The first time I witnessed The Conjuring, I was awestruck. Sure the James Wan feature lacks the body count that you often see in horror, but it got under my skin in the best of ways. And yes, I've felt the same about the follow-up in 2016, and now, in 2021, I'm still a fan. Even though some may be concerned that this is the first time Wan has not been leading the charge, Michael Chaves has made yet another terrific film. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It takes on the controversial case of a young man who murdered his landlord in 1981. It was the first time in the US that the defense of demonic possession was used in a court of law. Even more important, the second sequel places, even more, focus on the incredible Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson. They are exceptional here, and yes, the movie works perfectly in the cinematic world of The Conjuring.
Talking to Ms. Farmiga and Mr. Wilson is just a complete and utter joy. This interview was no exception. We began with Vera explaining how difficult it must have been to keep the love alive with the whole demon aspect of Ed and Lorraine Warren's story. Still, their on-screen take has been a massive success for all three films. Another fun aspect of the interview was Patrick's "Satanic Panic' t-shirt, which I asked him if that ever became a topic of conversation during the shoot. It's a very fascinating subject if you aren't aware of how horrific it was in the early '80s, nearly destroying innocent lives simply because of fear of the unknown. And then the fun began – technically the whole interview is a blast – when I asked Vera if anything odd happened with this film… something did, and she was excited to show me.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is coming to theatres and HBOMax and I can't wait to sit down for it a few more times. And we have much more Conjuring fun coming this week as we also interviewed Michael Chaves once again – you can check out our in-depth conversation from the edit bay visit here – as well as co-stars Ruairi O'Connor and Sarah Catherine Hook.