Since 2013, The Conjuring Universe has emerged as one of modern pop culture's best and most popular horror franchises – and while our wait for the third chapter of the main series has been long, it's finally almost over. Directed by Michael Chaves, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It was originally going to be a 2020 release, but now it is all set to deliver some big scares during the summer 2021 blockbuster season. Now it's only a few months away, and only getting us more excited for the film is the brand new trailer that has just dropped.
Like the first two movies in the series, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is based on a story taken straight from the case files of demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) and center around the true case of Arne Cheyenne Johnson. In 1981, Johnson was put on trial for the death of his landlord, and it was the first case in United States history where an individual claimed demonic possession as a defense for committing a crime.
As far as the film goes, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It feels like it's a culmination of everything that the James Wan universe has been building up towards. In particular, the recurring storyline of Lorraine Warren and her increasingly complicated battles with the paranormal is pretty heavily featured in this first footage. While we've seen her make her way out of tight situations in both previous Conjuring films, it feels like this might be the most perilous battle yet for both her, and her husband Ed.
2020 was the first year since 2015 that horror fans didn't get to see a new chapter in the Conjuring Universe franchise, and it's great to see the tap turned back on again. While it was originally going to come out last fall, which is a nice season for the genre thanks to Halloween, it feels right that the movie is going to be coming out during the summer, as that was the case for both James Wan's The Conjuring (which came out on July 19, 2013) and Wan's The Conjuring 2 (which came out on June 10, 2016).
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It marks the fourth time that Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have played Ed and Lorraine Warren, having last appeared in writer/director Gary Dauberman's fantastic Annabelle Comes Home in 2019. Irish actor Ruairi O'Connor is playing Arne Cheyenne Johnson, while the rest of the supporting cast includes Julian Hilliard, Charlene Amoia, Sarah Catherine Hook, Paul Wilson, and Ronnie Gene Blevins. After having co-written The Conjuring 2 with Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes, and James Wan, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick is getting a solo screenplay credit on the new film, after having developed the story with James Wan. And while Wan isn't sitting in the director's chair for the sequel, he is producing, and he has handed the reins off to a filmmaker with in-universe experience, as Michael Chaves previously directed The Curse Of La Llorona.
Like all of the other films on Warner Bros.' theatrical film slate in 2021, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It will be getting a simultaneous premiere on the big screen and on HBO Max – but personally speaking, I'm really hoping that this is a film that people will be able to experience in a mostly filled auditorium, as there's nothing like watching a great scary movie with a crowd. Especially when it's got a waterbed scare that looks absolutely frightening to behold! We'll just have to wait and see what our options are when the film is released on June 4. To see what else is coming up on the release schedule, be sure to check out our 2021 Release Calendar feature.
