The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It uses a number of licensed songs in its soundtrack to invoke its historical setting as well as build tension. The story takes place in 1982 and is based on a real-life trial, so the movie's soundtrack includes rock artists from the 1970s and '80s like Blondie, Van Morrison, and Eddie Money.
The Devil Made Me Do It sees the return of husband-and-wife supernatural investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. In this installment, the Warrens are hired to help defend Arne Johnson, who claims he committed murder because of demonic possession. The trial leads the Warrens into a conspiracy of Satanic Occultists that involves a string of murders, demonic possessions, and ritual sacrifices. The movie was released simultaneously in theatres and HBO Max on June 4 as part of Warner Brothers' pandemic release strategy. The Conjuring 3 also sees franchise creator James Wan out of the director's chair, replaced by The Curse of La Llorona director Michael Chaves.
Most of the songs used in The Conjuring 3 soundtrack are instrumental background music. In addition to composer Joseph Bishara's original score, there are many songs that were first used on the soundtracks of other movies, like The Purge, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. The "Family Theme" composed by Mark Isham for the original movie's soundtrack is also used again in The Devil Made Me Do It. The most well-known instrumental piece is classical composer Krzystzof Penderecki's "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima." The soundtrack also uses rock songs to highlight its early-80s period setting. The historical setting is one of The Conjuring franchise's big selling points, with all movies based on the real-life case files of the Warrens.
"Baby Hold Onto Me" by Eddie Money - This is the first major piece of licensed music, which plays as the film introduces us to Arne's life away from his family, including his relationship with Debbie and his landlord (and future victim) Bruno. The song highlights the relationship between Arne and Debbie, which is one of The Conjuring 3's emotional touchstones.
"Call Me" by Blondie - Later, Arne fixes Bruno's stereo and lets him play this track. The frantic beat of "Call Me" accompanies Arne's disturbing hallucination as he stumbles through his house and ultimately stabs Bruno, seeing him as a demon. It makes for one of The Devil Made Me Do It's most disturbing scenes. Arne later sings "Call Me" to himself in his cell as he is losing his will to live.
"Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley - The Conjuring 3 features another piece of diegetic (in-universe) rock music, as Lorraine and Sergeant Clay listen to this Elvis late-career hit as they drive. In one of the movie's more humorous moments, Lorraine notes that she met Elvis both before and after his death.
"Brand New Day" by Van Morrison - This is the song that plays over The Devil Made Me Do It's concluding montage, as Arne is found guilty of manslaughter and Ed shows Lorraine a gazebo he built in their garden. "Brand New Day" is suggestive of the atmosphere of hope The Conjuring 3 ends on.
This mixture of instrumental music and classic rock helps to create an atmosphere for The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It which sets it apart from other horror movies. The movie's choice of music helps it conjure a tense story in a historical setting.