Bonus Features: ‘The Conjuring 3’ home release pulls back curtain on true story
Every horror fans knows about the Warren family. Ed and Lorraine (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) helped James Wan turn “The Conjuring” from a singular frightening film to a sprawling cinematic universe of fear, including three mainline films and a number of spinoffs and standalones. After hitting theaters and HBO Max earlier this summer, the third film, “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” is heading home on 4K Ultra HD, so fans can turn their very own home into a haunted house, too.
While the first two movies took the Warrens and placed them in the midst of demons, spirits and horrific haunted houses, the third takes a much more grounded approach, if that’s possible. Sure, there are still more than enough demons and frights to go around, but rather “The Devil Made Me Do It” focuses more and the people affected by the possession, and it also drags in the American legal system. When a standup young man commits a gristly murder, the Warrens are called in to do the unthinkable: prove to a judge and jury that the man was possessed by a demon, and therefore innocent.
When it comes to watching horror movies at home, one of the most important things to consider is how well the film handles the dark. In this genre, scenes covered in darkness aren’t an “If?”, they’re a “When?”, which means poor presentation could ruin the whole experience. Well, the 4K upscale on “The Devil Made Me Do It” nails these critical moments, delivering rich depth that’s capable of showing everything off without missing a beat. In terms of home audio, the Dolby Atmos track provides an all-encompassing surround sound experience that will have viewers feeling as if they’re part of the exorcisms on screen.
“The Devil Made Me Do It” marks the first time any of the three mainline “Conjuring” films have made their way to 4K Ultra HD, and now the only question is, when are the rest coming, too?
Let’s take a look at what the home release has to offer:
Special Features on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital
- By Reason of Demonic Possession – We know that the “Conjuring” films like to slap “Inspired by a true story” on their opening credits, but just how true is it really? This featurette delivers an in depth look at the real-life events that that inspired the movie. Spoiler Alert: It’s a loose inspiration.
- The Occultist – Up until this point, the franchise has focused on uninvited demons possessing victims, but the third film flips the script by bringing in an occult who summons the evil spirits. This featurette looks at the decision to take the franchise in a new direction.
- Exorcism of Fear – “The Devil Made Me Do It” starts off with a bang, and this bonus feature dives into the making of the chilling exorcism scene that opens the film, and the movie as a whole.
- DC Horror Presents The Conjuring: The Lover #1 – One perk of being a Warner Bros. film is the close connection to DC Comics, which created this video comic that takes viewers deeper into the Conjuring Universe
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Zach Goins View All
Zach Goins is a member of the North Carolina Film Critics Association based in Charlotte, N.C. Zach co-founded Inside The Film Room in 2018 and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the website and co-host of the podcast. Zach also serves as a film critic for CLTure.org.