The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

What makes The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It stand out is how it takes the series’ haunted-house dread and stretches it into something more like a supernatural true-crime nightmare, where fear seeps in through courtrooms and crime scenes as much as creaking doors. Michael Chaves stages an opening exorcism that grabs you by the throat and never quite loosens its grip, building tension with sharp, well-timed jolts and a steady drip of unsettling imagery. Anchoring it all, Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson give the Warrens a lived-in warmth that turns their partnership into the film’s beating heart, so the scares land with emotional weight instead of just noise. If you’re here for relentless, severe horror and can handle graphic violence and disturbing moments, it’s a confidently made ride; if you prefer your chills mild, this one doesn’t really do “mild.”

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is clearly trying to expand the franchise from haunted-house set pieces into a more “case file” mystery with a courtroom hook, and on paper that’s a smart shake-up. In practice, it often feels murkier than scary, trading the clean, escalating dread of the earlier films for a plot that wanders and a rhythm that leans too hard on familiar jolts. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson still bring warmth and conviction, and there are a few nasty images that horror fans will appreciate, but the movie’s energy is flatter and the momentum isn’t as gripping as the title promises. If you’re here for the tight, crowd-pleasing haunted-house ride of the first two Conjuring films, this one may feel like a lesser, more formula-stretched detour; if you prefer investigative horror with occasional big scares, you’ll likely be more forgiving.