McGoldrick and James Wan abandons the previous films Amityville style story and settles for one revolving around detective work and rushing to prove ones innocence, rather than it being one structured around Exorcism. The one aspect of the story that remains strong is the relationship between the Warrens with Lorraine's character taking a more central lead in the story with Ed taking a backseat. Some of the themes carried over from the previous films to now include demonic possession, the performing of exorcisms, murder, curses, satanic rituals, cults, obsession, and faith. While the new film maintains these themes, it takes a different beat in regards to its story that ultimately makes it feel off in comparison to what the franchise has been about previously, which is exploring the paranormal. With the first two Conjuring films, the audience got the sense of what was possible with both stories opening the door for the events happening in them being legitimately terrifying. The Devil Made Me Do It would've worked much more effectively as being a courtroom drama with flashbacks to emphasize the supernatural occurrence surrounding the murder trial, rather than the route taken here by the filmmakers.
It's hard to watch the newest film in the series and not imagine what the outcome would've looked like had Wan been more involved with the films production rather than just co-write the story. It's apparent upon watching the film that this is going to be the chapter that divides fans of the Conjuring series as it's simply not as good as the ones that came before it. The film essentially lacks the powerful stamp of the franchises previous filmmaker, with the story not connecting as well ultimately. Despite being a tremendous step down from the first two films, The Devil Made Me Do It is somewhat watchable thanks to the strong performances of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Despite the boldness that Chaves demonstrates in taking the story in a newer direction than what's been shown before, one is left hoping that this is the final installment of the Conjuring trilogy, especially if Wan is no longer going to be involved with the franchise in a higher capacity. For those who greatly enjoyed the prior Conjuring films, The Devil Made Me Do It proves to be a massive disappointment which lacks some of the key ingredients of the previous films that made them so memorable to horror fans. For them, they're better off rewatching those films as the experience will be much more rewarding than what's shown here. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It has noble intentions of wanting to be as scary and thrilling as its predecessors, but ultimately shows that some franchises should rightfully be put to bed especially if they lose the edge and feeling of authenticity that made them so endearing to horror fans.
Final Verdict: Those who enjoy the James Wan directed Conjuring films will find The Devil Made Me Do It to be hugely disappointing in comparison with the series being shown to lose its touch in terms of cleverly terrifying audiences.
Images Courtesy of Warner Brothers
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment