The third Conjuring film is almost here, and it promises to be the darkest chapter of the franchise yet. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It reveals a chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil that shocked even experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of the most sensational cases from their files, it starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes them beyond anything they’d ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return to their roles as the Warrens, while Ruairi O'Connor, John Noble, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Julian Hilliard round out the cast.
The horror film releases in theaters and simultaneously on HBO Max on June 4 and has already screened for some critics. They’ve started to share their thoughts on social media, so let’s check them out.
Let's start with the home team. Our very own Eric Eisenberg saw the supernatural movie, and considers it a "solid" installment in the franchise. Though he does outline some issues in the storytelling, he enjoyed the scares and thought it was great to see the investigating duo of the Warrens do their, well, investigating. Eisenberg says:
Erik Davis of Fandango really enjoyed The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. He calls it "freakishly demonic" and "bone-chilling," which is exactly what you want to hear. He also especially praises the opening sequence and waterbed scene, arguing that the latter rivals any creepy moment we've seen in this franchise so far. I am personally getting pretty hyped for the movie as a result. Overall, Davis says:
Critics sure seem to be enjoying the terror that this horror flick offers. Jenna Busch of Vital Thrills even had to sleep with the light on after watching The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. She praises the emotional aspects of the film, saying:
Chris Evangelista praises the "spooktacular" horror aspects of the movie, and shouts out Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga specifically. It would seem that he enjoys their performances. Evangelista says:
The spooky aspects of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It are not being highly praised across the board. Courtney Howard, with credits from Variety, notes that there are some spooky sequences, but that it doesn't live up to its predecessors. She argues that the movie struggles to keep viewers' attention. Howard does, however, praise the lead duo of Farmiga and Wilson, saying:
Well, there you have it, folks. Critics mostly seem to be really impressed with the scary aspects of the horror flick (makes sense, right?). We'll have to wait until The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It releases in theaters and on HBO Max on June 4 to see if viewers jump out of of their seats, hearts pounding, or remain calmly seated with popcorn in hand.
In the meantime, check out the rest of the summer movie releases with our release guide.
