'Conjuring 3' a tense, scary ride

For quite a few years, the ‘Conjuring’ franchise has been there to entertain everyone with truly effective scares and a good time. Starting with the 2013 movie ‘The Conjuring,’ the series has spawned a 2016 sequel and separate spin-offs.

Now, one of the most terrifying and sensational cases the Warrens had in their careers can be seen on the big screen.

In the Warner Brothers/New Line Cinema chilling presentation of ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,’ the film reveals a chilling story of terror, murder and an 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.

‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ has changed the direction of the main series, going from the haunted house sub-genre to a slightly different possession storyline. And, the filmmakers really pulled it off.

The scares that the third ‘Conjuring’ movie delivers are genuinely creative and the jump scares can really pop out of nowhere. The entire opening sequence is quite chilling and extremely tense.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who reprise their roles of Ed and Lorraine Warren, work really well together (as usual) and there are a couple little moments between them that can give you a little chuckle. Director Michael Chaves (who also directed the okay ‘The Curse of La Llorona’) actually did a great job directing this installment and shows that he has what it takes to make a generally frightening flick.

So, if you enjoy the films that involve the supernatural and/or enjoy the ‘Conjuring’ franchise (including the spin-offs), then I’m sure that ‘Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ will be right up your alley. With great scares, many twists and turns and some intense moments, ‘The Conjuring 3’ is strongly recommended if you’re in the mood for a good scare.

The cast: Patrick Wilson (Midway) as Ed Warren; Vera Farmiga (Annabelle Comes Home) as Lorraine Warren; Ruairi O’Connor as Arne Cheyenne Johnson; Sarah Catherine Hook as Debbie Glatzel; Julian Hilliard (Disney Plus’ WandaVision; Netflix’s Haunting of Hill House) as David Glatzel; John Noble as Kastner; Shannon Kook (CWs Nancy Drew) as Drew; Ronnie Gene Blevins as Bruno; Keith Arthur Bolden as Sgt. Clay; Sterling Jerins (The Conjuring 2) as Judy Warren; Steve Coulter (Boogie; The Hunt) as Father Gordon and Eugenie Bondurant (Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2) as The Occultist.

‘The Conjuring 3’ is written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (Aquaman; The Conjuring 2; Orphan) and directed by Michael Chaves (The Curse of LaLorona).

In July 2017, the studio announced that a third ‘Conjuring’ would be in development and

original ‘Conjuring’ director would only return to create the story and produce due to other projects he had lined up, The filmmakers wanted this entry to have a new slight direction instead of having another “haunted house” set up.

There are a few other spin-off features that are currently in development in The Conjuring Universe, one of which is a follow up to ‘The Nun.’ Even though a fourth ‘Conjuring’ hasn’t been announced, I’m sure that there will be one down the road.

‘Devil Made Me Do It’ is based off of the infamous Trial of Arne Cheyenne Jackson, aka “Devil Made Me Do It” case. This case is the first known case in the U.S. in which the defense sought to prove innocence based upon the defendant’s claim of demonic possession and denial of personal responsibility for the crime.

‘The Conjuring 3’ is rated R for terror, violence and some disturbing images and has a running time of 112 minutes.