Last updated: April 22, 2021
The Conjuring 3 pulls its name from a real-life defense used during a court case in 1981 that originated the phrase "the devil made me do it." Formally titled The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, this installment of the popular supernatural horror franchise focuses not on a particular haunting, but a court case that was inspired by one that involved notorious demonologists and paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
The Warrens are the centerpiece of the entire Conjuring franchise, as each film has drawn from one of their case files. The spin-off movies based on a haunted doll known as Annabelle have also been inspired by the Warrens, whose estate still has ownership of the real doll. While Annabelle has its own trilogy, all of which have seen ups and downs critically, the return to the Warrens is a welcome reprieve after the franchise shifted to focus on other spin-off films, The Nun and The Curse of La Llorona.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It brings back La Llorona director Michael Chaves and has James Wan as a producer with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (The Conjuring 2) writing the script. Returning cast includes Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprising their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren, respectively. Here's what to know about the events that inspired The Conjuring 3.
The Conjuring 3's True Story Explained
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It was inspired by Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who went on trial and was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in 1981. Johnson's primary defense was, as previously stated, that the Devil made him commit murder. Notably, it is the first case in U.S. history where a defendant has claimed demonic possession as a reason for denying personal responsibility surrounding the crime for which they are being tried. Testimony surrounding the case stated that an eleven-year-old boy, David Glatzel, was possessed by 43 demons, as Ed Warren testified. Glatzel's family asked Ed and Lorraine to assist the boy and exorcise him; the Warrens did so, bringing in other priests from the Catholic Church to assist them, as was customary for several of their cases.
The process took several days and, during the exorcism, a demon left Glatzel and went into Johnson, who was the fiancé of Glatzel's older sister, Debbie. As Glatzel had been suffering for some time, the possession manifested numerous abilities, including levitation and precognition where he predicted the murder Johnson would go on to commit. After the exorcism, Glatzel was completely cured. Johnson went on to murder his landlord, Alan Bono, several months later. Johnson murdered Bono after an incident regarding his untoward behavior with Debbie's nine-year-old cousin, Mary. Debbie Glatzel was employed by Bono, and on the day of the incident, Bono took Glatzel, her cousin and other employees out to lunch. Bono got intoxicated, grabbed Mary, and refused to let her go when asked, and Johnson attacked him in a way that has been described as "like an animal." Johnson stabbed Bono repeatedly; he suffered four or five severe wounds, mostly to his chest, according to Johnson's lawyer.
Johnson's defense stated that he hadn't been the same after David Glatzel's exorcism, and Lorraine Warren informed the Brookfield Police that Johnson had been possessed at the time the crime was committed; witnesses at Glatzel's exorcism stated they saw a demon transfer from Glatzel to Johnson. Debbie Glatzel testified that Johnson's behavior was similar to Glatzel's as well. Ed Warren stated that Johnson made a "fatal mistake" and taunted the demons, saying: "Take me on, leave my little buddy alone." Johnson was convicted and served five years of his 10 to 20 year sentence. After his release, Johnson and Debbie Glatzel got married. Lorraine Warren wrote The Devil in Connecticut with Gerald Brittle about the case, and shared the profits with the Glatzel family.
In the official trailer for The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, the story seems heavily focused on Ed and Lorraine Warren's involvement with the case. However, the trailer does offer glimpses into the very story detailed. The film's trailer opens with Arne walking down the road with blood all over his torso and he explains to the office who stops him that he thinks he killed someone. This seemingly confirms the film's stance on whether or nor Arne was possessed by a demon when he killed Bono. David, Debbie's brother, is also seen throughout, interacting with the demon. This suggests The Conjuring 3 will at least briefly include David's possession before moving on to Arne's, establishing the connection between them. What's more, the characters will also go to court, mirroring the original case and defense. It's unclear as to whether the movie will follow every detail of the case, but audiences should expect enough horror and thrills along the way no matter what.