ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

Reviews 

THE CONJURING 3: THE DEVIL MAKE ME DO IT – Review by Susan Granger

Susan Granger , , , ,
0 Flares 0 Flares ×

Back when I was anchoring the news on WTNH in New Haven, CT, I had the opportunity not only to ‘ghost-hunt’ with the late Lorraine and Ed Warren but also to visit their ‘haunted house’ at 966 Lindley Street in Bridgeport.

Known as paranormal investigators, the deeply spiritual Warrens received a lot of attention from the American Society of Psychical Research and the Psychical Research Foundation – in addition to spawning the Conjuring cinematic universe, including three Annabelle films and other spin-offs.

This installment is based on the curious case of tormented Arne Cheyenne Johnson, whose solemn answer when accused of the 1981 slaying of his Brookfield landlord was that the Devil made him do it.

Summoned for his defense, Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) linked Arne’s (Ruairi O’Connor) actions to the exorcism of David Glatzel (Jullian Hilliard), the eight year-old brother of his girlfriend, Debbie Glatzel (Sarah Catherine Hook), which occurred a few months earlier.

“That kid is either gonna live or die, depending on what you find,” Arne’s lawyer (Ashley LeConte Campbell) tells them.

As devout Roman Catholics, it’s not surprising that they firmly believe “A master Satanist is not an adversary taken lightly,” having discovered a malevolent, macabre Witch’s Totem in a crawl space beneath the Glatzel home.

That leads the Warrens to Kastner (John Noble), a retired priest known for his occult research, and a demonic presence known as The Occulist (Eugenie Bondurant) in a creepy morgue.

As always, the wonderful rapport between Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson contributes to the ambiance.

Written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (The Conjuring 2) from a story by James Wan, it’s directed by Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona), taking over from previous helmer Wan, continuing the characters originally created by Chad Hayes & Carey W. Hayes.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It is a spooky, supernatural 6, simultaneously opening in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.

0 Flares Twitter 0 Facebook 0 0 Flares ×

Susan Granger

Susan Granger is a product of Hollywood. Her natural father, S. Sylvan Simon, was a director and producer at R.K.O., M.G.M. and Columbia Pictures; her adoptive father, Armand Deutsch, produced movies at M.G.M. As a child, Susan appeared in movies with Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Margaret O'Brien and Lassie. She attended Mills College in California, studying journalism with Pierre Salinger, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Phi Beta Kappa, with highest honors in journalism. During her adult life, Susan has been on radio and television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic. Her newspaper reviews have been syndicated around the world, and she has appeared on American Movie Classics cable television. In addition, her celebrity interviews and articles have been published in REDBOOK, PLAYBOY, FAMILY CIRCLE, COSMOPOLITAN, WORKING WOMAN and THE NEW YORK TIMES, as well as in PARIS MATCH, ELLE, HELLO, CARIBBEAN WORLD, ISLAND LIFE, MACO DESTINATIONS, NEWS LIMITED NEWSPAPERS (Australia), UK DAILY MAIL, UK SUNDAY MIRROR, DS (France), LA REPUBBLICA (Italy), BUNTE (Germany), VIP TRAVELLER (Krisworld) and many other international publications through SSG Syndicate. Susan also lectures on the "Magic and Mythology of Hollywood" and "Don't Take It Personally: Conquering Criticism and other Survival Skills," originally published on tape by Dove Audio.