3 stars out of 5
At some point in the past few years, I watched The Conjuring on HBO, and liked it well enough that I soon watched The Conjuring 2. I was suitably amused/creeped out by these based-on-actual-bullshit tales of real-life spook searchers Ed and Lorraine Warren (of Amityville Horror fame), plus I’m a fan of both Patrick Wilson and Vera “Norma Bates” Farmiga. I decided if they made another Conjuring flick, I’d see it in the theater. So, I can’t really say the devil made me do it.
In the pandemic meantime, I watched Conjuring Universe films Annabelle Comes Home (3 stars) and Annabelle: Creation (2 stars). If you’re not familiar with the concept of “universe” series, they’re the kind of offshoot movies where Wilson and Farmiga lean into frame in the 83rd minute and ask, “Oh hey, we were away for the weekend. Everything OK with you guys?”
And now it was time to return to the Conjuring mothership. I actually tried to see this on opening day, last Friday. But two things told me we are getting that much closer to normal: The multiplex had a full slate of daily screenings (instead of just 2 or 3 showings at night) and, annoyingly, the next two showings were sold out! I came back on $7 Tuesday.
Early on, there’s a blatant visual nod to The Exorcist (#re2pect) and the initial “Out, cursed demon!” sequence involving an 8-year-old boy is genuinely thrilling and scary. But uh-oh, the evil spirit jumps into the kid’s older sister’s boyfriend Arne (got that?). As we delve deeper into the unexplained, we also wonder why Arne’s 1981 haircut looks significantly more modern. Ooooh that’s scary stuff, kids!
Speaking of appearances: OK, fine, the Warrens were real people. But if there was one element in this entire series where filmmakers insisted on strictly adhering to the The Truth, did it have to be Lorraine’s godawful sense of style? The lovely, sexy Farmiga is saddled with ghastly frilly tops and an absurd 1940s school-marm hairdo. Not a good look, my friends!
No spoilers but Arne does a bad, bad thing and the Warrens set out to prove that… the devil made him do it. But here’s the rub: Placed against the backdrop of the legal system, this Conjuring mumbo-jumbo really starts to seem terribly silly. It doesn’t help that the script, um, demonizes Satan worshippers; it felt like ’80s fuddy-duddies blaming Judas Priest and Ozzy for dirtweed teens acting out.
We do get a pretty exciting drawn-out climax. And, it’s nice to see our old pals from the Conjuring Universe: Same actors return as the weary priest, the videographer, and the Warren daughter (who only gets a couple of lines). The Conjuring 3 is a decent enough entry in the series. And I will admit to coming home and loading up Universe title The Nun on my on-demand. Taissa Farmiga is in it. I do love me some Farmigas.
Jack Silbert, curator