“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.
For in-depth thoughts on The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It offers a decent uptick in quality over the already incredible accompanying Blu-Ray, making it the clear choice between the two home video releases. The highlights in the film are more defined with whites more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. Many sequences in the film take place in the cover of darkness, and on this disc they are more vivid and finely delineated. The black levels are especially strong in this presentation, staying deep and inky with great detail. The few instances of compression artifacts and banding present on the Blu-Ray are eliminated with this 4K UHD disc.
This 4K UHD presentation really delivers on all fronts including strong gains in clarity and color. There is some really cool production design featured in the film which you can really appreciate with this transfer. Every location is handled with the precision of a finely authored disc. Skin tones appear more natural with healthy doses of crisp detail apparent on faces such as pores. The increased range of the color spectrum is stunning to behold. The HDR enriches the colors from already impressive to truly stunning when it comes to nuance and depth. The Blu-Ray is great, but Warner Bros. has delivered another fantastic transfer on this latest 4K release.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with a strong Dolby Atmos audio mix that is completely enveloping and often very forceful. This is an incredibly active track that provides all manner of terrifying sound effects and an atmospheric score to keep you on edge. There is a nice amount of activity in the low end that pulses through you in the most sinister of ways. Dialogue is clear and balanced well with the competing sounds. There is nearly always something going on in the surrounds, but there is never that much difficulty hearing what everyone is saying. The height channels are used to interesting effect in some of the more tense scenes, especially in the opening exorcism. All of the sounds are coming from the appropriate directions, and there are absolutely no technical issues with the track. This one should more than please fans of the series.
Special Features
- The Occultist: A four-minute featurette which delves into the new territory this film explores in the form of the main antagonist. Director Michael Chaves; producers James Wan and Peter Safran; and actors Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, and Eugenie Bondurant all offer some intriguing comments about the dynamic she has with Lorraine and her place in the story.
- By Reason Of Demonic Possession: A five-minute piece which explores the real-life case that inspired this story with insights from real-life convicted murderer Arne Johnson and his wife, Debbie.
- Exorcism of Fear: A six-minute featurette which dissects the opening David Glatzel scene from set construction to stunt doubles and more.
- DC Horror Presents: The Conjuring – The Lover #1: A 13-minute video comic which goes toward expanding the Conjuring universe. The artwork is quite lovely and the voice work and score accompanying the piece helps establish a great, unsettling mood. Those who appreciate the franchise should find these stories worth exploring.
Final Thoughts
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is a bit of a detour for this franchise. While there are still moments that stir great fear within the audience, the scares are not nearly as consistent as they have been in the past. Thankfully, the film somewhat makes up for this with providing compelling drama in the courtroom and between the Warrens. This imbalance may not work well for fans who expect something more traditional from the series. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that features a top-notch A/V presentation and a small offering of special features. If you are a fan of the film, you should be pleased by the disc. Recommended
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray and DVD on August 24, 2021. The film is currently available to own on Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
