I didn’t get to attend the screening of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It but Rebekah Black (my co-host on the Haunted AF podcast) stepped in to cover it. She’s a huge fan of scary movies but she’s also extremely picky and hates bad CGI. We’ll share more thoughts when Episode 3 of the Julie Says So Movie Minute podcast drops on 6/10.

I have to admit, I went into The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It fully expecting it to be a hot pile of garbage. I’ll be damned if it wasn’t the best of all five (or however many there are). 
If you’re a fan of the series, this one essentially gives you all of them rolled into one movie. Even the freaking nun managed to make an appearance (probably not the way you want her to, but she’s there). This based-on-actual-events story of Arne Johnson might even be the inspiration behind every demonic-possession movie that’s come out since he hit the scene. 
If I had to sum up this installment of The Conjuring in one word, it would be intense. It comes out swinging. The first 15 minutes are filled with nonstop action but there’s a decent balance of funny, too. It’s needed to ease all of that crazy! The story does get a little obvious at times and the ending is a bit cheesy. Without giving too much away, there’s a real love-conquers-all vibe (boo!). Another issue (and this is one The Conjuring has struggled with since the beginning) would be the bad special effects and sad makeup. Either get a better team or film with a lower digital quality. And maybe less close-ups on the demons! The crayola-look kinda ruins it. 
Despite these minor issues, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It might be the best of the bunch. It also feels like this one might be the last, so why not go out with a bang? I’m giving this chapter of The Conjuring franchise 8 out of 10 bone crunches. Yes, bone crunches are a prominent sound-effect in the film so if that makes you cringe, you might really struggle with this movie!

Listen to Rebekah Black weekday mornings on 98.7 KLUV, where she co-hosts Miles in the Morning. You can also hear her on the Haunted AF podcast at HauntedAF.com or wherever you find podcasts.