Netflix has to shake loose old content to make room for new movies and TV shows each month, and in August that means fans of The Conjuring (2013) have just a little few days left to stream it on Netflix before it’s exorcised from the streamer. Notably, the film jumpstarted an entire horror franchise, earning $319.5 million on a budget of just $20 million.
The entire Conjuring Universe, to date, has raked in $2.1 billion against a combined budget of $178 million. This makes it the second highest-grossing horror franchise after Godzilla. The newest film in the blockbuster horror series, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, debuted on June 4. It was preceded by 2016’s The Conjuring 2. Notably, The Conjuring 3 was inspired by the 1981 trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, also known as the “Devil Made Me Do It” case. Johnson was arrested and charged with the murder of his landlord, Alan Bono.
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Real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) became involved with the case due to the bizarre nature of the circumstances surrounding it. Johnson’s trial is said to be the first known U.S. court case wherein the defense set out to prove innocence based on the defendant denying personal responsibility for the crime due to claiming demonic possession.
The Devil Made Me Do It is the third film in the direct Conjuring series but it is actually the eighth film overall in the franchise. In addition to the films focusing on the Warrens’ investigations, the Conjuring franchise also includes a spinoff trilogy about the creepy doll Anabelle. The first Anabelle film was released in 2014, followed by Annabelle: Creation in 2017, and Annabelle Comes Home in 2019.
There are also two more films connected to the series: The Nun, which is a spinoff prequel set in 1950s Romania; and The Curse of La Llorona, a loosely connected evil spirit story that featured actor Tony Amendola reprising his role as Father Perez from the first Annabelle film. Additionally, The Curse of La Llorona was directed by Michael Chaves, who is also the director of The Devil Made Me Do It.
In April 2022, Warner Bros. officially announced The Nun 2, a sequel to the hit . It was later announced that Chaves would serve as the film’s director. Filming began on April 29, with a synopsis of the filming reading: “1956 – France. A priest is murdered. An evil is spreading. The sequel to the worldwide smash hit follows Sister Irene as she once again comes face to face with the demonic force Valak, the Nun.” It is currently unclear if Taissa Farmiga reprised her role as Sister Irene, but we do know that actress Bonnie Aarons is once again portraying Valak.
